Daycares taking advantage of COVID

Anonymous
Our daycare has not quite returned to the hours it had before the pandemic, but close. Maybe a half hour shorter on either end. Judging by my kids' classes and the sign-in sheets, there doesn't seem to be demand for longer hours than that.

They're still using the pandemic as an excuse to not return to serving a hot lunch however. Not something I'd leave over but if I were a prospective new parent it might be enough to send me elsewhere. I can't even tell what the issue is exactly, we've encouraged the director to poll the parents over whether they'd be willing to pay more.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:Our daycare has not quite returned to the hours it had before the pandemic, but close. Maybe a half hour shorter on either end. Judging by my kids' classes and the sign-in sheets, there doesn't seem to be demand for longer hours than that.

They're still using the pandemic as an excuse to not return to serving a hot lunch however. Not something I'd leave over but if I were a prospective new parent it might be enough to send me elsewhere. I can't even tell what the issue is exactly, we've encouraged the director to poll the parents over whether they'd be willing to pay more.


That makes no sense and would really piss me off. How does serving a hot lunch effect risk of Covid at all?
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Our daycare has not quite returned to the hours it had before the pandemic, but close. Maybe a half hour shorter on either end. Judging by my kids' classes and the sign-in sheets, there doesn't seem to be demand for longer hours than that.

They're still using the pandemic as an excuse to not return to serving a hot lunch however. Not something I'd leave over but if I were a prospective new parent it might be enough to send me elsewhere. I can't even tell what the issue is exactly, we've encouraged the director to poll the parents over whether they'd be willing to pay more.


That makes no sense and would really piss me off. How does serving a hot lunch effect risk of Covid at all?


Yeah it’s definitely being used as an excuse more than anything else. From comments I get the sense they find it easier for parents to send food (the lunches were previously brought in by a caterer but still involves some legwork to get them distributed/on the table). Plus the pandemic has been hard for the financially. They’re not really admitting that this is a deciding factor but it is why we are trying to get them to see if parents would pay more.
Anonymous
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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.


Yes, they do. They are YOUR children. You need multiple backup plans. “I had no choice to send my sick kid to school/daycare” is a lazy, pathetic copout.


"Multiple" backup plans? During a pandemic? Sure. Even if we lived near family, it would be the height of irresponsibility to send a potentially sick child to grandparents for the day. There needs to be more sick leave available to parents with these policies.


Right. There is no back up care for sick kids. Parents provide that care. Nobody wants your kids germs! That’s why you have generous sick leave policies or one parent stays home.

We’re headed into a big backlash over the professional gains of women. There’s going to be more pressure in favor of staying home in the next decade.
Anonymous
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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.


Yes, they do. They are YOUR children. You need multiple backup plans. “I had no choice to send my sick kid to school/daycare” is a lazy, pathetic copout.


"Multiple" backup plans? During a pandemic? Sure. Even if we lived near family, it would be the height of irresponsibility to send a potentially sick child to grandparents for the day. There needs to be more sick leave available to parents with these policies.


Right. There is no back up care for sick kids. Parents provide that care. Nobody wants your kids germs! That’s why you have generous sick leave policies or one parent stays home.

We’re headed into a big backlash over the professional gains of women. There’s going to be more pressure in favor of staying home in the next decade.


There should be more generous and flexible sick leave policies, but there's also some nuance missing from this discussion. There is a football field worth of difference between sending a child who is running around happily, but happens to have a slight runny nose or lingering light cough from a cold, and sending a lethargic, feverish kid in the throes of a bad virus.

And finally, dads should be willing to take the sick day and watch the kid as often as moms, if not more. My DH took the bulk of the sick days the first year our DD was in daycare (so, a lot of illnesses) so that I could rebuild my career after returning to work.
Anonymous
Well the reason why you see lethargic and feverish kids in daycare is because of a lack of paid leave OR unrealistic corporate expectations. The vast majority of parents aren’t sending kids in that way for fun.
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.


Yes, they do. They are YOUR children. You need multiple backup plans. “I had no choice to send my sick kid to school/daycare” is a lazy, pathetic copout.


"Multiple" backup plans? During a pandemic? Sure. Even if we lived near family, it would be the height of irresponsibility to send a potentially sick child to grandparents for the day. There needs to be more sick leave available to parents with these policies.


Right. There is no back up care for sick kids. Parents provide that care. Nobody wants your kids germs! That’s why you have generous sick leave policies or one parent stays home.

We’re headed into a big backlash over the professional gains of women. There’s going to be more pressure in favor of staying home in the next decade.


Most U.S. workers do not have generous sick leave policies, and even the "generous" sick leave policies were established in a time when we weren't quarantining healthy kids for 5-14 days for simply having been EXPOSED to a virus.

But keeping telling parents that one should be staying home, just don't be surprised when the services you are used to depending on no longer have enough workers to function.
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.


Yes, they do. They are YOUR children. You need multiple backup plans. “I had no choice to send my sick kid to school/daycare” is a lazy, pathetic copout.


"Multiple" backup plans? During a pandemic? Sure. Even if we lived near family, it would be the height of irresponsibility to send a potentially sick child to grandparents for the day. There needs to be more sick leave available to parents with these policies.


Right. There is no back up care for sick kids. Parents provide that care. Nobody wants your kids germs! That’s why you have generous sick leave policies or one parent stays home.

We’re headed into a big backlash over the professional gains of women. There’s going to be more pressure in favor of staying home in the next decade.


Most U.S. workers do not have generous sick leave policies, and even the "generous" sick leave policies were established in a time when we weren't quarantining healthy kids for 5-14 days for simply having been EXPOSED to a virus.

But keeping telling parents that one should be staying home, just don't be surprised when the services you are used to depending on no longer have enough workers to function.


No other part of the country has policies like the DC area. I can only imagine. I’m well aware we lack adequate paid sick leave.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:Well the reason why you see lethargic and feverish kids in daycare is because of a lack of paid leave OR unrealistic corporate expectations. The vast majority of parents aren’t sending kids in that way for fun.

PP: totally agree; I'm just addressing the breathless "how dare you send a kid with ANY symptoms!" crowd.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Well the reason why you see lethargic and feverish kids in daycare is because of a lack of paid leave OR unrealistic corporate expectations. The vast majority of parents aren’t sending kids in that way for fun.

PP: totally agree; I'm just addressing the breathless "how dare you send a kid with ANY symptoms!" crowd.


Oh yeah that’s unrealistic. Because I spend too much time on here, I can remember a 20+ page thread about whether ES children with cold symptoms should attend school. It wa extremely vicious. Right before the pandemic too. Irony.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:It’s probably a staffing issue. Keep sick kids home.


A staffing issue for 2+ years? When they are fully staffed (said by them). Do you have a toddler? A toddler with a runny nose isn't sick. That's just their baseline. Daycares know this and it's never been a problem before (this is my third kid in this daycare). All the parents are annoyed. If toddlers stayed home for a runny nose there would be nobody in the class.


Yes. Where have you been? Unemployment is at record lows. Low paying jobs with no/crappy benefits aren’t keeping staff.


Yes, there are staffing issues for 2+ years in child care.

The child care field is in crisis, so many workers have left, they can do target or doordash and make similar money. Or be a para at the schools and get health benefits. Many centers don’t have all their classrooms open because they don’t have the staff to work in them. Dozens of local programs have closed permanently.
Anonymous
I'm a full time employee at a hospital in Massachusetts. A single mother who my son goes to daycare 5 days a week. It is now December 2022 COVID is over!!! Daycares should not be closing every day of the year. My paid time has gone completely down the drain from calling out of work for non sense. We are paying for child care because parents are reliant on these daycares to take care of our children while we are at work. On top of that we have to pay the daycare regardless if they take days off and or if our child is not attending that day. This is completely unfair to parents who are trying to attend work to make a living, meanwhile these daycares are collecting their paychecks every week while they are home having days off. Also having to find someone to watch your child while daycare is closed and also paying that person for the day. The economy is not right for this to be happening. Families cannot afford to be paying for daycare and a backup person. THIS NEEDS TO STOP!!!! It is imperative that changes need to be made about these strict policies that these daycares have. Daycares are clearly taking advantage of families during these past three years.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:I'm a full time employee at a hospital in Massachusetts. A single mother who my son goes to daycare 5 days a week. It is now December 2022 COVID is over!!! Daycares should not be closing every day of the year. My paid time has gone completely down the drain from calling out of work for non sense. We are paying for child care because parents are reliant on these daycares to take care of our children while we are at work. On top of that we have to pay the daycare regardless if they take days off and or if our child is not attending that day. This is completely unfair to parents who are trying to attend work to make a living, meanwhile these daycares are collecting their paychecks every week while they are home having days off. Also having to find someone to watch your child while daycare is closed and also paying that person for the day. The economy is not right for this to be happening. Families cannot afford to be paying for daycare and a backup person. THIS NEEDS TO STOP!!!! It is imperative that changes need to be made about these strict policies that these daycares have. Daycares are clearly taking advantage of families during these past three years.


What daycares are closing for covid anymore? Even Montgomery County stopped doing that months ago.

You need to switch providers.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I'm a full time employee at a hospital in Massachusetts. A single mother who my son goes to daycare 5 days a week. It is now December 2022 COVID is over!!! Daycares should not be closing every day of the year. My paid time has gone completely down the drain from calling out of work for non sense. We are paying for child care because parents are reliant on these daycares to take care of our children while we are at work. On top of that we have to pay the daycare regardless if they take days off and or if our child is not attending that day. This is completely unfair to parents who are trying to attend work to make a living, meanwhile these daycares are collecting their paychecks every week while they are home having days off. Also having to find someone to watch your child while daycare is closed and also paying that person for the day. The economy is not right for this to be happening. Families cannot afford to be paying for daycare and a backup person. THIS NEEDS TO STOP!!!! It is imperative that changes need to be made about these strict policies that these daycares have. Daycares are clearly taking advantage of families during these past three years.


What daycares are closing for covid anymore? Even Montgomery County stopped doing that months ago.

You need to switch providers.


+1

You are in Massachusetts and your health department and daycare licensing may have completely different rules than down here. Montgomery county was one of the strictest in terms of Covid closures. Technically, daycares are still supposed to report any Covid illnesses to the health department, and the health department may advise daycare classrooms to shut down, or entire schools to shut down, but I think this has gone by the wayside. If your state and local jurisdiction has dropped Covid mandated closures but your daycare is keeping them then you should be looking for a different daycare.

I understand your struggles, but daycares weren’t taking advantage. They still had to charge because they still had to maintain their spaces and pay their employees. Otherwise they would have to shut down and let people go and you would be out of a daycare permanently. Believe me when I say that nobody working in Daycare, whether owners, directors, or employees are living high on the hog.





Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I'm a full time employee at a hospital in Massachusetts. A single mother who my son goes to daycare 5 days a week. It is now December 2022 COVID is over!!! Daycares should not be closing every day of the year. My paid time has gone completely down the drain from calling out of work for non sense. We are paying for child care because parents are reliant on these daycares to take care of our children while we are at work. On top of that we have to pay the daycare regardless if they take days off and or if our child is not attending that day. This is completely unfair to parents who are trying to attend work to make a living, meanwhile these daycares are collecting their paychecks every week while they are home having days off. Also having to find someone to watch your child while daycare is closed and also paying that person for the day. The economy is not right for this to be happening. Families cannot afford to be paying for daycare and a backup person. THIS NEEDS TO STOP!!!! It is imperative that changes need to be made about these strict policies that these daycares have. Daycares are clearly taking advantage of families during these past three years.


What daycares are closing for covid anymore? Even Montgomery County stopped doing that months ago.

You need to switch providers.


+1

You are in Massachusetts and your health department and daycare licensing may have completely different rules than down here. Montgomery county was one of the strictest in terms of Covid closures. Technically, daycares are still supposed to report any Covid illnesses to the health department, and the health department may advise daycare classrooms to shut down, or entire schools to shut down, but I think this has gone by the wayside. If your state and local jurisdiction has dropped Covid mandated closures but your daycare is keeping them then you should be looking for a different daycare.

I understand your struggles, but daycares weren’t taking advantage. They still had to charge because they still had to maintain their spaces and pay their employees. Otherwise they would have to shut down and let people go and you would be out of a daycare permanently. Believe me when I say that nobody working in Daycare, whether owners, directors, or employees are living high on the hog.


MoCo DHHS never ordered child care providers or preschools to close. Once MSDE allowed them to reopen a couple months into the pandemic, all subsequent closures were entirely at the discretion of the provider.
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