Anyone succeed in changing daycare COVID policies? How did you do it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:I'm at the end of my rope with our daycare's COVID restrictions and want to change them. They are out of step with public health risks, out of step with many other daycares in the area and -- most importantly, imo -- impractical and untenable for working parents. Particularly as the youngest kids now have a vaccine available, I want to encourage policy changes that allow dual working-parent families like mine to thrive or at least maintain adequate childcare unless a kid is actively, more-than-a-sniffle sick. [b

I don't want to intimidate the staff or the administrators, particularly the staff -- they work very hard and I value their care for my child greatly and have bonded with them personally. While I don't want to underplay the significant financial expense these quarantines/etc. are imposing, I also don't want to make it all about money. I would like to engage thoughtfully in a way that results in meaningful, permanent change.

If you've influenced changes at your daycare, how did you do it? What worked and what didn't? Did anyone contact the local health department or local government officials instead (or in addition to) the daycare? If so, please share how you engaged.

Location would also be helpful, as would sharing your daycare's current policy on COVID issues.

I'm not saying we should be having COVID chicken pox parties. But it's not fair (or frankly, good for gender equality or the economy) to maintain extreme policies in childcare centers while the rest of the world has moved on.

So by “allow…families to thrive”, you mean allowing your Covid positive child to attend daycare as long as his Covid isn’t manifesting as “more than a sniffle”?

Is that what you are trying to say? You want to be allowed to send your Covid positive kid to daycare?

No, that's not what I'm saying. I'm saying stop the endless quarantines for classroom exposure. I'd be fine with something like "test to stay."

Won’t it end naturally when the kids are vaccinated? Vaccination means you don’t quarantine for mere exposure. My ES kids were exposed daily during omicron and we just kept sending them to school anyway. I expect the same for daycares once they are full vaccinated.

OP here: that's what I'm hoping, but I haven't gotten a straight answer yet. And honestly, the masking on days 6-10 at school has been an issue so far. My kid is 2 and won't wear a mask for 8 hours straight.

Vaccinated kids dont mask as a result of exposure, so this will also go away in time.

According to the guidelines for MoCo daycares, vaccinated kids must mask for five days after an exposure. That means masks are never going away for little kids either. I hate this place.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I honestly think it’s absurd to treat vaccinated toddlers differently than unvaccinated toddlers when the vaccine is at best 40-50% effective for what a couple months? It’s a soft vaccine mandate. If there is a case in the classroom everyone tests daily with a home test (free and plentiful) and comes to school unless positive. It’s 2022 and parents (moms) are out of leave and out of patience. Honestly I’d be fine with the Norway approach — stay home when sick and no tests unless need hospital care.

Well then the quarantines should be brought back for all the other age groups too because the vaccine isn’t effective for them either! Let’s see how all the adults like it when they are stuck back in their houses for quarantines again.

[Anonymous]

Find a place with different rules.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Vote with your feet. Have you even started getting on waitlists of other providers?

This is a non-option, unfortunately. The daycare we use actually has the laxest COVID policies (no mandatory masks for 2yos all the time, no testing just for runny nose, etc.) in the area, and I've interviewed many many others. The others in the area are either too strict on COVID or too expensive.

We are dual 6-figure income but barely -- not DCUM-rich. Can't afford legitimate payroll nanny full-time. Don't have room for au pair or want someone to share our home. No local family.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm at the end of my rope with our daycare's COVID restrictions and want to change them. They are out of step with public health risks, out of step with many other daycares in the area and -- most importantly, imo -- impractical and untenable for working parents. Particularly as the youngest kids now have a vaccine available, I want to encourage policy changes that allow dual working-parent families like mine to thrive or at least maintain adequate childcare unless a kid is actively, more-than-a-sniffle sick. [b

I don't want to intimidate the staff or the administrators, particularly the staff -- they work very hard and I value their care for my child greatly and have bonded with them personally. While I don't want to underplay the significant financial expense these quarantines/etc. are imposing, I also don't want to make it all about money. I would like to engage thoughtfully in a way that results in meaningful, permanent change.

If you've influenced changes at your daycare, how did you do it? What worked and what didn't? Did anyone contact the local health department or local government officials instead (or in addition to) the daycare? If so, please share how you engaged.

Location would also be helpful, as would sharing your daycare's current policy on COVID issues.

I'm not saying we should be having COVID chicken pox parties. But it's not fair (or frankly, good for gender equality or the economy) to maintain extreme policies in childcare centers while the rest of the world has moved on.

So by “allow…families to thrive”, you mean allowing your Covid positive child to attend daycare as long as his Covid isn’t manifesting as “more than a sniffle”?

Is that what you are trying to say? You want to be allowed to send your Covid positive kid to daycare?

No, that's not what I'm saying. I'm saying stop the endless quarantines for classroom exposure. I'd be fine with something like "test to stay."

Won’t it end naturally when the kids are vaccinated? Vaccination means you don’t quarantine for mere exposure. My ES kids were exposed daily during omicron and we just kept sending them to school anyway. I expect the same for daycares once they are full vaccinated.

OP here: that's what I'm hoping, but I haven't gotten a straight answer yet. And honestly, the masking on days 6-10 at school has been an issue so far. My kid is 2 and won't wear a mask for 8 hours straight.

Vaccinated kids dont mask as a result of exposure, so this will also go away in time.

According to the guidelines for MoCo daycares, vaccinated kids must mask for five days after an exposure. That means masks are never going away for little kids either. I hate this place.

MoCo is a truly special place. Probably 90+% of the families at our daycare are still masking VOLUNTARILY, even the vaccinated kids. I know a couple rising kindergarteners whose parents moved them to summer camps partly because they didn't want to be judged for not making their kids mask at daycare anymore. Collectively its hard to tell at this point which parents are just anxious vs. following the crowd. Anyone with serious health risks surely recognizes that masks at daycare are not really effective anyway due to napping/meals and have long since made alternative childcare arrangements.

[Anonymous]

Child care director in DC here. For context, OSSE announced on June 13th that due to the expiration of the public health emergency that DC Health's guidance for educational institutions (including child care) were now only recommendations, as opposed to requirements--so no requirements for masking, testing, quarantines, isolation, etc. While this move finally gave centers some freedom, it also came with very few best practice recommendations for what to do since there are still lots of Covid cases occurring (quarantine is still recommended by OSSE as a best practice after exposure for unvaccinated children).

Then the announcement of vaccines for young children came soon after that, which also changes the landscape. So most centers are taking a look at their old policies, possible new policies, and CDC and DC Health recommendations for isolation and quarantines. OSSE is also holding a call for child care centers on 7/14 focusing on test-to-stay. We are waiting to hear what they have to say before finalizing our new policies. The DC response for the child care sector has been completely uncoordinated the entire pandemic, with OSSE seemingly always learning about DC Health changes to policies at the same time they are made public, so their guidance to centers has always lagged a few weeks behind.

All I can say is that this has been tough for centers to handle as well--it has struck at the heart of the service we are here to provide for families. And it seems like there are more Covid cases in our community now than there have been in the past two years, so it is difficult to feel comfortable letting go of certain prevention measures.

OP: Write a letter to your center director advocating for some specific policy changes. Point to guidance from the CDC or other nearby municipalities. Try to talk to other parents at pick up or drop off since you don't have a family directory and see if they will sign on to your letter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Child care director in DC here. For context, OSSE announced on June 13th that due to the expiration of the public health emergency that DC Health's guidance for educational institutions (including child care) were now only recommendations, as opposed to requirements--so no requirements for masking, testing, quarantines, isolation, etc. While this move finally gave centers some freedom, it also came with very few best practice recommendations for what to do since there are still lots of Covid cases occurring (quarantine is still recommended by OSSE as a best practice after exposure for unvaccinated children).

Then the announcement of vaccines for young children came soon after that, which also changes the landscape. So most centers are taking a look at their old policies, possible new policies, and CDC and DC Health recommendations for isolation and quarantines. OSSE is also holding a call for child care centers on 7/14 focusing on test-to-stay. We are waiting to hear what they have to say before finalizing our new policies. The DC response for the child care sector has been completely uncoordinated the entire pandemic, with OSSE seemingly always learning about DC Health changes to policies at the same time they are made public, so their guidance to centers has always lagged a few weeks behind.

All I can say is that this has been tough for centers to handle as well--it has struck at the heart of the service we are here to provide for families. And it seems like there are more Covid cases in our community now than there have been in the past two years, so it is difficult to feel comfortable letting go of certain prevention measures.

OP: Write a letter to your center director advocating for some specific policy changes. Point to guidance from the CDC or other nearby municipalities. Try to talk to other parents at pick up or drop off since you don't have a family directory and see if they will sign on to your letter.

Thank you for this -- very helpful! --OP

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
OP: Write a letter to your center director advocating for some specific policy changes. Point to guidance from the CDC or other nearby municipalities. Try to talk to other parents at pick up or drop off since you don't have a family directory and see if they will sign on to your letter.

Also a Director and not sure how helpful this is. Every Director that I know already has a general understanding of changes that parents want in COVID policies. Why not have an individual conversation with the Director at your program and see why certain policies are in place. If they are not a good fit, be willing to find a program with policies that work better for you.

Your previous post mentions test to stay. Unfortunately test to stay doesn't fully prevent spread in the classroom. If Sally comes to school on Monday and is negative and then has a positive test on Tuesday, she has already exposed the classroom on Monday and there will likely be additional cases.

The only solution I see is to get children vaccinated and then treat COVID like cold/flu and require quarntine only for positive children. The 3 series vaccine would mean your center could potentially adjust the quarantine policies in mid/late Fall. So again, not sure how helpful an advocacy letter would be right now since there is not yet an actual solution available. I'd must rather have a conversation with my parents and let them make the decision to do what's best for their family.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
OP: Write a letter to your center director advocating for some specific policy changes. Point to guidance from the CDC or other nearby municipalities. Try to talk to other parents at pick up or drop off since you don't have a family directory and see if they will sign on to your letter.

Also a Director and not sure how helpful this is. Every Director that I know already has a general understanding of changes that parents want in COVID policies. Why not have an individual conversation with the Director at your program and see why certain policies are in place. If they are not a good fit, be willing to find a program with policies that work better for you.

Your previous post mentions test to stay. Unfortunately test to stay doesn't fully prevent spread in the classroom. If Sally comes to school on Monday and is negative and then has a positive test on Tuesday, she has already exposed the classroom on Monday and there will likely be additional cases.

The only solution I see is to get children vaccinated and then treat COVID like cold/flu and require quarntine only for positive children. The 3 series vaccine would mean your center could potentially adjust the quarantine policies in mid/late Fall. So again, not sure how helpful an advocacy letter would be right now since there is not yet an actual solution available. I'd must rather have a conversation with my parents and let them make the decision to do what's best for their family.

OP here. Valid point, and I would welcome that sort of policy you mentioned for vaccinated children (my toddler just got her first dose). Unfortunately there is just not enough affordable competition in the market where I am for me to be able to "find a program with policies that work better" for us. We are beholden to whatever dearth of local centers we can afford, which right now is our current center and maybe one other. DH does not want an in-home provider though I'd be open to it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
OP: Write a letter to your center director advocating for some specific policy changes. Point to guidance from the CDC or other nearby municipalities. Try to talk to other parents at pick up or drop off since you don't have a family directory and see if they will sign on to your letter.

Also a Director and not sure how helpful this is. Every Director that I know already has a general understanding of changes that parents want in COVID policies. Why not have an individual conversation with the Director at your program and see why certain policies are in place. If they are not a good fit, be willing to find a program with policies that work better for you.

Your previous post mentions test to stay. Unfortunately test to stay doesn't fully prevent spread in the classroom. If Sally comes to school on Monday and is negative and then has a positive test on Tuesday, she has already exposed the classroom on Monday and there will likely be additional cases.

The only solution I see is to get children vaccinated and then treat COVID like cold/flu and require quarntine only for positive children. The 3 series vaccine would mean your center could potentially adjust the quarantine policies in mid/late Fall. So again, not sure how helpful an advocacy letter would be right now since there is not yet an actual solution available. I'd must rather have a conversation with my parents and let them make the decision to do what's best for their family.

And there is the rub. If you want your specific policies, start your own preschool. Otherwise, you have to compromise, sorry. That’s life.

OP here. Valid point, and I would welcome that sort of policy you mentioned for vaccinated children (my toddler just got her first dose). Unfortunately there is just not enough affordable competition in the market where I am for me to be able to "find a program with policies that work better" for us. We are beholden to whatever dearth of local centers we can afford, which right now is our current center and maybe one other. DH does not want an in-home provider though I'd be open to it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
OP: Write a letter to your center director advocating for some specific policy changes. Point to guidance from the CDC or other nearby municipalities. Try to talk to other parents at pick up or drop off since you don't have a family directory and see if they will sign on to your letter.

Also a Director and not sure how helpful this is. Every Director that I know already has a general understanding of changes that parents want in COVID policies. Why not have an individual conversation with the Director at your program and see why certain policies are in place. If they are not a good fit, be willing to find a program with policies that work better for you.

Your previous post mentions test to stay. Unfortunately test to stay doesn't fully prevent spread in the classroom. If Sally comes to school on Monday and is negative and then has a positive test on Tuesday, she has already exposed the classroom on Monday and there will likely be additional cases.

The only solution I see is to get children vaccinated and then treat COVID like cold/flu and require quarntine only for positive children. The 3 series vaccine would mean your center could potentially adjust the quarantine policies in mid/late Fall. So again, not sure how helpful an advocacy letter would be right now since there is not yet an actual solution available. I'd must rather have a conversation with my parents and let them make the decision to do what's best for their family.

I don’t understand the viewpoint regarding vaccines and test-to-stay. The vaccines are only about 30% effective at preventing infections whereas rapid tests are about 90% effective at identifying cases. Test-to-stay seems like it ought to be *more* effective than relying on vaccines.

[Anonymous]

Director as well here (DC). When the new guidance came out in June, we did away with most of our policies. No more sending kids home for runny noses, hallelujah! Unfortunately right now I have 2classrooms that I had no choice but to shut down because a staff person with allergies just tested positive as did one of her coworkers. She is actually quite ill. So I can’t open classrooms because we are already working with a skeleton crew despite large pay increases, bonuses and the Early Childhood Pay Equity Fund set to begin dispersing this fall. Hiring is brutal because everyone wants to work from home these days. Not sure what the answer is but believe me, directors are beyond over it. Many of us are contemplating leaving the field as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Director as well here (DC). When the new guidance came out in June, we did away with most of our policies. No more sending kids home for runny noses, hallelujah! Unfortunately right now I have 2classrooms that I had no choice but to shut down because a staff person with allergies just tested positive as did one of her coworkers. She is actually quite ill. So I can’t open classrooms because we are already working with a skeleton crew despite large pay increases, bonuses and the Early Childhood Pay Equity Fund set to begin dispersing this fall. Hiring is brutal because everyone wants to work from home these days. Not sure what the answer is but believe me, directors are beyond over it. Many of us are contemplating leaving the field as well.

Do you refund tuition when you have to shutdown due to staffing reasons? I know that’s not listed as a legitimate closure in the enrollment contract my center has.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Director as well here (DC). When the new guidance came out in June, we did away with most of our policies. No more sending kids home for runny noses, hallelujah! Unfortunately right now I have 2classrooms that I had no choice but to shut down because a staff person with allergies just tested positive as did one of her coworkers. She is actually quite ill. So I can’t open classrooms because we are already working with a skeleton crew despite large pay increases, bonuses and the Early Childhood Pay Equity Fund set to begin dispersing this fall. Hiring is brutal because everyone wants to work from home these days. Not sure what the answer is but believe me, directors are beyond over it. Many of us are contemplating leaving the field as well.

Do you refund tuition when you have to shutdown due to staffing reasons? I know that’s not listed as a legitimate closure in the enrollment contract my center has.

NP - The alternative is to reduce capacity and terminate families. We've considered closing our infant and toddler rooms which have the greatest staff requirements but realize this would impact a ton of families who are already struggling to find care.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Director as well here (DC). When the new guidance came out in June, we did away with most of our policies. No more sending kids home for runny noses, hallelujah! Unfortunately right now I have 2classrooms that I had no choice but to shut down because a staff person with allergies just tested positive as did one of her coworkers. She is actually quite ill. So I can’t open classrooms because we are already working with a skeleton crew despite large pay increases, bonuses and the Early Childhood Pay Equity Fund set to begin dispersing this fall. Hiring is brutal because everyone wants to work from home these days. Not sure what the answer is but believe me, directors are beyond over it. Many of us are contemplating leaving the field as well.

Do you refund tuition when you have to shutdown due to staffing reasons? I know that’s not listed as a legitimate closure in the enrollment contract my center has.

NP - The alternative is to reduce capacity and terminate families. We've considered closing our infant and toddler rooms which have the greatest staff requirements but realize this would impact a ton of families who are already struggling to find care.

Or raise tuition to either hire more staff or issue refunds for closures.