Why do daycares and preschools follow the school systems?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When schools are closed it is for the safety of kids, staff, drivers etc. Seems like a good enough policy for daycare to follow. Also good training for parents who will soon have kids in school - you need to fit your career around your kid(s) or try to fit your kids around your career.
"Have a plan."

Yeah, as far as I can tell, the only thing keeping schools closed is that the school busses can't navigate the narrow roads and turns around big mounds of piled up snow. Not applicable for daycares and preschools. BUT, the staffing thing makes sense to me. For the rest of us, if our office opens and we can't come to work because our kids are home, we take a vacation day or struggle through telecommuting with kids at home or whatever. If preschool teachers take the day off, the ratios are screwed!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most of the PPs understand the need to close on days such as last Thursday through this Tuesday. Where people think it is unmerited is on days like Wednesday through Friday, when everything is back in business except for LARGE SCHOOL SYSTEMS who have to worry about plowing hundreds of lots, digging out buses, and whether roads are passable for large school buses/if bus stops are clear.

This is not the case, at all, for most daycares and preschools.

3 different directors on this thread have pointed out that daycares can not run on reduced staff the way other employers can.

On Wednesday and Thursday of this week, OPM offered unscheduled leave, because they recognized that many employers would need to stay home with their kids. Why is it hard to understand that many daycare employees, who are overwhelmingly female, wouldn't have the same need? But a daycare simply can't offer unscheduled leave and stay open. It's not possible.

Really? Many people posted on the other thread reporting that their daycare were open. So, impossible? No.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most of the PPs understand the need to close on days such as last Thursday through this Tuesday. Where people think it is unmerited is on days like Wednesday through Friday, when everything is back in business except for LARGE SCHOOL SYSTEMS who have to worry about plowing hundreds of lots, digging out buses, and whether roads are passable for large school buses/if bus stops are clear.

This is not the case, at all, for most daycares and preschools.

3 different directors on this thread have pointed out that daycares can not run on reduced staff the way other employers can.

On Wednesday and Thursday of this week, OPM offered unscheduled leave, because they recognized that many employers would need to stay home with their kids. Why is it hard to understand that many daycare employees, who are overwhelmingly female, wouldn't have the same need? But a daycare simply can't offer unscheduled leave and stay open. It's not possible.

Really? Many people posted on the other thread reporting that their daycare were open. So, impossible? No.

Have people on the other thread reported that their daycares offered unscheduled leave and stayed open? I have not seen that claim.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most of the PPs understand the need to close on days such as last Thursday through this Tuesday. Where people think it is unmerited is on days like Wednesday through Friday, when everything is back in business except for LARGE SCHOOL SYSTEMS who have to worry about plowing hundreds of lots, digging out buses, and whether roads are passable for large school buses/if bus stops are clear.

This is not the case, at all, for most daycares and preschools.

3 different directors on this thread have pointed out that daycares can not run on reduced staff the way other employers can.

On Wednesday and Thursday of this week, OPM offered unscheduled leave, because they recognized that many employers would need to stay home with their kids. Why is it hard to understand that many daycare employees, who are overwhelmingly female, wouldn't have the same need? But a daycare simply can't offer unscheduled leave and stay open. It's not possible.

How is it almost everyone else is able to get out to do the things they need to do and work and yet, day cares and private schools remain unopened. Kids are taken by parents not walking or bussed. At our school, the teachers often have their kids at school so why should this be any different.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I teach at a part time preschool. 75% of the staff have school aged children, so we would have to get a ton of subs.

Not the OP, but. . .what do you think the rest of us do when we have to go back to work, and school is still out? We cobble things together; make it work; etc. For example, right now I have the school-aged one with me, reading in an empty office next to mine, and my daycare-aged child is at daycare, which finally opened back yesterday, because they follow Federal Govt. policy, thank goodness! She is too young to behave well at an office so that would not be a possibility AT. ALL!!!

part time preschool teachers make about $12-$15 per hour and most are extremely well-educated. One of the ways preschools get such great people sat such low wages is flexibility. None (not one) of the staff at my kids preschool needs the job. They do it out of a love of children. The price for sending your kid to high quality part time preschool is not being open when school systems are closed so those teachers can be home with their own kids.


Plus about 8 other reasons.

Daycare? I agree with the poster who said to pick a daycare based on snow day policy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I imagine that it's quite lucrative for the daycares and preschools who don't have to pay their staff for the snow days, and other operating expenses such as meals for the children.

Director here--not lucrative at all. Our staff is paid for closings, and our food order was already in--and growing old in the fridge. Costs are largely fixed. Anyone who thinks it's a lucrative deal is clueless.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I teach at a part time preschool. 75% of the staff have school aged children, so we would have to get a ton of subs.

Not the OP, but. . .what do you think the rest of us do when we have to go back to work, and school is still out? We cobble things together; make it work; etc. For example, right now I have the school-aged one with me, reading in an empty office next to mine, and my daycare-aged child is at daycare, which finally opened back yesterday, because they follow Federal Govt. policy, thank goodness! She is too young to behave well at an office so that would not be a possibility AT. ALL!!!

part time preschool teachers make about $12-$15 per hour and most are extremely well-educated. One of the ways preschools get such great people sat such low wages is flexibility. None (not one) of the staff at my kids preschool needs the job. They do it out of a love of children. The price for sending your kid to high quality part time preschool is not being open when school systems are closed so those teachers can be home with their own kids.


Plus about 8 other reasons.

Daycare? I agree with the poster who said to pick a daycare based on snow day policy.

We're talking about all-day programs, so either daycares, or a preschool with aftercare -- so it is designed to cater to working parents.

Sorry, but I am not buying that because someone works for a lower wage, they are exempt from figuring out what they need to do to get to work. And I say that as someone who has BTDT.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our daycare center has been open every day, only closing one hour early on Friday (5 PM) for the storm. They put workers up in a hotel across the street from the center to ensure that everyone can get to work safely. The center has a lot of parents who are doctors or otherwise work jobs that do not stop for a storm.

We had to telework, so it was nice to be able to walk our daughter there and then work from home.

So they made the daycare staff stay separately from their families for the duration of the storm? That's kind of crappy.

This is a longstanding policy. I haven't heard any grumblings from the staff so I'm assuming that they were appropriately compensated. The few I spoke to seemed excited to be hanging with their friends at a fancy hotel for the duration of the storm. I think it turned into a staff party every night.

I would not make this assumption. This does not ring true to me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I teach at a part time preschool. 75% of the staff have school aged children, so we would have to get a ton of subs.

Not the OP, but. . .what do you think the rest of us do when we have to go back to work, and school is still out? We cobble things together; make it work; etc. For example, right now I have the school-aged one with me, reading in an empty office next to mine, and my daycare-aged child is at daycare, which finally opened back yesterday, because they follow Federal Govt. policy, thank goodness! She is too young to behave well at an office so that would not be a possibility AT. ALL!!!

part time preschool teachers make about $12-$15 per hour and most are extremely well-educated. One of the ways preschools get such great people sat such low wages is flexibility. None (not one) of the staff at my kids preschool needs the job. They do it out of a love of children. The price for sending your kid to high quality part time preschool is not being open when school systems are closed so those teachers can be home with their own kids.


Plus about 8 other reasons.

Daycare? I agree with the poster who said to pick a daycare based on snow day policy.

We're talking about all-day programs, so either daycares, or a preschool with aftercare -- so it is designed to cater to working parents.

Sorry, but I am not buying that because someone works for a lower wage, they are exempt from figuring out what they need to do to get to work. And I say that as someone who has BTDT.

The point is that at $12 per hour, the options for getting to work and getting child care for your own children are limited. If bus routes are impacted, your teacher has to come up with funds for Uber. If schools are impacted, your teacher has to come up with funds to cover the cost of back-up care. My question to you is where do the extra funds come from? Our Director explained this to us at the start of the year while sharing a story about how a teacher left their 8 year old at home alone in the 2010 snow storm to avoid losing their job. We should spend more energy on finding a solution so that our preschool teachers aren't living below the poverty line. It must be very difficult for Directors to ask their teachers to come in. If two or three teachers can't make it in, do you discipline them? Fire a teacher for not making it in on a snow day? I'd much rather suck it up and stay home with my child.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I teach at a part time preschool. 75% of the staff have school aged children, so we would have to get a ton of subs.

Not the OP, but. . .what do you think the rest of us do when we have to go back to work, and school is still out? We cobble things together; make it work; etc. For example, right now I have the school-aged one with me, reading in an empty office next to mine, and my daycare-aged child is at daycare, which finally opened back yesterday, because they follow Federal Govt. policy, thank goodness! She is too young to behave well at an office so that would not be a possibility AT. ALL!!!

part time preschool teachers make about $12-$15 per hour and most are extremely well-educated. One of the ways preschools get such great people sat such low wages is flexibility. None (not one) of the staff at my kids preschool needs the job. They do it out of a love of children. The price for sending your kid to high quality part time preschool is not being open when school systems are closed so those teachers can be home with their own kids.


Plus about 8 other reasons.

Daycare? I agree with the poster who said to pick a daycare based on snow day policy.

We're talking about all-day programs, so either daycares, or a preschool with aftercare -- so it is designed to cater to working parents.

Sorry, but I am not buying that because someone works for a lower wage, they are exempt from figuring out what they need to do to get to work. And I say that as someone who has BTDT.

Are you OP? If you wanted to limit the program to certain subsets of daycares and preschools, then you should have mentioned it. A number of people have responded about part day preschool.

As for your second line, it appears that you think you should be exempt from figuring out what to do, you want your daycare staff to problem solve so you don't have to. Is that correct? Even though you signed your child up for daycare knowing their snow day policy? Why do you think that you should be exempt from something that other people aren't exempt from. Especially when the biggest employers in our region, including the feds, have exempted their staff from figuring it out all week through liberal leave policies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I teach at a part time preschool. 75% of the staff have school aged children, so we would have to get a ton of subs.

Not the OP, but. . .what do you think the rest of us do when we have to go back to work, and school is still out? We cobble things together; make it work; etc. For example, right now I have the school-aged one with me, reading in an empty office next to mine, and my daycare-aged child is at daycare, which finally opened back yesterday, because they follow Federal Govt. policy, thank goodness! She is too young to behave well at an office so that would not be a possibility AT. ALL!!!

part time preschool teachers make about $12-$15 per hour and most are extremely well-educated. One of the ways preschools get such great people sat such low wages is flexibility. None (not one) of the staff at my kids preschool needs the job. They do it out of a love of children. The price for sending your kid to high quality part time preschool is not being open when school systems are closed so those teachers can be home with their own kids.


Plus about 8 other reasons.

Daycare? I agree with the poster who said to pick a daycare based on snow day policy.

We're talking about all-day programs, so either daycares, or a preschool with aftercare -- so it is designed to cater to working parents.

Sorry, but I am not buying that because someone works for a lower wage, they are exempt from figuring out what they need to do to get to work. And I say that as someone who has BTDT.

Are you OP? If you wanted to limit the program to certain subsets of daycares and preschools, then you should have mentioned it. A number of people have responded about part day preschool.

As for your second line, it appears that you think you should be exempt from figuring out what to do, you want your daycare staff to problem solve so you don't have to. Is that correct? Even though you signed your child up for daycare knowing their snow day policy? Why do you think that you should be exempt from something that other people aren't exempt from. Especially when the biggest employers in our region, including the feds, have exempted their staff from figuring it out all week through liberal leave policies.

Actually, I am the OP and I do not have any children in daycare. I have a nanny who we adore, and who has been at work since Tuesday. This was her own doing, despite that our agreement states she gets paid days off when OPM is closed. She has children at home, too, but has back-up care arranged. We appreciate it greatly as we have had to work all week.

I just feel bad for many of my friends who have been without child care all week. This includes some feds, who, despite the OPM closure, had to continue working from home.

Small daycares closing for over a week, when it has not snowed in about that long, has crossed into the realm of ridiculousness.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I teach at a part time preschool. 75% of the staff have school aged children, so we would have to get a ton of subs.

Not the OP, but. . .what do you think the rest of us do when we have to go back to work, and school is still out? We cobble things together; make it work; etc. For example, right now I have the school-aged one with me, reading in an empty office next to mine, and my daycare-aged child is at daycare, which finally opened back yesterday, because they follow Federal Govt. policy, thank goodness! She is too young to behave well at an office so that would not be a possibility AT. ALL!!!

part time preschool teachers make about $12-$15 per hour and most are extremely well-educated. One of the ways preschools get such great people sat such low wages is flexibility. None (not one) of the staff at my kids preschool needs the job. They do it out of a love of children. The price for sending your kid to high quality part time preschool is not being open when school systems are closed so those teachers can be home with their own kids.


Plus about 8 other reasons.

Daycare? I agree with the poster who said to pick a daycare based on snow day policy.

We're talking about all-day programs, so either daycares, or a preschool with aftercare -- so it is designed to cater to working parents.

Sorry, but I am not buying that because someone works for a lower wage, they are exempt from figuring out what they need to do to get to work. And I say that as someone who has BTDT.

Are you OP? If you wanted to limit the program to certain subsets of daycares and preschools, then you should have mentioned it. A number of people have responded about part day preschool.

As for your second line, it appears that you think you should be exempt from figuring out what to do, you want your daycare staff to problem solve so you don't have to. Is that correct? Even though you signed your child up for daycare knowing their snow day policy? Why do you think that you should be exempt from something that other people aren't exempt from. Especially when the biggest employers in our region, including the feds, have exempted their staff from figuring it out all week through liberal leave policies.

Actually, I am the OP and I do not have any children in daycare. I have a nanny who we adore, and who has been at work since Tuesday. This was her own doing, despite that our agreement states she gets paid days off when OPM is closed. She has children at home, too, but has back-up care arranged. We appreciate it greatly as we have had to work all week.

I just feel bad for many of my friends who have been without child care all week. This includes some feds, who, despite the OPM closure, had to continue working from home.

Small daycares closing for over a week, when it has not snowed in about that long, has crossed into the realm of ridiculousness.

You still don't get it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I teach at a part time preschool. 75% of the staff have school aged children, so we would have to get a ton of subs.

Not the OP, but. . .what do you think the rest of us do when we have to go back to work, and school is still out? We cobble things together; make it work; etc. For example, right now I have the school-aged one with me, reading in an empty office next to mine, and my daycare-aged child is at daycare, which finally opened back yesterday, because they follow Federal Govt. policy, thank goodness! She is too young to behave well at an office so that would not be a possibility AT. ALL!!!

part time preschool teachers make about $12-$15 per hour and most are extremely well-educated. One of the ways preschools get such great people sat such low wages is flexibility. None (not one) of the staff at my kids preschool needs the job. They do it out of a love of children. The price for sending your kid to high quality part time preschool is not being open when school systems are closed so those teachers can be home with their own kids.


Plus about 8 other reasons.

Daycare? I agree with the poster who said to pick a daycare based on snow day policy.

We're talking about all-day programs, so either daycares, or a preschool with aftercare -- so it is designed to cater to working parents.

Sorry, but I am not buying that because someone works for a lower wage, they are exempt from figuring out what they need to do to get to work. And I say that as someone who has BTDT.

Are you OP? If you wanted to limit the program to certain subsets of daycares and preschools, then you should have mentioned it. A number of people have responded about part day preschool.

As for your second line, it appears that you think you should be exempt from figuring out what to do, you want your daycare staff to problem solve so you don't have to. Is that correct? Even though you signed your child up for daycare knowing their snow day policy? Why do you think that you should be exempt from something that other people aren't exempt from. Especially when the biggest employers in our region, including the feds, have exempted their staff from figuring it out all week through liberal leave policies.

Actually, I am the OP and I do not have any children in daycare. I have a nanny who we adore, and who has been at work since Tuesday. This was her own doing, despite that our agreement states she gets paid days off when OPM is closed. She has children at home, too, but has back-up care arranged. We appreciate it greatly as we have had to work all week.

I just feel bad for many of my friends who have been without child care all week. This includes some feds, who, despite the OPM closure, had to continue working from home.

Small daycares closing for over a week, when it has not snowed in about that long, has crossed into the realm of ridiculousness.

You still don't get it.

Let me guess -- you're a center director?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I teach at a part time preschool. 75% of the staff have school aged children, so we would have to get a ton of subs.

Not the OP, but. . .what do you think the rest of us do when we have to go back to work, and school is still out? We cobble things together; make it work; etc. For example, right now I have the school-aged one with me, reading in an empty office next to mine, and my daycare-aged child is at daycare, which finally opened back yesterday, because they follow Federal Govt. policy, thank goodness! She is too young to behave well at an office so that would not be a possibility AT. ALL!!!

part time preschool teachers make about $12-$15 per hour and most are extremely well-educated. One of the ways preschools get such great people sat such low wages is flexibility. None (not one) of the staff at my kids preschool needs the job. They do it out of a love of children. The price for sending your kid to high quality part time preschool is not being open when school systems are closed so those teachers can be home with their own kids.


Plus about 8 other reasons.

Daycare? I agree with the poster who said to pick a daycare based on snow day policy.

We're talking about all-day programs, so either daycares, or a preschool with aftercare -- so it is designed to cater to working parents.

Sorry, but I am not buying that because someone works for a lower wage, they are exempt from figuring out what they need to do to get to work. And I say that as someone who has BTDT.

Are you OP? If you wanted to limit the program to certain subsets of daycares and preschools, then you should have mentioned it. A number of people have responded about part day preschool.

As for your second line, it appears that you think you should be exempt from figuring out what to do, you want your daycare staff to problem solve so you don't have to. Is that correct? Even though you signed your child up for daycare knowing their snow day policy? Why do you think that you should be exempt from something that other people aren't exempt from. Especially when the biggest employers in our region, including the feds, have exempted their staff from figuring it out all week through liberal leave policies.

Actually, I am the OP and I do not have any children in daycare. I have a nanny who we adore, and who has been at work since Tuesday. This was her own doing, despite that our agreement states she gets paid days off when OPM is closed. She has children at home, too, but has back-up care arranged. We appreciate it greatly as we have had to work all week.

I just feel bad for many of my friends who have been without child care all week. This includes some feds, who, despite the OPM closure, had to continue working from home.

Small daycares closing for over a week, when it has not snowed in about that long, has crossed into the realm of ridiculousness.

So, like OPM, you gave your nanny the opportunity to take liberal leave, and she was able to figure out childcare. That's great. Why does that make you assume that every other childcare provider is in the same situation? If back up care was so easy to find this thread wouldn't exist.

I am not sure why you feel bad for your friends, and not for daycare workers in the same situation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I teach at a part time preschool. 75% of the staff have school aged children, so we would have to get a ton of subs.

Not the OP, but. . .what do you think the rest of us do when we have to go back to work, and school is still out? We cobble things together; make it work; etc. For example, right now I have the school-aged one with me, reading in an empty office next to mine, and my daycare-aged child is at daycare, which finally opened back yesterday, because they follow Federal Govt. policy, thank goodness! She is too young to behave well at an office so that would not be a possibility AT. ALL!!!

part time preschool teachers make about $12-$15 per hour and most are extremely well-educated. One of the ways preschools get such great people sat such low wages is flexibility. None (not one) of the staff at my kids preschool needs the job. They do it out of a love of children. The price for sending your kid to high quality part time preschool is not being open when school systems are closed so those teachers can be home with their own kids.


Plus about 8 other reasons.

Daycare? I agree with the poster who said to pick a daycare based on snow day policy.

We're talking about all-day programs, so either daycares, or a preschool with aftercare -- so it is designed to cater to working parents.

Sorry, but I am not buying that because someone works for a lower wage, they are exempt from figuring out what they need to do to get to work. And I say that as someone who has BTDT.

Are you OP? If you wanted to limit the program to certain subsets of daycares and preschools, then you should have mentioned it. A number of people have responded about part day preschool.

As for your second line, it appears that you think you should be exempt from figuring out what to do, you want your daycare staff to problem solve so you don't have to. Is that correct? Even though you signed your child up for daycare knowing their snow day policy? Why do you think that you should be exempt from something that other people aren't exempt from. Especially when the biggest employers in our region, including the feds, have exempted their staff from figuring it out all week through liberal leave policies.

Actually, I am the OP and I do not have any children in daycare. I have a nanny who we adore, and who has been at work since Tuesday. This was her own doing, despite that our agreement states she gets paid days off when OPM is closed. She has children at home, too, but has back-up care arranged. We appreciate it greatly as we have had to work all week.

I just feel bad for many of my friends who have been without child care all week. This includes some feds, who, despite the OPM closure, had to continue working from home.

Small daycares closing for over a week, when it has not snowed in about that long, has crossed into the realm of ridiculousness.

So, like OPM, you gave your nanny the opportunity to take liberal leave, and she was able to figure out childcare. That's great. Why does that make you assume that every other childcare provider is in the same situation? If back up care was so easy to find this thread wouldn't exist.

I am not sure why you feel bad for your friends, and not for daycare workers in the same situation.

My nanny could have taken off two of the days (and did take off one). I DO sympathize with daycare workers. Like I said, this situation sucks for everyone. My point is that for a business to simply close down for OVER A WEEK is ridiculous. They centers that have yet to open need to figure out a solution going forward. Perhaps they can learn from the many centers that have actually opened at some point this week.