Covid at daycare/preschool - outdated policies

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our daycare has yet to publish any new guidelines, but they do seem to be being flexible on an ad-hoc basis (in terms of out-of-school exposure or parent cases). But we still haven't had many cases, and our last closure was in January during Omicron.

I do think they are likely to shut down a classroom for 10 days if there is a case in the room, though. I guess we'll probably eventually find out. Has CDC flowed new guidance that suggests they shouldn't? I don't think so.

I am most angry that these restrictions/policies come with no support, like paid parental leave. It is fine for me, but not for everyone.

Totally agree, and no it’s been crickets out of the CDC. It’s so frustrating. They really seem to be hanging their hat on a vaccine that may never be coming.

I work for a regulatory agency and have to deal with strict deadlines for a lot of our processes. There was never any sort of extension to timelines or flexibility introduces as a result of the pandemic. So whoever a parent has to take large swaths of time off the work gets shifted on others to do rather than just delayed until when they return. My colleague’s kids are in what’s got to be their 6th quarantine (one time they actually got it). While those of us with kids have empathy for him because we’ve all been there at least once, there’s also been resentment among a couple of the childless employees because this guy just can’t get his stuff done with all the constant disruptions.

[Anonymous]

Yes, still stuck in 2020 at our daycare. I love it otherwise but this is getting ridiculous. OP, if your kid is still testing negative with no symptoms, hire a babysitter. Most people are "over" the pandemic now so you may find some takers.

[Anonymous]

I’m trying to come to terms with the reality that the only relief from this will be aging out of daycare. I’m not even sure anymore that a vaccine for under 5 would stop the quarantines. The only reason I remain cautious about Covid is because of fear of quarantines. It may not be PC to admit but that’s the truth. 75 percent of my kids class had RSV and I got it and was very sick and had to be in bed for two days. The classroom did close for that.

[Anonymous]

This system is going to disincentive even taking a Covid test. A positive test is like a kiss of death for two-three weeks for you and all the families in the daycare. Flame away, but if my kid has a slight cold or a fever from now on, I will keep him/her at home for a couple of days, but won't test.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our daycare has yet to publish any new guidelines, but they do seem to be being flexible on an ad-hoc basis (in terms of out-of-school exposure or parent cases). But we still haven't had many cases, and our last closure was in January during Omicron.

I do think they are likely to shut down a classroom for 10 days if there is a case in the room, though. I guess we'll probably eventually find out. Has CDC flowed new guidance that suggests they shouldn't? I don't think so.

I am most angry that these restrictions/policies come with no support, like paid parental leave. It is fine for me, but not for everyone.

Yep we've gone 2 years without any of us getting covid or being symptomatic but I oscillate between 15 hours and 40 because every 2-3 months i have to take off 1-2 days for an exposure and test or class closure and test or weekend virus then test.
I've got a whole week during summer to cover when daycare is closed and there is no way I will have 40 hours saved up. Not to mention what happens if I get sick or my son actually gets sick. The stress is heavy every single time. It feels crushing at times with anxiety of balancing my own needs, work, daycare closures, my DH having a freak accident. There's no bandwidth for emergency for most normally and now it's even less.

This is where I'm at too. The stress and anxiety is overwhelming at times. Would love to have a week where Covid doesn't pop up or work has to be cut short for the next emergency or unexpected closure. It's become more stressful as the world has opened up and no one has any patience for Covid anymore. Harder to say to work that I have to take time because the daycare closed again. We are looking at back up sitters but that takes time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our daycare has yet to publish any new guidelines, but they do seem to be being flexible on an ad-hoc basis (in terms of out-of-school exposure or parent cases). But we still haven't had many cases, and our last closure was in January during Omicron.

I do think they are likely to shut down a classroom for 10 days if there is a case in the room, though. I guess we'll probably eventually find out. Has CDC flowed new guidance that suggests they shouldn't? I don't think so.

I am most angry that these restrictions/policies come with no support, like paid parental leave. It is fine for me, but not for everyone.

Yep we've gone 2 years without any of us getting covid or being symptomatic but I oscillate between 15 hours and 40 because every 2-3 months i have to take off 1-2 days for an exposure and test or class closure and test or weekend virus then test.
I've got a whole week during summer to cover when daycare is closed and there is no way I will have 40 hours saved up. Not to mention what happens if I get sick or my son actually gets sick. The stress is heavy every single time. It feels crushing at times with anxiety of balancing my own needs, work, daycare closures, my DH having a freak accident. There's no bandwidth for emergency for most normally and now it's even less.

This is where I'm at too. The stress and anxiety is overwhelming at times. Would love to have a week where Covid doesn't pop up or work has to be cut short for the next emergency or unexpected closure. It's become more stressful as the world has opened up and no one has any patience for Covid anymore. Harder to say to work that I have to take time because the daycare closed again. We are looking at back up sitters but that takes time.

Totally agree. And I’m totally sick of public health officials being utterly clueless about the burden this places on working families. They just don’t care at all. Bunch of out of touch old people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This system is going to disincentive even taking a Covid test. A positive test is like a kiss of death for two-three weeks for you and all the families in the daycare. Flame away, but if my kid has a slight cold or a fever from now on, I will keep him/her at home for a couple of days, but won't test.

My DH was saying the same thing- clearly people are still testing at our daycare because we received an email about several positive cases in recent days, but I wonder after a 10 day classroom closure (because apparently that’s what the health dept is still requiring) if this wont have a chilling effect. 5 days with a test out option was more reasonable and parents are livid that that isn’t what is being implemented.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This system is going to disincentive even taking a Covid test. A positive test is like a kiss of death for two-three weeks for you and all the families in the daycare. Flame away, but if my kid has a slight cold or a fever from now on, I will keep him/her at home for a couple of days, but won't test.

We cant do that. If our kid is sick, which is the only reason I would keep them home, we have to test to return.

[Anonymous]

Our daycare in NOVA does not shut down if there is a covid case. Instead, it's test to stay for five days. This is in arlington. I'm not sure why other jurisdictions in Virginia are requiring shutting down?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This system is going to disincentive even taking a Covid test. A positive test is like a kiss of death for two-three weeks for you and all the families in the daycare. Flame away, but if my kid has a slight cold or a fever from now on, I will keep him/her at home for a couple of days, but won't test.

We cant do that. If our kid is sick, which is the only reason I would keep them home, we have to test to return.

Same.

Cant say you are on vacation (hello required test).
No one would believe a flat tire or dead battery twice a month.
Only so many doctors appointment excuses out there.

I'm so burnt out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This system is going to disincentive even taking a Covid test. A positive test is like a kiss of death for two-three weeks for you and all the families in the daycare. Flame away, but if my kid has a slight cold or a fever from now on, I will keep him/her at home for a couple of days, but won't test.

We cant do that. If our kid is sick, which is the only reason I would keep them home, we have to test to return.

That's for your kid. Parents getting sick is a different issue. I know a parent who had a mild case of COVID (sick for two days), then the spouse got it a few days later, but the kids never got it. The youngest had to quarantine for 25 days from daycare!

day 1 = 1st parent symptoms
day 5 = 2nd parent symptoms
day 15 = 2nd parent isolation
day 25 = when child could return to daycare based on starting a quarantine on day 15

So yes, if one has a runny nose, it does make one hesitant about testing, and I think about saying when symptoms started, or what consistutes an exposure to a parent. What if I stay in a room all day and only come out after day 5 with a mask?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This system is going to disincentive even taking a Covid test. A positive test is like a kiss of death for two-three weeks for you and all the families in the daycare. Flame away, but if my kid has a slight cold or a fever from now on, I will keep him/her at home for a couple of days, but won't test.

We cant do that. If our kid is sick, which is the only reason I would keep them home, we have to test to return.

That's for your kid. Parents getting sick is a different issue. I know a parent who had a mild case of COVID (sick for two days), then the spouse got it a few days later, but the kids never got it. The youngest had to quarantine for 25 days from daycare!

day 1 = 1st parent symptoms
day 5 = 2nd parent symptoms
day 15 = 2nd parent isolation
day 25 = when child could return to daycare based on starting a quarantine on day 15

So yes, if one has a runny nose, it does make one hesitant about testing, and I think about saying when symptoms started, or what consistutes an exposure to a parent. What if I stay in a room all day and only come out after day 5 with a mask?

This. You can try to virtue signal all you want but 25 days without child care would have serious consequences for many families and at this stage of the pandemic you can't deny a lot of these will not test.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This system is going to disincentive even taking a Covid test. A positive test is like a kiss of death for two-three weeks for you and all the families in the daycare. Flame away, but if my kid has a slight cold or a fever from now on, I will keep him/her at home for a couple of days, but won't test.

We cant do that. If our kid is sick, which is the only reason I would keep them home, we have to test to return.

That's for your kid. Parents getting sick is a different issue. I know a parent who had a mild case of COVID (sick for two days), then the spouse got it a few days later, but the kids never got it. The youngest had to quarantine for 25 days from daycare!

day 1 = 1st parent symptoms
day 5 = 2nd parent symptoms
day 15 = 2nd parent isolation
day 25 = when child could return to daycare based on starting a quarantine on day 15

So yes, if one has a runny nose, it does make one hesitant about testing, and I think about saying when symptoms started, or what consistutes an exposure to a parent. What if I stay in a room all day and only come out after day 5 with a mask?

This. You can try to virtue signal all you want but 25 days without child care would have serious consequences for many families and at this stage of the pandemic you can't deny a lot of these will not test.

I agree- it’s one thing to test a kid who is visibly sick- which we are required to do too. But yeah, us parents have not been testing for every little thing, especially during allergy season. Having to quarantine for household family members getting Covid results in the longest quarantine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This system is going to disincentive even taking a Covid test. A positive test is like a kiss of death for two-three weeks for you and all the families in the daycare. Flame away, but if my kid has a slight cold or a fever from now on, I will keep him/her at home for a couple of days, but won't test.

We cant do that. If our kid is sick, which is the only reason I would keep them home, we have to test to return.

That's for your kid. Parents getting sick is a different issue. I know a parent who had a mild case of COVID (sick for two days), then the spouse got it a few days later, but the kids never got it. The youngest had to quarantine for 25 days from daycare!

day 1 = 1st parent symptoms
day 5 = 2nd parent symptoms
day 15 = 2nd parent isolation
day 25 = when child could return to daycare based on starting a quarantine on day 15

So yes, if one has a runny nose, it does make one hesitant about testing, and I think about saying when symptoms started, or what consistutes an exposure to a parent. What if I stay in a room all day and only come out after day 5 with a mask?

This. You can try to virtue signal all you want but 25 days without child care would have serious consequences for many families and at this stage of the pandemic you can't deny a lot of these will not test.

I was not virtue signaling. I was talking specifically about my kid. Adults in my household, including myself, are not testing for any reason unless we get put into the hospital. We are vaccinated and boosted.

Absolutely child care is screwing parents over and we have experienced this over 2 years- rinse repeat.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This system is going to disincentive even taking a Covid test. A positive test is like a kiss of death for two-three weeks for you and all the families in the daycare. Flame away, but if my kid has a slight cold or a fever from now on, I will keep him/her at home for a couple of days, but won't test.

We cant do that. If our kid is sick, which is the only reason I would keep them home, we have to test to return.

That's for your kid. Parents getting sick is a different issue. I know a parent who had a mild case of COVID (sick for two days), then the spouse got it a few days later, but the kids never got it. The youngest had to quarantine for 25 days from daycare!

day 1 = 1st parent symptoms
day 5 = 2nd parent symptoms
day 15 = 2nd parent isolation
day 25 = when child could return to daycare based on starting a quarantine on day 15

So yes, if one has a runny nose, it does make one hesitant about testing, and I think about saying when symptoms started, or what consistutes an exposure to a parent. What if I stay in a room all day and only come out after day 5 with a mask?

This. You can try to virtue signal all you want but 25 days without child care would have serious consequences for many families and at this stage of the pandemic you can't deny a lot of these will not test.

Yeah, that is pretty outrageous / impossible. My daycare doesn't require this any more. Not sure if they require the parent to mask/isolate from the child, but I know a parent just had COVID and their kid was back within 5 days (maybe less).

I actually think we'll be in a different situation by fall. Eitehr the <5 vaccine will be approved or not, but childcare will have to move on and update policies. I am very frustrated the CDC isn't leading this, but local helath agencies could also take some leadership here.