Covid at daycare/preschool - outdated policies

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

I wish I was an optimistic as you but it feels endless in this area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

I sure hope so. I think the CDC has been putting this off so that they have a carrot to get parents to vaccinate their kids. But if EUA for <5 doesn’t happen over the summer then they really really need to move on from the current guidance. It’s been very frustrating for a while but bordering on inexcusable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

I sure hope so. I think the CDC has been putting this off so that they have a carrot to get parents to vaccinate their kids. But if EUA for <5 doesn’t happen over the summer then they really really need to move on from the current guidance. It’s been very frustrating for a while but bordering on inexcusable.

So they’re playing games with people. Cool cool. Totally normal. Nothing to see here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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. Either 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.

I wish I was an optimistic as you but it feels endless in this area.

I hear you on that. I really don't want to throw up my hands and say wait until June, because it seems RIDICULOUS to say that when we've been told "Just another month or two...." for what feels like forever. But I think the path forward will be more clear by end of June. You could attempt to daycare shop, but we have been willing to wait it out (and I know it isn't trivial to switch childcare, especially for the youngest kids where it is near impossible to find).

I'm the PP above where a kid who's parent had COVID didn't have to quarantine (at least not more than 5 days). After testing regularly, parents tested on Tuesday due to minor cough, and kid turned up with a positive test. Miraculously, they notified all parents, asked them to test on day one and day 5, and said everyone could continue to go to school. A couple parents kept kids home out of caution (due to pregnant mom, or other factors), but it is a clear shift in strategy. We'll see what happens next, whether there is further spread in the class...

Yet, our written COVID policies haven't been updated, and some younger classes within the same center have recently had 10 day shut downs. They said it has something to do with masking, but I also wonder if it has to do with staff. It is not very transparent. They say they have been working with local public health and deciding things on case by case basis, trying to keep kids in care as much as possible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We haven't had a case in a couple of months, and I think it's because no one is testing. The policy seems to be don't ask, don't tell.

Ding ding ding! This is the path forward!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We haven't had a case in a couple of months, and I think it's because no one is testing. The policy seems to be don't ask, don't tell.

Ding ding ding! This is the path forward!

As has been pointed out, most daycares require you to test in order to return to care if you stay home for an illness that includes COVID symptoms (which is basically everything). So you at least have to test when sick on a school day. Maybe parents aren't testing themselves or testing for a symptom that is on a Saturday, but you can't just not test. My daycare "requires" a PCR, though I know people have gotten exceptions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Both of my children's daycare/preschool classrooms were completely shut down this week because of two separate covid cases. I will have two weeks of juggling childcare and work and no compensation for the closure.

WHY are we still doing this. Why has every segment of society essentially returned to normal except daycares? I understand that small children cannot get a vaccine but its been proven time and again that small children are not seriously affected by Covid. I have accepted that this is endemic, but why have daycares not.

What is your daycare's policy? Are they all living like this is 2020?

Yes!

They shutdown for 10 days when there's a case. Meanwhile, school age kid can still go to school when there's a case in his class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We haven't had a case in a couple of months, and I think it's because no one is testing. The policy seems to be don't ask, don't tell.

Ding ding ding! This is the path forward!

As has been pointed out, most daycares require you to test in order to return to care if you stay home for an illness that includes COVID symptoms (which is basically everything). So you at least have to test when sick on a school day. Maybe parents aren't testing themselves or testing for a symptom that is on a Saturday, but you can't just not test. My daycare "requires" a PCR, though I know people have gotten exceptions.

At our daycare people send their kids with colds and don't test. The daycare does not make the kids stay home unless they are vomiting or have a fever.

No one is testing. That's the only reason we haven't been shut down since January. (I feel like I just jinxed it though.)

[Anonymous]

Our daycare in Tysons has recently gone mask optional and no cases have been reported since then. We did have a case in an infant classroom few weeks ago and infants who were present in the classroom on the day of exposure were excluded from care for a few days from the day of exposure - returning on day 5 with a negative test. We felt this was reasonable. The school was following health department guidance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Both of my children's daycare/preschool classrooms were completely shut down this week because of two separate covid cases. I will have two weeks of juggling childcare and work and no compensation for the closure.

WHY are we still doing this. Why has every segment of society essentially returned to normal except daycares? I understand that small children cannot get a vaccine but its been proven time and again that small children are not seriously affected by Covid. I have accepted that this is endemic, but why have daycares not.

What is your daycare's policy? Are they all living like this is 2020?

Yes!

They shutdown for 10 days when there's a case. Meanwhile, school age kid can still go to school when there's a case in his class.

Our daycare has gone totally bonkers- right now half of the classes are shut down for post it I’ve cases, including the “older” pre-K where every kid is 5. And even that room is shutdown for 10 days! It makes no sense. I thought we’d get some relief when we get EUA for under 5 and can vaccinated are our 3yo but now it seems like it’s not going to make any difference. I REALLY don’t want to switch daycares, DC loves it there. But now I wonder if this is going to be a regular occurrence until they go to kindergarten, which is still 2 years away.

[Anonymous]

PP again- sorry for all the typos lol.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are at a daycare center in NoVA. Daycare’s policy is to shut down a classroom for 10 days upon a confirmed positive case (either student or staff) in that room. Policy is dictated by the county health department. Our daycare doesn’t require masks for children under 5, and there’s no test to stay option.
We just completed our 6th shutdown since Nov 2020 between my 2 kids. Each shutdown has been due to a positive staff member. None of those cases resulted in further spread within the school. That’s 60 days’ worth of juggling childcare and work between my DH and myself, cobbling together a mixture of leave, WFH, working late at night, etc. it is untenable.
Meanwhile, we had an RSV outbreak in both the infant and toddler classrooms last summer, yet no classroom shutdown was required.

I'm in Arlington and this is not the case at our school. They shut down twice, once in summer 2021 and once in January 2022. Though the snow that week really helped them there. They did pivot to asking everyone to test their children in the morning before bringing them to school. So if there is a positive case, they ask everyone to test before arriving and they ask for proof. If people don't do it, they have tests on hand and you can do it in the parking lot before sending them in.

I'd change schools if they are still shutting down a classroom for 10 days for every positive case.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Both of my children's daycare/preschool classrooms were completely shut down this week because of two separate covid cases. I will have two weeks of juggling childcare and work and no compensation for the closure.

WHY are we still doing this. Why has every segment of society essentially returned to normal except daycares? I understand that small children cannot get a vaccine but its been proven time and again that small children are not seriously affected by Covid. I have accepted that this is endemic, but why have daycares not.

What is your daycare's policy? Are they all living like this is 2020?

Yes!

They shutdown for 10 days when there's a case. Meanwhile, school age kid can still go to school when there's a case in his class.

Our daycare has gone totally bonkers- right now half of the classes are shut down for post it I’ve cases, including the “older” pre-K where every kid is 5. And even that room is shutdown for 10 days! It makes no sense. I thought we’d get some relief when we get EUA for under 5 and can vaccinated are our 3yo but now it seems like it’s not going to make any difference. I REALLY don’t want to switch daycares, DC loves it there. But now I wonder if this is going to be a regular occurrence until they go to kindergarten, which is still 2 years away.

I would switch. Close contact quarantining should be identical to infected persons quaratine.

[Anonymous]

Our home daycare has not shut down once but they will exclude covid positive and close contacts for the CDC required time. They are all under 5, no mask wearing and there has not been any COVID spread in daycare.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Both of my children's daycare/preschool classrooms were completely shut down this week because of two separate covid cases. I will have two weeks of juggling childcare and work and no compensation for the closure.

WHY are we still doing this. Why has every segment of society essentially returned to normal except daycares? I understand that small children cannot get a vaccine but its been proven time and again that small children are not seriously affected by Covid. I have accepted that this is endemic, but why have daycares not.

What is your daycare's policy? Are they all living like this is 2020?

Yes!

They shutdown for 10 days when there's a case. Meanwhile, school age kid can still go to school when there's a case in his class.

Our daycare has gone totally bonkers- right now half of the classes are shut down for post it I’ve cases, including the “older” pre-K where every kid is 5. And even that room is shutdown for 10 days! It makes no sense. I thought we’d get some relief when we get EUA for under 5 and can vaccinated are our 3yo but now it seems like it’s not going to make any difference. I REALLY don’t want to switch daycares, DC loves it there. But now I wonder if this is going to be a regular occurrence until they go to kindergarten, which is still 2 years away.

I would switch. Close contact quarantining should be identical to infected persons quaratine.

The problem is I’m not sure this is isolated to our center- they say it was at the direction of the county health dept. I’d probably have to switch to an in home daycare to avoid that.