Ice!!! Have I done the right thing?

[LisaMcNally09]

Well I had a phone call from mindee N's grandad. N's mum has fallen on black ice this morning and broken her leg....N was then brought round my Grandma and said it was horrnedous out there.

Today I was due to take my dd and ds to school (walking as i dont drive) which is 20 mins walk away and then pick up mindee E on my way back....a further 10 min walk away from my house.

Me, mindee N, dd and ds attempted to walk to school...i got a quarter of the way down the street and we couldnt walk for slipping. All black ice. So i made the decision to keep dd and ds off of school as i couldnt guarantee getting there and back in one piece!!

I have also text E's mum to say i am happy to have him but cant pick him up or drop him off due to safety reasons. (picking up and collecting isnt in the contract). She doesnt work i just have E for a break a couple of times a week.

Now im questionning whether ive done the right thing??? Should i have picked him up??

[miffy]

No!

If it's anything like it is here on the pavements this morning then it isn't safe to be out. We have sheet ice with drizzle falling on to it and it's lethal underfoot.

I'm lucky the school decided to close before I had to make the decision but I wasn't going to do the school run this morning.

You have to assess the risk to everyone, including yourself - and remember, if you break your leg you can't work and you won't get paid either.

Miffy xx

[helenlc]

NO, you shouldnt have picked up.

I am in exactly the same position as you and I dont have mindee today. It had snowed about 3 inches last night and was still snowing when I woke up at 7am this morning. At half 7 I text Ts mum and said I wasnt taking my DD to school (I pick T up on the way to DDs school in the car), and that I was more than happy to have T today but she would have to get her to me and pick her up. She said she will keep her at home.

It is not in my contracts either to do this - I pick up as their house is on the way to my DDs school. I said I would drop off while its winter and cold. I do it as a favour and do not get paid any extra for it.

I do feel guilty about not having LO but thats cos I am a nice person:blush:. I also feel guilty about being paid for it (she paid me for the week last night) BUT I offered to have LO, I am available, but Mum would have to get her to me. I am not risking mine and my own children's safety not that of the mindee. I try to avoid using the car as much as possible in these conditions - my son has a hospital appt that we have to go by train to and we are walking to the train station.

You did the right thing!:thumbsup:

[Goatgirl]

Hi Lisa :)
I'd have done the same in your position: actually probably not have got as far toward school before I turned round :rolleyes:
I slipped on black ice years ago, landed on my bum and was in agony for a month: suspected fractured coxyx (sp?!). I'm not too bad with generally slippery conditions, compacted snow etc, but black ice freaks me out - you just go down so fast.

keep taking care of yourself :thumbsup:

bws,
Wendy

[TheBTeam]

YES YOU HAVE DONE THE RIGHT THING!

[Lou]

You have done exactly the right thing!!!!

Why would you risk everyones safety???

Dont worry about it any longer!!!!!!

[Pipsqueak]

I have cancelled going down to collect my LO today - there is no way that I am driving - the roads and paths are sheets of ice and there is no way on this earth that I am risking myself or others.
Walking to school took forever this morning - the kids were hitting the deck more than they were upright

[Curly Quavers]

Well I had a phone call from mindee N's grandad. N's mum has fallen on black ice this morning and broken her leg....N was then brought round my Grandma and said it was horrnedous out there.

Today I was due to take my dd and ds to school (walking as i dont drive) which is 20 mins walk away and then pick up mindee E on my way back....a further 10 min walk away from my house.

Me, mindee N, dd and ds attempted to walk to school...i got a quarter of the way down the street and we couldnt walk for slipping. All black ice. So i made the decision to keep dd and ds off of school as i couldnt guarantee getting there and back in one piece!!

I have also text E's mum to say i am happy to have him but cant pick him up or drop him off due to safety reasons. (picking up and collecting isnt in the contract). She doesnt work i just have E for a break a couple of times a week.

Now im questionning whether ive done the right thing??? Should i have picked him up??

No I think you have dont the right thing 100%

[twiggy]

I was in the same situation last week. The school was shut Wednesday but when it opened the next day I refused to send my daughter as I have to walk and the pavements were really dangerous. I phoned the parents of the mindee I take to and collect from school and explained it was just to dangerous to walk my younger mindees and if I injured myself I do not get sick pay. They were very understanding and I did not charge them as it was my decision. I have done a bad weather policy which states I will take children to school once the pavements are better later in the day but they are frozen all day at the moment.

[Mouse]

We had very bad ice here on Friday. Mum dropped one of mindees at school & the other at nursery and i was due to collect them at 11.30 (nursery) and 3.20 (school).

I told mum that if it was very bad I wouldn't be able to get there & back with the double pushchair, but we agreed that if necessary my 19 year old son would go & get them. He's not registered as an assistant (but is CRB checked), but the mum knows him well & was more than happy for this. I got her to sign a permission form to say he could do it & if anything had been said I would have argued with Ofsted that it was an emergency. Luckily I managed to get out to do both the pick ups, but I do think we, parents & Ofsted have to accept that things are going to run differently during such bad weather. I would never normally send my son to do the pick up, but these are pretty extreme circumstances. We really need to do what we can to safeguard ourselves as well as the children.

[mumx3]

You did exactly the right thing.

I make all drop offs and collections voluntary on my part and not part of the contract...for situations like this.

I have one child 2 mornings a week, mum doesnt work she just needs a break and I offered to pick up and drop off as mum doesnt drive...however in the snow or for any reason I am unable to do so, she has to do the dropping off and picking up or choose not to use my service and as I am available I still charge.

Keeping the little ones safe is the most important thing!

[lou lou]

i think you did the right thing my playschool was open today but i decided not to do the run as i think it was just to dangerous with pushing a double buggy and a 3 year old walking i did a risk assesment and decided we would not do the school run

[Bananabrain]

I think we are all in the same boat right now. I've had one parent not seeming to be able to grasp why I can't do the school run with two babies!!!
We opened our childminding group this morning only to find that schools that were open..........................were now closed!
Alot of very stressed and tired childminders!
On the plus side, nice to see people pulling together {well some}:laughing:
I have said the same to my awkward parent..............I have done a letter for him and if need be my hubby can do school pickup.
I have got to the point where Offie can kiss my ........
I am a childminder! I am not superhuman!

[Bananabrain]

Things were so bad this morning that I heard parents were offering to go in and make sandwiches!
School opened...........................then it closed. There wasn't enough staff and none of the dinner ladies showed up!:ROFL1: :ROFL1: :ROFL1:

[newandlearning]

I agree with everyone else.. I find sometimes is easy to feel guilty but at the end of the day if its hazardous for you to pick up its probably also hazardous to take the child to yours and then back again... and I find it taxing enough taking everyone out even on the fluffy snow...:blush:

This weather is pretty extraordinary and I'm sure most parents realise we need to still charge.. and most are more than happy to pay xxxx

[twiggy]

I had one dad who could not understand why I refused to do the school run as the roads were all clear. Had to explain that the footpaths were not clear and I was unable to walk in the road with the children and double pushchair.