Daycares taking advantage of COVID

[Anonymous]

Our daycare reduced care by an hour a day and increased tuition by 10% in the first year of COVID, and now the hours haven't changes up and tuition keeps increasing by a larger percentage each year.

[Anonymous]

Staffing levels at ours seem to be low. They used to have floaters and support staff. When they reopened in 2020 it was a skeleton crew and haven’t seemed to increase staffing levels since then. I worry that some days there aren’t enough teachers in the classes to satisfy the required ratios. We only have 2 more months there before K starts and it is no longer my concern.

[Anonymous]

Ours is military are still only open until 5pm. They are 20% understaffed so I don't see it changing anytime soon either.

[Anonymous]

Director here. We follow OSSE COVID policies and unfortunately, runny nose is one of the symptoms that we are to exclude children for. Sorry, but we didn't make the rules.

Hiring is a nightmare. My org pays well and has great benefits AND all teachers are getting the $14, 000 DC ECE equity fund payout this year (plus in years to come) and I STILL have trouble hiring qualified staff. We are continuing to offer shortened hours because I just don't have enough people. And the ones I do have often have to take off due to COVID issues with themselves or their children.

Honestly though, we may never go back to 7-6. It is too expensive to be fully staffed all day long and stressful (for kids and teachers) to combine kids for more than an hour or so each day. We may only expand to 8-6 and stop there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Director here. We follow OSSE COVID policies and unfortunately, runny nose is one of the symptoms that we are to exclude children for. Sorry, but we didn't make the rules.

Hiring is a nightmare. My org pays well and has great benefits AND all teachers are getting the $14, 000 DC ECE equity fund payout this year (plus in years to come) and I STILL have trouble hiring qualified staff. We are continuing to offer shortened hours because I just don't have enough people. And the ones I do have often have to take off due to COVID issues with themselves or their children.

Honestly though, we may never go back to 7-6. It is too expensive to be fully staffed all day long and stressful (for kids and teachers) to combine kids for more than an hour or so each day. We may only expand to 8-6 and stop there.

The OSSE Covid guidelines are a general list and in no way does it say that one of those symptoms means you have to send a kid home -that's your choice how you are following it. Also as a director I would hope you understand the difference between a 2 year old having a runny nose and 40 year old having a runny nose. Did you send toddlers home with runny noses before Covid? Then you shouldn't be now. Be smart and use your judgment and understand a symptom like shortness of breath and a runny nose are 2 very different things. Do you also send every baby home who seems "sleepy"? Since that is also on the list? What about if one of your staff members is fatigued from being out all night? They have to be sent home too since that's a symptom on the list! If you follow the list for the kids you better be following it 110% for everyone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It annoyed me too until I realized that some people are there from beginning until close. Meaning they’re doing 12 hour shifts sometimes longer. I think we were taking advantage of them now it’s being hemmed in a bit.

That's not how daycare works. I used to work in daycare and everyone I have ever worked in does a staggered schedule. So some come in early and work like 7-3 and then some come and work 10-close or something similar.

Ok. I still think it’s a reasonable thing to amend work hours. We all redrew our boundaries the past few years. I’m one of the last parents to pick up too. I hate how stressful it is. But I think too it’s ok to change business hours. At least they didn’t make it 5:30

DP daycares can offer whatever hours they want, and parents can seek other care if it doesn't work for their schedules. And it can vibe very frustrating to have to find a new provider.

Exactly. We can accept it or shop around.

+1 if the daycare doesn’t suit your needs, find one that does.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Director here. We follow OSSE COVID policies and unfortunately, runny nose is one of the symptoms that we are to exclude children for. Sorry, but we didn't make the rules.

Hiring is a nightmare. My org pays well and has great benefits AND all teachers are getting the $14, 000 DC ECE equity fund payout this year (plus in years to come) and I STILL have trouble hiring qualified staff. We are continuing to offer shortened hours because I just don't have enough people. And the ones I do have often have to take off due to COVID issues with themselves or their children.

Honestly though, we may never go back to 7-6. It is too expensive to be fully staffed all day long and stressful (for kids and teachers) to combine kids for more than an hour or so each day. We may only expand to 8-6 and stop there.

The OSSE Covid guidelines are a general list and in no way does it say that one of those symptoms means you have to send a kid home -that's your choice how you are following it. Also as a director I would hope you understand the difference between a 2 year old having a runny nose and 40 year old having a runny nose. Did you send toddlers home with runny noses before Covid? Then you shouldn't be now. Be smart and use your judgment and understand a symptom like shortness of breath and a runny nose are 2 very different things. Do you also send every baby home who seems "sleepy"? Since that is also on the list? What about if one of your staff members is fatigued from being out all night? They have to be sent home too since that's a symptom on the list! If you follow the list for the kids you better be following it 110% for everyone.

Sorry, I don't see where in the guidelines that I am to follow my own judgment. It does, however, say that I am to exclude children or staff for runny noses unless I have a doctor's note on file documenting an alternative diagnosis, a negative COVID test in the last 2 weeks, or the runny nose is circumstantial (ie in the first 30 minutes from coming in from outside.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Director here. We follow OSSE COVID policies and unfortunately, runny nose is one of the symptoms that we are to exclude children for. Sorry, but we didn't make the rules.

Hiring is a nightmare. My org pays well and has great benefits AND all teachers are getting the $14, 000 DC ECE equity fund payout this year (plus in years to come) and I STILL have trouble hiring qualified staff. We are continuing to offer shortened hours because I just don't have enough people. And the ones I do have often have to take off due to COVID issues with themselves or their children.

Honestly though, we may never go back to 7-6. It is too expensive to be fully staffed all day long and stressful (for kids and teachers) to combine kids for more than an hour or so each day. We may only expand to 8-6 and stop there.

The OSSE Covid guidelines are a general list and in no way does it say that one of those symptoms means you have to send a kid home -that's your choice how you are following it. Also as a director I would hope you understand the difference between a 2 year old having a runny nose and 40 year old having a runny nose. Did you send toddlers home with runny noses before Covid? Then you shouldn't be now. Be smart and use your judgment and understand a symptom like shortness of breath and a runny nose are 2 very different things. Do you also send every baby home who seems "sleepy"? Since that is also on the list? What about if one of your staff members is fatigued from being out all night? They have to be sent home too since that's a symptom on the list! If you follow the list for the kids you better be following it 110% for everyone.

Sorry, I don't see where in the guidelines that I am to follow my own judgment. It does, however, say that I am to exclude children or staff for runny noses unless I have a doctor's note on file documenting an alternative diagnosis, a negative COVID test in the last 2 weeks, or the runny nose is circumstantial (ie in the first 30 minutes from coming in from outside.)

So do you send every infant home if they fall asleep outside of their nap schedule because they show symptoms of fatigue? What if you see a staff member sleeping in their car on their break? Do you send them home for fatigue?

[Anonymous]

I don’t know if it’s denial or what but it’s always funny to me that parents say their kids have “allergies”. And it’s always funny to me how these allergies then spread to all of the other kids! then miraculously, allergies disappear after a couple of weeks. It’s also funny how these allergies are never documented by a doctor, or medicated by parents.

If by sending one child home for a runny nose it helps prevent an entire classroom closure then that’s what needs to happen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t know if it’s denial or what but it’s always funny to me that parents say their kids have “allergies”. And it’s always funny to me how these allergies then spread to all of the other kids! then miraculously, allergies disappear after a couple of weeks. It’s also funny how these allergies are never documented by a doctor, or medicated by parents.

If by sending one child home for a runny nose it helps prevent an entire classroom closure then that’s what needs to happen.

Who here said their kid had allergies? I don't see a single comment mentioning that. But ok.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t know if it’s denial or what but it’s always funny to me that parents say their kids have “allergies”. And it’s always funny to me how these allergies then spread to all of the other kids! then miraculously, allergies disappear after a couple of weeks. It’s also funny how these allergies are never documented by a doctor, or medicated by parents.

If by sending one child home for a runny nose it helps prevent an entire classroom closure then that’s what needs to happen.

Sounds like you hate working moms.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s probably a staffing issue. Keep sick kids home.

A staffing issue for 2+ years? When they are fully staffed (said by them). Do you have a toddler? A toddler with a runny nose isn't sick. That's just their baseline. Daycares know this and it's never been a problem before (this is my third kid in this daycare). All the parents are annoyed. If toddlers stayed home for a runny nose there would be nobody in the class.

Yes, all of us have had toddlers and yes, you keep them home when sick or it spreads like wild fire.

And, yes, staffing issues for 2+ years. Its a very low paying job, few benefits, long hours and entitled parents who send their kids to school sick and don't realize the workers don't get much sick leave. Not only have I had toddlers, but I've also worked in day cares.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t know if it’s denial or what but it’s always funny to me that parents say their kids have “allergies”. And it’s always funny to me how these allergies then spread to all of the other kids! then miraculously, allergies disappear after a couple of weeks. It’s also funny how these allergies are never documented by a doctor, or medicated by parents.

If by sending one child home for a runny nose it helps prevent an entire classroom closure then that’s what needs to happen.

Sounds like you hate working moms.

Working or not, your kids are your responsibility, especially when sick. Working Dad can also stay home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t know if it’s denial or what but it’s always funny to me that parents say their kids have “allergies”. And it’s always funny to me how these allergies then spread to all of the other kids! then miraculously, allergies disappear after a couple of weeks. It’s also funny how these allergies are never documented by a doctor, or medicated by parents.

If by sending one child home for a runny nose it helps prevent an entire classroom closure then that’s what needs to happen.

Sounds like you hate working moms.

I think there is a subset of teachers that have created this mythology of things that parents do intentionally to cheat the system. Like if a child's temperature goes up during the time they are at daycare, clearly the parents must have given the child Tylenol to bring down the fever. Because children only develop fevers between the hours of 6pm and 8am, everyone knows that.

Or now with COVID, if the child has some mild symptom, the parent MUST know that symptom cannot be due to allergies (which can vary from week to week depending on pollen counts), since whether you realize it or not in addition to COVID test kits Biden has also been sending out general virus test kits to all families so they can INTENTIONALLY send their kids to daycare sick.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t know if it’s denial or what but it’s always funny to me that parents say their kids have “allergies”. And it’s always funny to me how these allergies then spread to all of the other kids! then miraculously, allergies disappear after a couple of weeks. It’s also funny how these allergies are never documented by a doctor, or medicated by parents.

If by sending one child home for a runny nose it helps prevent an entire classroom closure then that’s what needs to happen.

Sounds like you hate working moms.

Working or not, your kids are your responsibility, especially when sick. Working Dad can also stay home.

So then why do daycares exist? Because based on what you just said one parent always needs to be at home.