Keep Your Children at Home

[kkheburn]

I have to say this. Im a preschool teacher and LOVE my job. I work with twos. It is getting to be cold season and if your child has a GREEN runny nose and GREEN goop comming out of there eyes keep them home! I try to be understanding about parents having to work and having to pay the very high rate of child care but loading your child with cold meds and sending them to preschool is not ok. You risk other children getting sick and even the teacher. No matter how much hand washing and bleach water you use we still get sick. Sorry just had to let that out

 

[J'aime Paris]

Ditto!

 

[daisyduck123]

1st grade teacher chiming in...."DITTO"!!!!

 

[mjantz]

Totally agree! I had a parent come by my room the other day & tell me her child was not going to be at school today because of a stomach bug. I told her I appreciated her telling me & a big thanks for keeping the kiddo home.
Think of it this way: The rule is 'Fever free for 24hours'. so, if you pump them full of meds & send them to school, its probably going to wear off around 11 or so. Then you get a phone call that you need to pick up your kid & he can't return tomorrow. So, you lose 1/2 a day today & you lose tomorrow as well because you can't take them back to school. So, if you had just kept them home, you might only have had to take that 1 day.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

Totally agree. I work in a special ed preschool class and our kids frequently come in with green runny noses. Preschoolers aren't very good at managing the stuff that comes out of their noses. They wipe it with their hands and on their sleeves and then it gets everywhere. If they do get a tissue, they don't know how it use it properly. They just dab at it or smear it across their faces instead of actually wiping it up. We wipe noses all the time but we can't always catch every runny nose in time.

We send home our school's health guidelines several times during the year. These are the reasons a child should stay home:

1. Green or yellow discharge from the eyes or nose.
2. A cough that is productive or is bad enough to make the child unable to function at school.
3. A sore throat.
4. A fever over 100.2. The child must be fever-free for 24 hours before returning to school.
4. Vomiting within the past 24 hours.
5. Diarrhea
6. An undiagnosed rash

I'm sure I'm missing something but those are the main points. I once had a mom call our classroom to tell us her son had thrown-up that morning and could we please keep an eye on him? I had another mom call to say her son had diarrhea and could we take him to the bathroom more frequently and make sure he eats his crackers at snacktime? Both moms were asked to come and pick their kids up right away.

 

[SLK1]

The bottom line is parents are pretty selfish. I live in an area where most moms stay home, yet have a nail appointment or a lunch appointment they can't possibly miss, so off their kids go to school! Not only do they infect other children, but think how miserable you feel when you're sick - the last place you want to be is in a classroom! Let the kid rest, take care of your children! And, don't get MY kid sick!!!

 

[nessz79]

I'm so lucky to have a MIL that helps me out when the kids are sick. I have a 5 and 4 year old and between the two of them, I could be out of work quite a bit. Being a teacher myself, it is very difficult to miss work.

Luckily, my MIL is retired and helps us 90% of the time, unless she has an appointment, etc.

It is hard to miss work, but I would do it if my kids needed to miss school! Kids first!

 

[minkydog]

I know exactly what you mean. I work in a middle school as a school nurse and I'm here to tell you, the parents don't get any smarter as the kids get bigger. I see kids every day who tell me they vomited before school, but their parents sent them anyway(yesterday it was a teachers kid ) Or they got hurt playing ball on Saturday and they send them to school on MOnday with broken bones, sprained joints, and burns which they want the nurse to look at Too bad I don't have xray vision, I could make a fortune.

I just keep telling kids to wash their hands. How do I keep from getting a cold? wash your hands. What do I do for my sore throat? gargle and wash your hands. Upset stomach? here's a cracker, now wash your hands. I have given up hope that parents will get a clue. I have actually had to threaten 3 parents with calling Children's Services because the kid was so sick at school and the parent refused to have them picked up!! Huh! Well, I know people who will pick them up for you, but you won't like it


Geez. Parents, just take care of your sick kids. Really, you had the kids, you take care of them. The teacher nor the nurse has time to play Mama to your little darling. Take care of them yourself.

 

[chloe770]

As a parent, I agree 100%! My DS missed 3 days of school and was at the doctor twice this week with a stomach bug. I very much follow the 24 hour rule. I don't want my baby to get sick anymore than I want him to get his friends sick. I understand people have to work ( Im blessed to be a SAHM) but family should always come first.

 

[WantToGoNow]

I sent my dd4 to preschool Wednesday. She was fine -- she was fine all afternoon. That evening we went to church - I left her in her class. I picked her up at 8:30 to find a FEVER - a high fever. I felt bad that I've now exposed all kinds of kids to something. Her fever went to 104.4 and she went to the ER. It's not pneumonia or strep - it's viral and she's highly contagious. She's not going to preschool this am - but she probably exposed everyone on Wednesday.

 

[jellybeans0607]

Well, this won't be a very popular answer, but...
Parents work, thats why they send their kids to daycare. Most employers will not allow multiple days off just because their child has a runny nose.
This is a hazard of daycare,it's part of life. Children get sick, more than adults. If you are a parent of a child in daycare or a daycare worker, it's just something you choose to live with.
Personally it's not something I could ever live with, so i don't work in a daycare or send my children to one. Problem solved.

 

[princessmom29]

I know exactly what you mean. I work in a middle school as a school nurse and I'm here to tell you, the parents don't get any smarter as the kids get bigger. I see kids every day who tell me they vomited before school, but their parents sent them anyway(yesterday it was a teachers kid ) Or they got hurt playing ball on Saturday and they send them to school on MOnday with broken bones, sprained joints, and burns which they want the nurse to look at Too bad I don't have xray vision, I could make a fortune.

I just keep telling kids to wash their hands. How do I keep from getting a cold? wash your hands. What do I do for my sore throat? gargle and wash your hands. Upset stomach? here's a cracker, now wash your hands. I have given up hope that parents will get a clue. I have actually had to threaten 3 parents with calling Children's Services because the kid was so sick at school and the parent refused to have them picked up!! Huh! Well, I know people who will pick them up for you, but you won't like it


Geez. Parents, just take care of your sick kids. Really, you had the kids, you take care of them. The teacher nor the nurse has time to play Mama to your little darling. Take care of them yourself.

I teach high school and get the same thing. Although with me sometimes its my honors students insiting that they absolutely cannot miss school b/c they will get behind. Last year a child came to school with a fever for 3 days the week before exams b/c she was scared to miss class.

Well, this won't be a very popular answer, but...
Parents work, thats why they send their kids to daycare. Most employers will not allow multiple days off just because their child has a runny nose.
This is a hazard of daycare,it's part of life. Children get sick, more than adults. If you are a parent of a child in daycare or a daycare worker, it's just something you choose to live with.
Personally it's not something I could ever live with, so i don't work in a daycare or send my children to one. Problem solved.

Yes, but..... as daycare parents we do make choices but we also have a responsibility to our kids and to the other children in the class. I save my sick and vacation days so that if I have a sick child i can call in. That is the responsible thing to do. Eeven if you do not have the sick days employers are required to give you the time b/c of FMLA. Once it reaches 3 consecutive days it becomes FMLA leave and employers are legally required to allow you to be off and to pay you if you have the sick days. You are allowed up to 12 weeks of FMLA leave days per year. All that is required for proof is a doctor's note.

 

[LauraP22]

I used to teach daycare for young three year olds and I can remember one mom leaving after her kid threw up on her as she was dropping him off. She was sure "he just drank his milk too fast" and she said she "needed to run home and shower before a meeting" Needless to say, my co-teacher and I wound up cleaning up vomit and the poor little guy laid there on his cot with a fever of 102 waiting for her to come back for him. Breaks my heart to see kids feeling awful and not being able to relax at home and be comfy.

 

[Iott Family]

As a mother to 4 of my own rugrats, keep your germy, contagious kids at home! Stop sending them to school, scouts, sleepovers and the like when you know they are sick. Selfish parents, self absorbed parents! Your lunch date can be rescheduled, as can any other appointment and if not then get dad to stay home for the day.

 

[rottiemom]

Parents work, thats why they send their kids to daycare. Most employers will not allow multiple days off just because their child has a runny nose. This is a hazard of daycare,it's part of life. Children get sick, more than adults. If you are a parent of a child in daycare or a daycare worker, it's just something you choose to live with.
Personally it's not something I could ever live with, so i don't work in a daycare or send my children to one. Problem solved.

Problem not exactly solved because I've also seen sick kids at the playground, at the mall, at playgroups, etc. If you're keeping your child home with no exposure to the outside world then, yeah, maybe you've cut your germ worries down a bit. But many times I've been at the playground & seen little junior coughing up phlegm on the swings or wiping their noses on their hands...and then the slides.

Yes, but..... as daycare parents we do make choices but we also have a responsibility to our kids and to the other children in the class. I save my sick and vacation days so that if I have a sick child i can call in. That is the responsible thing to do.

On the nose! I don't "choose" to work (OK, maybe I do because I "choose" to be able to afford food ). But I do choose to save my sick and vacation time in the event that my son gets sick & needs to be kept home. And my husband does the same. It's always been that way. I don't want my son making anyone else sick...and I also don't want the poor little guy being at school if he's not feeling well.

Chances are, though, that the people reading & responding to this thread aren't the same people that are dropping their sick kids off at school .

 

[jellybeans0607]

Problem not exactly solved because I've also seen sick kids at the playground, at the mall, at playgroups, etc. If you're keeping your child home with no exposure to the outside world then, yeah, maybe you've cut your germ worries down a bit. But many times I've been at the playground & seen little junior coughing up phlegm on the swings or wiping their noses on their hands...and then the slides.


.

I didn't say there weren't sick kids at those places. If we go to them, it's our choice. i certainly don't complain about it if I choose to use those services.

 

[mjantz]

I sent my dd4 to preschool Wednesday. She was fine -- she was fine all afternoon. That evening we went to church - I left her in her class. I picked her up at 8:30 to find a FEVER - a high fever. I felt bad that I've now exposed all kinds of kids to something. Her fever went to 104.4 and she went to the ER. It's not pneumonia or strep - it's viral and she's highly contagious. She's not going to preschool this am - but she probably exposed everyone on Wednesday.

I wouldn't worry too much. These things happen. I had a bug run rampant through my classroom a few years ago & these kids would be dropped off fine & around 11am just crash with a fever of 102 to 103. My own kid did the same thing as a toddler.

And, AFA the argument that parents have to work, that's why they send their kids to daycare sick, well, daycare workers have to work too. And my job is structured so that if I don't work, I don't get paid (no sick days). So if I miss 2-3 days of school because my kids sick or I'm sick, that's a chunk of paycheck I don't get.

 

[Crystal824]

[QUOTE

Yes, but..... as daycare parents we do make choices but we also have a responsibility to our kids and to the other children in the class. I save my sick and vacation days so that if I have a sick child i can call in. That is the responsible thing to do. Eeven if you do not have the sick days employers are required to give you the time b/c of FMLA. Once it reaches 3 consecutive days it becomes FMLA leave and employers are legally required to allow you to be off and to pay you if you have the sick days. You are allowed up to 12 weeks of FMLA leave days per year. All that is required for proof is a doctor's note.[/QUOTE]

FMLA only applies to work places that are over a certain size. Further, you don't have to be paid for those days. I don't think sick children should be brought to daycare, but unfortuantely you do have some parents living paycheck to paycheck that can't afford to miss work. Hopefully, these people have somewhere to take their kids family member, etc. so they can still go to work, but that is not always the case. With that said, I don't have children yet and am fortunate enough to have a job with over three weeks paid combined vacation/sick time so I will probably be ok once I do have kids. I recognize that I am very fortunate and there are others who are not in that position.

 

[Crystal824]

my last post should be sick children should not be brought to day care...just read it again after posting. sorry.

 

[princessmom29]

[QUOTE

Yes, but..... as daycare parents we do make choices but we also have a responsibility to our kids and to the other children in the class. I save my sick and vacation days so that if I have a sick child i can call in. That is the responsible thing to do. Eeven if you do not have the sick days employers are required to give you the time b/c of FMLA. Once it reaches 3 consecutive days it becomes FMLA leave and employers are legally required to allow you to be off and to pay you if you have the sick days. You are allowed up to 12 weeks of FMLA leave days per year. All that is required for proof is a doctor's note.

FMLA only applies to work places that are over a certain size. Further, you don't have to be paid for those days. I don't think sick children should be brought to daycare, but unfortuantely you do have some parents living paycheck to paycheck that can't afford to miss work. Hopefully, these people have somewhere to take their kids family member, etc. so they can still go to work, but that is not always the case. With that said, I don't have children yet and am fortunate enough to have a job with over three weeks paid combined vacation/sick time so I will probably be ok once I do have kids. I recognize that I am very fortunate and there are others who are not in that position.[/QUOTE]

They are required to pay you IF YOU HAVE SICK DAYS not if you are out of sick days are you company does not provide them.