No teacher pay during COVID classroom shutdown?

[Anonymous]

We are entering our third classroom shutdown due to a positive COVID case in the past 12 months. It's always 14 days from the last day the infected person was in the room, which this particular time means only another 7 days. (I'm convinced it's highly likely this particular case developed over Christmas and NOT when they were last at school but that's neither here nor there).

Found out during the last shutdown from a teacher that even though we all pay full tuition during the shutdowns, they DON'T get paid. The best they can do is file for brief unemployment. That's terrible, right? Do others have any idea what happens during similar situations at your daycares?

This is a private chain of centers. There are a lot of them. I know I should just name it but I'm hesitant. We're mostly happy with it but this business of not paying our classroom teachers while they shut down the room just seems very, very wrong.

[Anonymous]

Where is the money going then?

[Anonymous]

What??? That is ridiculous and immoral. Name this center. Something needs to be done.

[Anonymous]

I have to wonder at our center what they do. I am certain some of the assistant teachers are hourly workers? So if they aren't scheduled to work, they don't get paid?

[Anonymous]

OP here. I assume the money just goes to keeping the rest of the place running since there are so many other rooms. I know daycares are not very profitable in the best of times, so I'm not necessarily opposed to the policy of paying during the shutdown even though it's not really fair. But to then stop paying teachers is not what I would have in mind for my money during that time.

We have a connection to a county council person who told us as shitty as it is, there's no requirement for a private center to pay teachers when they aren't working. I'd just like to get some backup before taking this higher up that it's not a common practice to do this since the pandemic started.

[Anonymous]

You need to realize how the sausage is made. The people taking care of your kids are hourly wage earners. Probably making close to minimum. They probably don't have health insurance. Their working conditions are a lot more taxing than your job.

It is what it is. I'd say that childcare should be a respected profession that pays and supports its employees, I'd say it should be subsidized more than the defense conteactors that probably pay your husband, but we can't have that! That would be socialism

[Anonymous]

I'd find a new school. That is unacceptable.

[Anonymous]

If the center is contracting with a staffing agency - it is probably completely legal but the staffing agency really ought to provide pandemic-related sick leave/pay for an employee in a long-term temporary position. While probably legal, this practice (especially if the center continues to collect tuition but does not need to pay a contractor because personnel or payroll for the worker is not the center's concern), is simply not ethical. It is wrong to withhold pay from hourly workers who have to isolate or quarantine but the staffing agency is also in a bind because they are not getting paid either. Contact your congressional representative and state representatives to ask them to apply pressure on the center to pay its staffing agency a payment to allow for sick leave pay for the quarantined employee of the agency if this is the case.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If the center is contracting with a staffing agency - it is probably completely legal but the staffing agency really ought to provide pandemic-related sick leave/pay for an employee in a long-term temporary position. While probably legal, this practice (especially if the center continues to collect tuition but does not need to pay a contractor because personnel or payroll for the worker is not the center's concern), is simply not ethical. It is wrong to withhold pay from hourly workers who have to isolate or quarantine but the staffing agency is also in a bind because they are not getting paid either. Contact your congressional representative and state representatives to ask them to apply pressure on the center to pay its staffing agency a payment to allow for sick leave pay for the quarantined employee of the agency if this is the case.

Or simply apply pressure to keep the center open. I'm sure staff is getting paid when they're working.

[Anonymous]

I'm guessing this is a Kindercare.

[Anonymous]

So at my previous job if a student catches COVID teachers still get paid. If the teacher catches COVID our vacation hours are used and/or we don't get paid.

[Anonymous]

Do the teachers not get paid because the center has to hire subs?

[Anonymous]

No wonder daycare teachers are quitting left and right.

[Anonymous]

I mean, they're going to quit. I'm on the Board for my kid's daycare (federal daycare) and the company that runs the center has repeatedly raised pay and benefits because there's a huge crisis in staffing daycares.

[Anonymous]

Sounds like they are paid as 1099 contractors, so center can save bucks on employer taxes plus health insurance. But on audit, the IRS would disagree.