Daycare used their sick days

[Anonymous]

I need help with scripts. We use a home daycare in MoCo that is VERY strict on illnesses. One time they made me pick my kid up because he didn’t eat lunch so they thought he was getting sick (he was not). They have no problem sending kids home and requiring doctors notes and PCR results for illnesses. So, extra time off work for us even after the illness policy says we should be able to return. Their contract says they get 5 paid sick days per year. They took three in May, and then another three this week. Do I mention that they’ve run out of sick time? Just make the payment for one day less than normal and assume they can count to 6? I feel like they’re going to fight me on this (we went out of town for 6 weeks and I told them I’d mail the payment on our regular schedule, and they told me I needed to prepay or else we’d lose our spot). Given how much they kick out my kid who has a reactive airway and seasonal allergies, I’m really not inclined to give them extra days when I pay $100/day for full time care. (Yes, we’re looking for a new daycare situation long term, but we’ll be here for at least 3 more months).

[Anonymous]

Stick to the rules they wrote. Five paid sick days is exactly that. They get paid for made up Johnny didn’t each lunch days. You don’t pay extra. Stick to the rules.

[Anonymous]

Find a new provider.

[Anonymous]

If you can afford to take 6 weeks off you can afford to pay this one extra sick day. Don’t be petty and give them a check that’s too small.

Do, however, communicate with them about the time missed. Perhaps an email asking if they’ve changed policies since you thought there were only 5 sick days on their end and you’ve calculated their taking 6. Keep it all pleasant but let them know you’re keeping track.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Find a new provider.

And this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you can afford to take 6 weeks off you can afford to pay this one extra sick day. Don’t be petty and give them a check that’s too small.

Do, however, communicate with them about the time missed. Perhaps an email asking if they’ve changed policies since you thought there were only 5 sick days on their end and you’ve calculated their taking 6. Keep it all pleasant but let them know you’re keeping track.

We didn’t take 6 weeks off. We stayed with our families for the holidays before my husband switched jobs and we weren’t both WFH. Was it a long chunk of time? Yes. Was it worth it for our families to get to meet the pandemic baby? Yes. But we didn’t ask daycare for a discount for that time. You pay for the spot, regardless if you choose to use it.

[Anonymous]

I’d ask them how they plan to handle that 6th day, since they only have 5 paid sick days. Also, make sure you’re on the same page as the other families so that they don’t just show you to the door.

[Anonymous]

is the 5 days per calendar year or per school year? I think that matters here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:is the 5 days per calendar year or per school year? I think that matters here.

The language in the agreements is ambiguous, which is why I’m kind of expecting the pushback and was asking for advice on framing the conversation. The calendar they put out every year starts in January. If they say they go based on the school year, ok that’s what it is. I’m just not ok with giving them any extra days when they send my kid home for having seasonal allergies and a diagnosed reactive airway.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I need help with scripts. We use a home daycare in MoCo that is VERY strict on illnesses. One time they made me pick my kid up because he didn’t eat lunch so they thought he was getting sick (he was not). They have no problem sending kids home and requiring doctors notes and PCR results for illnesses. So, extra time off work for us even after the illness policy says we should be able to return. Their contract says they get 5 paid sick days per year. They took three in May, and then another three this week. Do I mention that they’ve run out of sick time? Just make the payment for one day less than normal and assume they can count to 6? I feel like they’re going to fight me on this (we went out of town for 6 weeks and I told them I’d mail the payment on our regular schedule, and they told me I needed to prepay or else we’d lose our spot). Given how much they kick out my kid who has a reactive airway and seasonal allergies, I’m really not inclined to give them extra days when I pay $100/day for full time care. (Yes, we’re looking for a new daycare situation long term, but we’ll be here for at least 3 more months).

If your child is sick, you keep them home. A PCR and keeping them healthy so they can stay open is reasonable. If you go on vacation for 6 weeks, yes you pay. I would not pay more than 5 sick days.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: If your child is sick, you keep them home. A PCR and keeping them healthy so they can stay open is reasonable. If you go on vacation for 6 weeks, yes you pay. I would not pay more than 5 sick days.

Clearly reading comprehension isn’t your forte. Yes, you keep a sick child home. It’s unreasonable for a daycare to send home a kid with allergies or with asthma because they cough sometimes. OP said she paid for the spot during the six week trip, but asking for payment in advance of the regular schedule was out of line for the daycare.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Find a new provider.

+1, any setting with more than one toddler/young kid is going to have mild colds as part of the environment, and a childcare provider must understand that. Otherwise you're going to be out of work so much that you are basically a SAHP who is paying for useless daycare. Find a new provider.

[Anonymous]

Just ask kindly for clarification. Is their 5 sick day policy January-December or are they following a different calendar? If it’s January-December, remind them that the 5 days have been used and you’ll adjust the payment accordingly.

[Anonymous]

Mention it to them today. Tell them you are writing out next weeks checks and you double checking on their sick days since you calculated 6 days and their contract says 5.

[Anonymous]

I would just make the payment with one less day of pay. I'm a homedaycare provider. About 1/2 of the clients will continue to pay, and others follow the contract. If I overreacted and did things like sending kids home for a skipped lunch, then I would not be expecting generous clients. The having to pay the 6 weeks upfront was odd as well.