Preschool or pod?

[Anonymous]

My kids preschool is telling me very little and just says school will go as planned with no changes. The class should have 15 kids with no mixing of all the kids show up. The “pod” would be at a friends house. You all bring up great points about liability though. -OP

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kids preschool is telling me very little and just says school will go as planned with no changes. The class should have 15 kids with no mixing of all the kids show up. The “pod” would be at a friends house. You all bring up great points about liability though. -OP

Is your friend going to:

keep the kids social distanced
sanitize surfaces everyday/after a child has used a material, using state, health department and CDC guidelines on sanitation
have health screenings at drop off each morning and exclude for any and all symptoms and temperatures over 100


I say this kindly, but if she is not doing these things then you will be diluting yourself into thinking it is safer to be in this "pod" than daycare. Mostly, the social pressure this pod will face to not exclude any kid if they are sick, will be great. And lastly, depending on which state you live in, it may be illegal and if reported (and people do report all the time!) you will be shut down and then not have any care at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids preschool is telling me very little and just says school will go as planned with no changes. The class should have 15 kids with no mixing of all the kids show up. The “pod” would be at a friends house. You all bring up great points about liability though. -OP

Is your friend going to:

keep the kids social distanced
sanitize surfaces everyday/after a child has used a material, using state, health department and CDC guidelines on sanitation
have health screenings at drop off each morning and exclude for any and all symptoms and temperatures over 100


I say this kindly, but if she is not doing these things then you will be diluting yourself into thinking it is safer to be in this "pod" than daycare. Mostly, the social pressure this pod will face to not exclude any kid if they are sick, will be great. And lastly, depending on which state you live in, it may be illegal and if reported (and people do report all the time!) you will be shut down and then not have any care at all.

NP here. First of all, you meant "deluding," not "diluting." Second, if you are one of the people that "reports all the time," I suggest getting a hobby. We're clearly going through something totally insane and unprecedented and folks are doing their best to find solutions that work for their families. You're right that it'd be really important for the families to have an agreement about sending sick kids. But even more importantly, if you did this with another family and had an agreement about limiting other contacts, you could worry less about disinfecting, distancing, etc. than a school would have to. I think that's the whole point. But mostly, everyone is trying hard. You should also try to be less of a crazy jerk.

[Anonymous]

I would be really wary of a "pod" with multiple families like that. If you're thinking 4-5 kids total and that includes siblings so it's only 1-2 other families, I would consider it. Otherwise, I don't know that you are protecting yourself all that much more than if you sent your kid to preschool.

If the preschool shuts down, isn't it for everyone's protection? Why would it then be safe to send your kid to a pod?

The preschool is likely to have strict health and monitoring protocols. I'm not certain I would feel comfortable that a pod is going to do the same. Where are you meeting? In someone's house? Rotating houses? What if those people get sick? Isn't it more likely you'll get it if you're in their actual house than just playing in a school with a kid who is sick?

If you have the money, I might hire a nanny and see about doing a nanny share with one other family.

[Anonymous]

Ask your preschool what they will do in the event of closure. Ours will require 20% tuition. I’m willing to do that and if they close form a pod with the other preschool families.

[Anonymous]

I’m a nanny/former teacher and have been asked by many many families to lead a pod. I have declined because I live in Los Angeles and I don’t trust 5 families to all stay home. People who think they’re being safe, aren’t. Plus, I was able to find a job as basically a governess for one family that pays more than a pod- and it’s just two kids. If you’re looking for a private teacher right now, you will have more takers. But most people don’t want to expose themselves to so many people. You have to think about the Cali bee of person you’re going to find, because all the teachers I know who work as nannies (so many of us in LA!!) are just accepting positions with one family. You also have to be careful about who you choose, because many nannies tell families they are staying home, but they’re not. I think preschool is safer.

[Anonymous]

What’s your pod’s plan if the teacher quits, or a parent member of the pod doesn’t like the teacher? Are you going to offer benefits (vacation, sick leave, health insurance) to the teacher? What about social security taxes?

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't trust the pod to stay together, for everyone to agree on terms, or for the teacher to not just quit. I don't know anything about the kids or their families in our daycare, and I don't want to. Ignorance is bliss. I just hope they're all following the law.

[Anonymous]

My kid's preschool has been open the entire time with a ton of precautions. Zero cases.

[Anonymous]

A "pod" is really just a nanny share, unless the teacher registers herself as a private school (which I doubt she will, with all the insurance etc that will involve).

A nanny share will require EACH participating family to pay nanny at least minimum wage, take out workers comp insurance, etc for it to be legal. You will also need an extensive contract for each family to sign that is especially sepcific about what happens in case of sickness, what if a family wants to leave, etc.

Sounds like a ton of work. If you have a nanny at home, why not keep your nanny and schedule an informal play group for your preschooler.

[Anonymous]

Preschool is much much safer than pods.

Preschools are following strict standards and guidelines for masking, cleaning, restricted access. They are also a licensed and insured facility.

In a pod all the adult parents can come inside (plus other adults too since this is a private residence... nanny, grandma, etc). The host family is definitely not cleaning and sterilizing things all day. Materials are shared. People likely aren’t wearing masks. Also - major red flag - having your child watched in a home that’s not yours by another adult is illegal. This is unlicensed, illegal childcare. Legal home daycares go through a laundry list of home inspections and preparations before gaining licensure.

This sort of pod arrangement will be a disaster. Stick with preschool. If it closes, withdraw. Your kid will be fine with the nanny.

[Anonymous]

Pod. No brainer.

[Anonymous]

You pod complainers are overthinking this! It's not a licensed daycare. It's an extended play group with some potential learning activities thrown in. It's not that serious.

OP, it depends on how much you and your child like the other families. If they are your friends and you're up for extended play dates with just these people for a long period of time, the risk is likely less, and the freedom for your child is greater. But if you don't like the families, preschool is the better choice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A "pod" is nothing more than unlicensed daycare.

Yes! All. Of. This.

[Anonymous]

Isn’t the risk essentially the same? It’s a group of kids. Your risk isn’t going to decrease that much if it’s 4 vs 10 kids. Not to mention the daycares have rigorous cleaning and screening standards that a pod does not.