Daycares taking advantage of COVID

[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.)

I guess I’m not understanding how this works during allergy season though- if a child has seasonal allergies that last several weeks in the spring, how often to do they need to be re-evaluated by a doctor or get a Covid test? There’s so much overlap there. I’m glad my daycare is not as strict as yours!

[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.

Do you have kids, specifically those with allergies? Because it’s not always as simple as giving a kid medication- I know with my oldest it took a while to find one that offered relief, and not all medications are available to young kids. My poor nephew has an awful reaction to tree pollen that started at age 2- his eyes would swell up, etc.

[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.

I’m confused- why not just ask the kid with a runny nose to get a Covid test? If negative, then it’s a cold or allergies and they can return, if positive, then obviously they stay home. Are you saying that colds are no longer acceptable either? Because other kids might catch the cold?

[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.

I’m confused- why not just ask the kid with a runny nose to get a Covid test? If negative, then it’s a cold or allergies and they can return, if positive, then obviously they stay home. Are you saying that colds are no longer acceptable either? Because other kids might catch the cold?

That's exactly what we do. And by the way, parents are often the ones that point out other children with runny noses! And we also encourage parents to get a doctor's note explaining allergies or whatever. Then we no longer exclude for whatever symptoms the doctor lists.

[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.

I’m confused- why not just ask the kid with a runny nose to get a Covid test? If negative, then it’s a cold or allergies and they can return, if positive, then obviously they stay home. Are you saying that colds are no longer acceptable either? Because other kids might catch the cold?

That's exactly what we do. And by the way, parents are often the ones that point out other children with runny noses! And we also encourage parents to get a doctor's note explaining allergies or whatever. Then we no longer exclude for whatever symptoms the doctor lists.

+1

This is how we run our daycare to. If it truly is seasonal allergies then it must be documented in their yearly health evaluation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Daycares don’t exist to take care of sick kids.

There are a couple of issues at play here. First, many families do not have sick leave at work and do not have people who can cover for them. They often have no choice.

But also, everyone has limits. If you quarantine whole classes for 10 days, do you think the parents will be able to take a day or 2 off the next month just in case the symptoms that look like allergies are not? If you want to stop diseases from spreading families have to keep kids home at the beginning of an illness, not after they stop being infectious but still have a lingering cough or runny nose. Having draconian policies on keeping kids home does not help, it just means I will send my kid in as long as I can get away with it so that I can keep my job.

Covid is now something parents need to plan for. Do you have sick leave? Do you have annual leave? Are you married? Why can't your spouse also take off. Most people in professional jobs get 2-4 weeks of leave, so multiple that by two parents and it should get you through. It just means sacrifices like skipping vacations. But, if you can afford a vacation you can afford to pay someone to care for your sick kids too.

NP. My two children have missed a combined total of 72 days from daycare in the past 18 months, solely due to classroom quarantines and not their own illnesses. That's 72 days of my DH and I having to shift our schedules, beg for WFH, etc. And those are days that my kids were HEALTHY. That doesn't count the week we missed due to my toddler's RSV, or the 3 days my older DD missed due to a stomach virus. Neither child has ever tested positive for covid and, fortunately, older DD is now vaccinated.
How many days of leave do you have? Can you cover 72 days of unplanned leave in 18 months due to quarantining healthy children??

Sounds like you need a new employer or a more flexible job.

DP. You're a ridiculous person.

72 days in 18 months is simply not compatible with working full time. And I'm sure many DCUM posters will say, well just work part-time! Since I know you all could not care less about the well-being of families with young children and assume we're all blowing all our extra cash on Starbucks and avocado toast, let's just ignore the impact on the family's income. People dropping out of the workforce, or working less, is a real problem that is impacting everyone in the form of inflation. Like it or not, parents, INCLUDING WOMEN, make up a vital part of our workforce and when we drop out of it or work less, society as a whole suffers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Daycares don’t exist to take care of sick kids.

There are a couple of issues at play here. First, many families do not have sick leave at work and do not have people who can cover for them. They often have no choice.

But also, everyone has limits. If you quarantine whole classes for 10 days, do you think the parents will be able to take a day or 2 off the next month just in case the symptoms that look like allergies are not? If you want to stop diseases from spreading families have to keep kids home at the beginning of an illness, not after they stop being infectious but still have a lingering cough or runny nose. Having draconian policies on keeping kids home does not help, it just means I will send my kid in as long as I can get away with it so that I can keep my job.

Covid is now something parents need to plan for. Do you have sick leave? Do you have annual leave? Are you married? Why can't your spouse also take off. Most people in professional jobs get 2-4 weeks of leave, so multiple that by two parents and it should get you through. It just means sacrifices like skipping vacations. But, if you can afford a vacation you can afford to pay someone to care for your sick kids too.

NP. My two children have missed a combined total of 72 days from daycare in the past 18 months, solely due to classroom quarantines and not their own illnesses. That's 72 days of my DH and I having to shift our schedules, beg for WFH, etc. And those are days that my kids were HEALTHY. That doesn't count the week we missed due to my toddler's RSV, or the 3 days my older DD missed due to a stomach virus. Neither child has ever tested positive for covid and, fortunately, older DD is now vaccinated.
How many days of leave do you have? Can you cover 72 days of unplanned leave in 18 months due to quarantining healthy children??

Sounds like you need a new employer or a more flexible job.

DP. You're a ridiculous person.

72 days in 18 months is simply not compatible with working full time. And I'm sure many DCUM posters will say, well just work part-time! Since I know you all could not care less about the well-being of families with young children and assume we're all blowing all our extra cash on Starbucks and avocado toast, let's just ignore the impact on the family's income. People dropping out of the workforce, or working less, is a real problem that is impacting everyone in the form of inflation. Like it or not, parents, INCLUDING WOMEN, make up a vital part of our workforce and when we drop out of it or work less, society as a whole suffers.

This.
I’m the PP whose children have missed 72 days while they were perfectly healthy. Thankfully, my job is somewhat flexible. I’m not a nurse, teacher, etc…I’m an engineer with a supervisor who (so far) has been somewhat accommodating to my multiple WFH needs. My DH travels 50% of the time for work, so most of this has been on me. No, we can’t afford a nanny, especially at the current rates. No, we have no local family to help. Yes, I feel like people who don’t have children under 5 don’t grasp the impact the last two years of this have had on those of us with young children. It isn’t sustainable, and it has a direct influence on the labor/workforce issues seen around the country. Reliable childcare is a necessity to employment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Daycares don’t exist to take care of sick kids.

There are a couple of issues at play here. First, many families do not have sick leave at work and do not have people who can cover for them. They often have no choice.

But also, everyone has limits. If you quarantine whole classes for 10 days, do you think the parents will be able to take a day or 2 off the next month just in case the symptoms that look like allergies are not? If you want to stop diseases from spreading families have to keep kids home at the beginning of an illness, not after they stop being infectious but still have a lingering cough or runny nose. Having draconian policies on keeping kids home does not help, it just means I will send my kid in as long as I can get away with it so that I can keep my job.

Covid is now something parents need to plan for. Do you have sick leave? Do you have annual leave? Are you married? Why can't your spouse also take off. Most people in professional jobs get 2-4 weeks of leave, so multiple that by two parents and it should get you through. It just means sacrifices like skipping vacations. But, if you can afford a vacation you can afford to pay someone to care for your sick kids too.

NP. My two children have missed a combined total of 72 days from daycare in the past 18 months, solely due to classroom quarantines and not their own illnesses. That's 72 days of my DH and I having to shift our schedules, beg for WFH, etc. And those are days that my kids were HEALTHY. That doesn't count the week we missed due to my toddler's RSV, or the 3 days my older DD missed due to a stomach virus. Neither child has ever tested positive for covid and, fortunately, older DD is now vaccinated.
How many days of leave do you have? Can you cover 72 days of unplanned leave in 18 months due to quarantining healthy children??

Sounds like you need a new employer or a more flexible job.

Come on now. Stop. There is no job that is that flexible and employers dont care about your life outside of work- they dont. They care about you showing up and getting the work done.

Vacation and sick time is not for taking care of healthy children- it isnt.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Daycares don’t exist to take care of sick kids.

There are a couple of issues at play here. First, many families do not have sick leave at work and do not have people who can cover for them. They often have no choice.

But also, everyone has limits. If you quarantine whole classes for 10 days, do you think the parents will be able to take a day or 2 off the next month just in case the symptoms that look like allergies are not? If you want to stop diseases from spreading families have to keep kids home at the beginning of an illness, not after they stop being infectious but still have a lingering cough or runny nose. Having draconian policies on keeping kids home does not help, it just means I will send my kid in as long as I can get away with it so that I can keep my job.

Covid is now something parents need to plan for. Do you have sick leave? Do you have annual leave? Are you married? Why can't your spouse also take off. Most people in professional jobs get 2-4 weeks of leave, so multiple that by two parents and it should get you through. It just means sacrifices like skipping vacations. But, if you can afford a vacation you can afford to pay someone to care for your sick kids too.

NP. My two children have missed a combined total of 72 days from daycare in the past 18 months, solely due to classroom quarantines and not their own illnesses. That's 72 days of my DH and I having to shift our schedules, beg for WFH, etc. And those are days that my kids were HEALTHY. That doesn't count the week we missed due to my toddler's RSV, or the 3 days my older DD missed due to a stomach virus. Neither child has ever tested positive for covid and, fortunately, older DD is now vaccinated.
How many days of leave do you have? Can you cover 72 days of unplanned leave in 18 months due to quarantining healthy children??

Sounds like you need a new employer or a more flexible job.

Sounds like you need to stop prattling about things you have no clue about.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Daycares don’t exist to take care of sick kids.

There are a couple of issues at play here. First, many families do not have sick leave at work and do not have people who can cover for them. They often have no choice.

But also, everyone has limits. If you quarantine whole classes for 10 days, do you think the parents will be able to take a day or 2 off the next month just in case the symptoms that look like allergies are not? If you want to stop diseases from spreading families have to keep kids home at the beginning of an illness, not after they stop being infectious but still have a lingering cough or runny nose. Having draconian policies on keeping kids home does not help, it just means I will send my kid in as long as I can get away with it so that I can keep my job.

Covid is now something parents need to plan for. Do you have sick leave? Do you have annual leave? Are you married? Why can't your spouse also take off. Most people in professional jobs get 2-4 weeks of leave, so multiple that by two parents and it should get you through. It just means sacrifices like skipping vacations. But, if you can afford a vacation you can afford to pay someone to care for your sick kids too.

NP. My two children have missed a combined total of 72 days from daycare in the past 18 months, solely due to classroom quarantines and not their own illnesses. That's 72 days of my DH and I having to shift our schedules, beg for WFH, etc. And those are days that my kids were HEALTHY. That doesn't count the week we missed due to my toddler's RSV, or the 3 days my older DD missed due to a stomach virus. Neither child has ever tested positive for covid and, fortunately, older DD is now vaccinated.
How many days of leave do you have? Can you cover 72 days of unplanned leave in 18 months due to quarantining healthy children??

Sounds like you need a new employer or a more flexible job.

Please, tell me what US employers offer 2+ months a year of PTO to take as needed (I.e. not including holidays, or "unlimited PTO" policies where actually taking this much time off would harm your career). I'd love to apply!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Daycares don’t exist to take care of sick kids.

There are a couple of issues at play here. First, many families do not have sick leave at work and do not have people who can cover for them. They often have no choice.

But also, everyone has limits. If you quarantine whole classes for 10 days, do you think the parents will be able to take a day or 2 off the next month just in case the symptoms that look like allergies are not? If you want to stop diseases from spreading families have to keep kids home at the beginning of an illness, not after they stop being infectious but still have a lingering cough or runny nose. Having draconian policies on keeping kids home does not help, it just means I will send my kid in as long as I can get away with it so that I can keep my job.

Covid is now something parents need to plan for. Do you have sick leave? Do you have annual leave? Are you married? Why can't your spouse also take off. Most people in professional jobs get 2-4 weeks of leave, so multiple that by two parents and it should get you through. It just means sacrifices like skipping vacations. But, if you can afford a vacation you can afford to pay someone to care for your sick kids too.

NP. My two children have missed a combined total of 72 days from daycare in the past 18 months, solely due to classroom quarantines and not their own illnesses. That's 72 days of my DH and I having to shift our schedules, beg for WFH, etc. And those are days that my kids were HEALTHY. That doesn't count the week we missed due to my toddler's RSV, or the 3 days my older DD missed due to a stomach virus. Neither child has ever tested positive for covid and, fortunately, older DD is now vaccinated.
How many days of leave do you have? Can you cover 72 days of unplanned leave in 18 months due to quarantining healthy children??

Sounds like you need a new employer or a more flexible job.

Please, tell me what US employers offer 2+ months a year of PTO to take as needed (I.e. not including holidays, or "unlimited PTO" policies where actually taking this much time off would harm your career). I'd love to apply!

Have you tried staggering g schedules with your spouse?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Daycares don’t exist to take care of sick kids.

There are a couple of issues at play here. First, many families do not have sick leave at work and do not have people who can cover for them. They often have no choice.

But also, everyone has limits. If you quarantine whole classes for 10 days, do you think the parents will be able to take a day or 2 off the next month just in case the symptoms that look like allergies are not? If you want to stop diseases from spreading families have to keep kids home at the beginning of an illness, not after they stop being infectious but still have a lingering cough or runny nose. Having draconian policies on keeping kids home does not help, it just means I will send my kid in as long as I can get away with it so that I can keep my job.

Covid is now something parents need to plan for. Do you have sick leave? Do you have annual leave? Are you married? Why can't your spouse also take off. Most people in professional jobs get 2-4 weeks of leave, so multiple that by two parents and it should get you through. It just means sacrifices like skipping vacations. But, if you can afford a vacation you can afford to pay someone to care for your sick kids too.

NP. My two children have missed a combined total of 72 days from daycare in the past 18 months, solely due to classroom quarantines and not their own illnesses. That's 72 days of my DH and I having to shift our schedules, beg for WFH, etc. And those are days that my kids were HEALTHY. That doesn't count the week we missed due to my toddler's RSV, or the 3 days my older DD missed due to a stomach virus. Neither child has ever tested positive for covid and, fortunately, older DD is now vaccinated.
How many days of leave do you have? Can you cover 72 days of unplanned leave in 18 months due to quarantining healthy children??

Sounds like you need a new employer or a more flexible job.

Please, tell me what US employers offer 2+ months a year of PTO to take as needed (I.e. not including holidays, or "unlimited PTO" policies where actually taking this much time off would harm your career). I'd love to apply!

Have you tried staggering g schedules with your spouse?

DP We have super flexible jobs so we did that for the five months when Montgomery County refused to let our daycare (located in a public school) reopen. It was great except that it left no time for DH or myself to eat or sleep, NBD.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Daycares don’t exist to take care of sick kids.

There are a couple of issues at play here. First, many families do not have sick leave at work and do not have people who can cover for them. They often have no choice.

But also, everyone has limits. If you quarantine whole classes for 10 days, do you think the parents will be able to take a day or 2 off the next month just in case the symptoms that look like allergies are not? If you want to stop diseases from spreading families have to keep kids home at the beginning of an illness, not after they stop being infectious but still have a lingering cough or runny nose. Having draconian policies on keeping kids home does not help, it just means I will send my kid in as long as I can get away with it so that I can keep my job.

Covid is now something parents need to plan for. Do you have sick leave? Do you have annual leave? Are you married? Why can't your spouse also take off. Most people in professional jobs get 2-4 weeks of leave, so multiple that by two parents and it should get you through. It just means sacrifices like skipping vacations. But, if you can afford a vacation you can afford to pay someone to care for your sick kids too.

NP. My two children have missed a combined total of 72 days from daycare in the past 18 months, solely due to classroom quarantines and not their own illnesses. That's 72 days of my DH and I having to shift our schedules, beg for WFH, etc. And those are days that my kids were HEALTHY. That doesn't count the week we missed due to my toddler's RSV, or the 3 days my older DD missed due to a stomach virus. Neither child has ever tested positive for covid and, fortunately, older DD is now vaccinated.
How many days of leave do you have? Can you cover 72 days of unplanned leave in 18 months due to quarantining healthy children??

Sounds like you need a new employer or a more flexible job.

DP. You're a ridiculous person.

72 days in 18 months is simply not compatible with working full time. And I'm sure many DCUM posters will say, well just work part-time! Since I know you all could not care less about the well-being of families with young children and assume we're all blowing all our extra cash on Starbucks and avocado toast, let's just ignore the impact on the family's income. People dropping out of the workforce, or working less, is a real problem that is impacting everyone in the form of inflation. Like it or not, parents, INCLUDING WOMEN, make up a vital part of our workforce and when we drop out of it or work less, society as a whole suffers.

This.
I’m the PP whose children have missed 72 days while they were perfectly healthy. Thankfully, my job is somewhat flexible. I’m not a nurse, teacher, etc…I’m an engineer with a supervisor who (so far) has been somewhat accommodating to my multiple WFH needs. My DH travels 50% of the time for work, so most of this has been on me. No, we can’t afford a nanny, especially at the current rates. No, we have no local family to help. Yes, I feel like people who don’t have children under 5 don’t grasp the impact the last two years of this have had on those of us with young children. It isn’t sustainable, and it has a direct influence on the labor/workforce issues seen around the country. Reliable childcare is a necessity to employment.

Given your jobs you can afford a nanny.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Daycares don’t exist to take care of sick kids.

There are a couple of issues at play here. First, many families do not have sick leave at work and do not have people who can cover for them. They often have no choice.

But also, everyone has limits. If you quarantine whole classes for 10 days, do you think the parents will be able to take a day or 2 off the next month just in case the symptoms that look like allergies are not? If you want to stop diseases from spreading families have to keep kids home at the beginning of an illness, not after they stop being infectious but still have a lingering cough or runny nose. Having draconian policies on keeping kids home does not help, it just means I will send my kid in as long as I can get away with it so that I can keep my job.

Covid is now something parents need to plan for. Do you have sick leave? Do you have annual leave? Are you married? Why can't your spouse also take off. Most people in professional jobs get 2-4 weeks of leave, so multiple that by two parents and it should get you through. It just means sacrifices like skipping vacations. But, if you can afford a vacation you can afford to pay someone to care for your sick kids too.

NP. My two children have missed a combined total of 72 days from daycare in the past 18 months, solely due to classroom quarantines and not their own illnesses. That's 72 days of my DH and I having to shift our schedules, beg for WFH, etc. And those are days that my kids were HEALTHY. That doesn't count the week we missed due to my toddler's RSV, or the 3 days my older DD missed due to a stomach virus. Neither child has ever tested positive for covid and, fortunately, older DD is now vaccinated.
How many days of leave do you have? Can you cover 72 days of unplanned leave in 18 months due to quarantining healthy children??

Sounds like you need a new employer or a more flexible job.

Please, tell me what US employers offer 2+ months a year of PTO to take as needed (I.e. not including holidays, or "unlimited PTO" policies where actually taking this much time off would harm your career). I'd love to apply!

Have you tried staggering g schedules with your spouse?

DP here. My spouse teaches, so no, class can't be moved to 9 PM. My job has some flexibility within reason but I can't just declare I'm working 4 PM to midnight for a couple weeks, I would miss every meeting! Yes, we can work weird hours when we need to, but it's really hard to do for months at a time.

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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.

Daycares don’t exist to take care of sick kids.

There are a couple of issues at play here. First, many families do not have sick leave at work and do not have people who can cover for them. They often have no choice.

But also, everyone has limits. If you quarantine whole classes for 10 days, do you think the parents will be able to take a day or 2 off the next month just in case the symptoms that look like allergies are not? If you want to stop diseases from spreading families have to keep kids home at the beginning of an illness, not after they stop being infectious but still have a lingering cough or runny nose. Having draconian policies on keeping kids home does not help, it just means I will send my kid in as long as I can get away with it so that I can keep my job.

Covid is now something parents need to plan for. Do you have sick leave? Do you have annual leave? Are you married? Why can't your spouse also take off. Most people in professional jobs get 2-4 weeks of leave, so multiple that by two parents and it should get you through. It just means sacrifices like skipping vacations. But, if you can afford a vacation you can afford to pay someone to care for your sick kids too.

NP. My two children have missed a combined total of 72 days from daycare in the past 18 months, solely due to classroom quarantines and not their own illnesses. That's 72 days of my DH and I having to shift our schedules, beg for WFH, etc. And those are days that my kids were HEALTHY. That doesn't count the week we missed due to my toddler's RSV, or the 3 days my older DD missed due to a stomach virus. Neither child has ever tested positive for covid and, fortunately, older DD is now vaccinated.
How many days of leave do you have? Can you cover 72 days of unplanned leave in 18 months due to quarantining healthy children??

Sounds like you need a new employer or a more flexible job.

DP. You're a ridiculous person.

72 days in 18 months is simply not compatible with working full time. And I'm sure many DCUM posters will say, well just work part-time! Since I know you all could not care less about the well-being of families with young children and assume we're all blowing all our extra cash on Starbucks and avocado toast, let's just ignore the impact on the family's income. People dropping out of the workforce, or working less, is a real problem that is impacting everyone in the form of inflation. Like it or not, parents, INCLUDING WOMEN, make up a vital part of our workforce and when we drop out of it or work less, society as a whole suffers.

This.
I’m the PP whose children have missed 72 days while they were perfectly healthy. Thankfully, my job is somewhat flexible. I’m not a nurse, teacher, etc…I’m an engineer with a supervisor who (so far) has been somewhat accommodating to my multiple WFH needs. My DH travels 50% of the time for work, so most of this has been on me. No, we can’t afford a nanny, especially at the current rates. No, we have no local family to help. Yes, I feel like people who don’t have children under 5 don’t grasp the impact the last two years of this have had on those of us with young children. It isn’t sustainable, and it has a direct influence on the labor/workforce issues seen around the country. Reliable childcare is a necessity to employment.

Given your jobs you can afford a nanny.

PP. No, we can’t. I’ve run the numbers repeatedly.
I’m a mid-level engineer, not management. And DH makes less than I do.