Child sickness.

[Happiness]

Hi every1.

Probably this question has been asked before but i can't find any posts in relation to it so here it is. What do you lovely people do when your own children get sick?
My daughter is 20 months old and so far she has been ill only once ( she is a good monkey
Chicken pox is doing the rounds and she has been in contact with children who have it at the moment. I have been only childminding for a few months (started in October). It didn't even cross my mind to have a policy for it when i became self employed.
Do i need to close the setting if she gets ill? Stay open but keep her away from other children to avoid the spreading? Have a separate policy for it? Charge the parents even if i decide to close? All these questions. Any advice will be much appreciated. TIA. X

[MessybutHappy]

Your business, your rules, but I would close and not charge until I'm open again. I charge if I'm open, but if I'm not, I would close if my child had an illness that if a mindee had I would exclude them, so sickness / upset tummy / chicken pox...
HTH

[Mouse]

You really need the same sickness policy for your daughter as you do for yourself and your minded children. If she is ill with something that you would exclude a minded child for, then you should close. Whether or not you charge for the time depends on what's written in your contracts, but personally I don't charge if I'm not open for business, so wouldn't charge if I was closed due to my child being ill.

[bunyip]

The EYFS covers this within 3.42: "The provider must..... take necessary steps to prevent the spread of infection, and take appropriate action if children are ill."

Ofsted and other interested authorities (mainly HPA and EHO) will expect you to take the line of minimal risk of cross-infection.

Parents will, quite reasonably, expect you to be at least as strict on yourself as you are on them. If it's OK for your DD to be there ill, then you will have the mother of all battles persuading parents their children have to be excluded whenever the need arises.

I wouldn't charge. No better way to naff off a client than charging them for a service you're not providing. This is something all small businesses have to live with, and needs to be a consideration when we set our fees.

[tulip0803]

Agree with the others you Must follow the HPA guidelines for all sickness (your own child/mindees). For chickenpox this is at least 5 days from the spots appearing and until they are all crusted over. At 20 months your daughter cannot be expected to stay away from other children and will need her Mummy if she is feeling poorly.

You need to follow your contract but I do not charge when I am not open for business, parents will not be happy if I charged them for my/my children's illnesses. I charge them if I am open and their child is ill

[tess1981]

when chicken pox did the rounds in my setting all the parents wanted their child to get them so it would be over and done with. since they ALL agreed i did not close i just said if the child became really unwell i would send home. most of them only had spots and no other complaints... one wee boy had to home as he was crying a lot with them and started a temp. i had no bother with the rest and they all got it 2 weeks apart.
would not do this for v&d mind you lol

[AliceK]

when chicken pox did the rounds in my setting all the parents wanted their child to get them so it would be over and done with. since they ALL agreed i did not close i just said if the child became really unwell i would send home. most of them only had spots and no other complaints... one wee boy had to home as he was crying a lot with them and started a temp. i had no bother with the rest and they all got it 2 weeks apart.
would not do this for v&d mind you lol

Did you not go out for those days then?

xx

[tess1981]

I have an area out the back fir outdoor play so they played outside still but I don't go out in the car too much when I have 3 or more children every thing so for away im out in the country

[Kerry30]

My dd had chicken pox when she started in reception, I told all my parents and gave them the option. My dd wasnt ill with it, just completely covered in spots. Bear in mind all the mindees I had at the time were in contact with her during the incubation period. I only had one parent who decided not to send mindee and he went down with a week later anyway.
In fact a few days b4 my dd came out in spots a friend came round with her dd for a few hours and her dd came out with it 2 weeks later.
At the time the teacher told me she went from 20 children in the class to 6 children for a week.....all had the chicken pox!!!