Daycare Covid policy vent

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think people are being pretty unrealistic in their expectations here. People have been screaming for a year for daycares to loosen their testing and exclusion policies so kids don’t have to be out of daycare as much, but the obvious consequence of that loosening was going to be that more potential outbreaks would arise that would require sudden responses like this. The options are either strict testing and exclusion policies (e.g., every symptom requires a full 10 day exclusion or a negative PCR at least five days after onset of symptoms (with exclusion in the meantime) to minimize the risk of outbreaks, or we have looser policies where kids can return with nothing but a negative at-home rapid once they are symptom free, and accept the risk of more potential outbreaks that necessitate sudden/unexpected disruptions where there is evidence of an outbreak. This isn’t 2019 people, we can’t pretend covid simply doesn’t exist and expect that won’t have consequences.

As for the last minute notice, for all we know that’s when the daycare management learned of the issue. Do you really think the better solution would be to let potentially contagious kids come into the daycare for a day or two until they can get a PCR and turn music hour into a superspreader event in the meantime?

Your obsession with PCRs is not justified by the science of COVID and COVID tests. If you can't do multiple PCR tests over several days they are not going to do much to prevent outbreaks. A child can test negative one day and positive the next, but nobody is doing PCRs two days in row.

Did you actually read my post, or did you just see “PCR” and post a knee jerk response based on what you expected me to say?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Also, at this point we need to be having the "who cares" conversation if someone gets COVID. Daycare populations = usually toddlers and young women. These are not high-risk populations generally, and if you as an individual teacher or child are high-risk, then you personally should not work at or attend a daycare. The onus should be on individuals to get as fully vaccinated and boosted as possible (including toddlers, who can now be vaccinated) and then if someone gets COVID, treat it like the flu.

Sure, daycares can do that as long as people are okay with the risk of classes (or the entire daycare) being shut down at times if too many workers get sick at once. People seem to forget that used to happen at times due to the flu pre-covid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Also, at this point we need to be having the "who cares" conversation if someone gets COVID. Daycare populations = usually toddlers and young women. These are not high-risk populations generally, and if you as an individual teacher or child are high-risk, then you personally should not work at or attend a daycare. The onus should be on individuals to get as fully vaccinated and boosted as possible (including toddlers, who can now be vaccinated) and then if someone gets COVID, treat it like the flu.

Do you take care still need to report positive cases to the health department?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Also, at this point we need to be having the "who cares" conversation if someone gets COVID. Daycare populations = usually toddlers and young women. These are not high-risk populations generally, and if you as an individual teacher or child are high-risk, then you personally should not work at or attend a daycare. The onus should be on individuals to get as fully vaccinated and boosted as possible (including toddlers, who can now be vaccinated) and then if someone gets COVID, treat it like the flu.

Do you take care still need to report positive cases to the health department?

“Does your daycare”..

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Absolutely right to be livid. I’m super pissed for you. Who is going to have a PCR in the morning? I’d show up with my kid and demand they take them. Bring a rapid test and do it right there.

People who thought ahead instead of tantruming on DCUM and booked an early morning PCR test at an urgent care where they can get the test results right away.

Anyone have leads on a dc area urgent care that does this for kids under 2? Best I’ve found is 24 a place with 24 hour turnaround

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Also, at this point we need to be having the "who cares" conversation if someone gets COVID. Daycare populations = usually toddlers and young women. These are not high-risk populations generally, and if you as an individual teacher or child are high-risk, then you personally should not work at or attend a daycare. The onus should be on individuals to get as fully vaccinated and boosted as possible (including toddlers, who can now be vaccinated) and then if someone gets COVID, treat it like the flu.

Agree.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Absolutely right to be livid. I’m super pissed for you. Who is going to have a PCR in the morning? I’d show up with my kid and demand they take them. Bring a rapid test and do it right there.

People who thought ahead instead of tantruming on DCUM and booked an early morning PCR test at an urgent care where they can get the test results right away.

Doesn’t matter how early this morning you booked a PCR, you don’t get the results back for at least a day.

There are urgent cares that do same-day onsite PCR testing. Results usually take about 2 hours.

Sorry, but not everyone has the money to pay for the rush turnaround. Everywhere I’ve tried, it’s been $200+.

My 19 month has required 18 PCR tests to return to daycare after symptoms of covid. If I had to pay $200 each time that would be the same as almost 3 months tuition. She had covid once (and by the way was fine). This conversation really needs to start shifting. It’s been untenable for those of us with young toddlers for a while now.

[Anonymous]

This sucks and is not current with guidance. Encourage your school in these instances to allow asymptomatic kids back, masked, until they produce a PCR result or the exposure period ends.

Give your feedback gracefully - daycare admins did not sign up to be public health supervisors.

[Anonymous]

OP here - the frustration was that my kid returned to care last week after negative home tests. The daycare knew the symptoms last week and allowed my child to come back without a PCR. They didn’t even ask me for a rapid test - I did that voluntarily for everyone’s peace of mind.

They notified parents late because the child’s family who apparently tested positive notified them a few minutes before. So if it was a notification of exposure, daycare did the best they could. They didn’t share if it was a child who was positive or a child’s parent, so I don’t know if my kid was exposed.

They made a decision for their business to require PCRs to return to after COVID-like symptoms. That’s their right. But they should have told me that 6 days before, when I initially notified them of my sick kid’s symptoms. Or any of the times over the last week where I gave them status updates and asked if they were comfortable with my kid coming back in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here - the frustration was that my kid returned to care last week after negative home tests. The daycare knew the symptoms last week and allowed my child to come back without a PCR. They didn’t even ask me for a rapid test - I did that voluntarily for everyone’s peace of mind.

They notified parents late because the child’s family who apparently tested positive notified them a few minutes before. So if it was a notification of exposure, daycare did the best they could. They didn’t share if it was a child who was positive or a child’s parent, so I don’t know if my kid was exposed.

They made a decision for their business to require PCRs to return to after COVID-like symptoms. That’s their right. But they should have told me that 6 days before, when I initially notified them of my sick kid’s symptoms. Or any of the times over the last week where I gave them status updates and asked if they were comfortable with my kid coming back in.

I suppose the major question is when did they decide on the PCR return policy?

And I know you’re upset and frustrated and maybe I miss reading your posts and tone but it sounds like you’re taking this personally. I would bet you a dozen donuts but they have several kids with negative rapid tests and want to make sure so they’re requesting PCR.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think people are being pretty unrealistic in their expectations here. People have been screaming for a year for daycares to loosen their testing and exclusion policies so kids don’t have to be out of daycare as much, but the obvious consequence of that loosening was going to be that more potential outbreaks would arise that would require sudden responses like this. The options are either strict testing and exclusion policies (e.g., every symptom requires a full 10 day exclusion or a negative PCR at least five days after onset of symptoms (with exclusion in the meantime) to minimize the risk of outbreaks, or we have looser policies where kids can return with nothing but a negative at-home rapid once they are symptom free, and accept the risk of more potential outbreaks that necessitate sudden/unexpected disruptions where there is evidence of an outbreak. This isn’t 2019 people, we can’t pretend covid simply doesn’t exist and expect that won’t have consequences.

As for the last minute notice, for all we know that’s when the daycare management learned of the issue. Do you really think the better solution would be to let potentially contagious kids come into the daycare for a day or two until they can get a PCR and turn music hour into a superspreader event in the meantime?

Your obsession with PCRs is not justified by the science of COVID and COVID tests. If you can't do multiple PCR tests over several days they are not going to do much to prevent outbreaks. A child can test negative one day and positive the next, but nobody is doing PCRs two days in row.

Did you actually read my post, or did you just see “PCR” and post a knee jerk response based on what you expected me to say?

Yes, I read your post. Do you remember what you wrote? You indicated that the daycare requiring a PCR test (no idea how many days of exposure) can prevent a "superspreader" event.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here - the frustration was that my kid returned to care last week after negative home tests. The daycare knew the symptoms last week and allowed my child to come back without a PCR. They didn’t even ask me for a rapid test - I did that voluntarily for everyone’s peace of mind.

They notified parents late because the child’s family who apparently tested positive notified them a few minutes before. So if it was a notification of exposure, daycare did the best they could. They didn’t share if it was a child who was positive or a child’s parent, so I don’t know if my kid was exposed.

They made a decision for their business to require PCRs to return to after COVID-like symptoms. That’s their right. But they should have told me that 6 days before, when I initially notified them of my sick kid’s symptoms. Or any of the times over the last week where I gave them status updates and asked if they were comfortable with my kid coming back in.

What does the official policy say about returning to daycare after illness? It’s possible they didn’t ask you to send in test results because they’ve gotten lax in their protocols, and now this exposure made them realize they need to tighten up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think people are being pretty unrealistic in their expectations here. People have been screaming for a year for daycares to loosen their testing and exclusion policies so kids don’t have to be out of daycare as much, but the obvious consequence of that loosening was going to be that more potential outbreaks would arise that would require sudden responses like this. The options are either strict testing and exclusion policies (e.g., every symptom requires a full 10 day exclusion or a negative PCR at least five days after onset of symptoms (with exclusion in the meantime) to minimize the risk of outbreaks, or we have looser policies where kids can return with nothing but a negative at-home rapid once they are symptom free, and accept the risk of more potential outbreaks that necessitate sudden/unexpected disruptions where there is evidence of an outbreak. This isn’t 2019 people, we can’t pretend covid simply doesn’t exist and expect that won’t have consequences.

As for the last minute notice, for all we know that’s when the daycare management learned of the issue. Do you really think the better solution would be to let potentially contagious kids come into the daycare for a day or two until they can get a PCR and turn music hour into a superspreader event in the meantime?

Your obsession with PCRs is not justified by the science of COVID and COVID tests. If you can't do multiple PCR tests over several days they are not going to do much to prevent outbreaks. A child can test negative one day and positive the next, but nobody is doing PCRs two days in row.

Did you actually read my post, or did you just see “PCR” and post a knee jerk response based on what you expected me to say?

DP, but that is not what she said at all. "The options are either strict testing and exclusion policies (e.g., every symptom requires a full 10 day exclusion or a negative PCR at least five days after onset of symptoms (with exclusion in the meantime) to minimize the risk of outbreaks"

Yes, I read your post. Do you remember what you wrote? You indicated that the daycare requiring a PCR test (no idea how many days of exposure) can prevent a "superspreader" event.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Also, at this point we need to be having the "who cares" conversation if someone gets COVID. Daycare populations = usually toddlers and young women. These are not high-risk populations generally, and if you as an individual teacher or child are high-risk, then you personally should not work at or attend a daycare. The onus should be on individuals to get as fully vaccinated and boosted as possible (including toddlers, who can now be vaccinated) and then if someone gets COVID, treat it like the flu.

No there are a lot of older women as well and pregnant women so not everyone is low risk.

Yes if I find out Sunday night daycare suddenly required PCR instead of rapid tests would be annoyed since it would likely mean missing a day of work. (Another single mom here.) OTH if it was a response to an evolving situation I would also get the lack of notice even if I was annoyed about it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

DP, but that is not what she said at all. "The options are either strict testing and exclusion policies (e.g., every symptom requires a full 10 day exclusion or a negative PCR at least five days after onset of symptoms (with exclusion in the meantime) to minimize the risk of outbreaks"

She said "Do you really think the better solution would be to let potentially contagious kids come into the daycare for a day or two until they can get a PCR and turn music hour into a superspreader event in the meantime?"

If the daycare received notice on Sunday of a positive COVID case, it sounds like the exposure would have been on Friday. The first day to do a PCR test accurately would be Wednesday. So telling parents to run out and get a PCR test on Monday is a waste of parents' time and health care system resources.