Playgroup mother is being ridiculous!

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Forum -> Working Women -> Work at Home Mothers

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amother

Fri, Sep 30 2022, 10:57 am

I run a small playgroup from home (6 kids plus my baby)
My baby came out with hand foot and mouth virus and so did another couple of children all at the same time. Then some more caught it afterwards as its very contagious. I kept playgroup open as I didn't know what it was until it was too late. The Dr that I saw said it was an allergy rash on Sunday morning . One of the parents found out on Tuesday that my baby had it and it was going around. They chose not to send their child into playgroup, and now they don't want to pay me for the days that he missed. It was their choice not to send (he came out with it anyway) do they still need to pay for missed days of their choice?

I asked this to shaile text, just wondering what your thoughts are on this.
I work from home with my baby. I can't shut down every time he's unwell. At first I thought it was a teething rash because he was cutting a tooth at the same time.

And the week before that she sent her son in when he was clearly unwell with a cold etc but she said she can't keep him off all winter when he gets every little cold. So she kept him here miserable for me. Granted she did allow me to let him sleep because she didn't want to fetch him early!

She's now blaming me that she's had her kids home unwell with it. He ended up get 4th virus anyway even after she took him off playgroup. These things happen! I didn't want my baby to get it and the kid who got it first came out with it a day before my baby on shabbos, and she seemed fine on Friday before that so her mother wasn't to know. I'm not angry at her for sending her daughter in, and giving it to my baby and everyone else.

amother

Gardenia

Fri, Sep 30 2022, 10:59 am

Probably best to set a clear policy across the board in advance.

good luck

amother

Hunter

Fri, Sep 30 2022, 11:01 am

If you chanrge a monthly fee, it's the same fee regardless if the child was missing, as long as you were open. The only time I wouldn't chanrge, is if you choose to close like for mid winter break.

amother

Fri, Sep 30 2022, 11:02 am

amother Gardenia wrote:

Probably best to set a clear policy across the board in advance.

good luck

Like what?
If a child misses because he's unwell they still have to pay for him.
I take off money for every little half term and holiday. I even refunded everyone who paid in advance for the day that we were closed for the Queen's funeral!
I'm fair, I expect them to be fair back.

Isn't it obvious that if you send your child out that they might catch something like chicken pox etc from other kids?

amother

Fri, Sep 30 2022, 11:04 am

amother Hunter wrote:

If you chanrge a monthly fee, it's the same fee regardless if the child was missing, as long as you were open. The only time I wouldn't chanrge, is if you choose to close like for mid winter break.

Some parents pay weekly.
They were supposed to pay me in advance but they were late paying me.
They split up the amount into 2 and now they're not paying the balance if I don't take off the missed days. She said she'll wait to see what shaile text comes back with.

amother

Honeydew

Fri, Sep 30 2022, 11:04 am

amother Hunter wrote:

If you chanrge a monthly fee, it's the same fee regardless if the child was missing, as long as you were open. The only time I wouldn't chanrge, is if you choose to close like for mid winter break.

Every playgroup I know charges for midwinter break. They charge a yearly fee divided over 10 months, and you pay the same amount every month no matter how many vacation days are in that month. But this is usually clear from the outset.

amother

Fri, Sep 30 2022, 11:05 am

amother Honeydew wrote:

Not here in the UK. I wish!
I'm a private playgroup. No contacts etc

amother

Hunter

Fri, Sep 30 2022, 11:06 am

amother Honeydew wrote:

I never paid for winter break. That month is cheaper tuition. We pay every first of the month. I've sent to several different playgroups over the years.
Schools charge a yearly fee, playgroups a monthly fee. Maybe it's different where you live.

tichellady

Fri, Sep 30 2022, 11:06 am

I agree with you. but you need to have a clear policy on writing going forward

amother

Almond

Fri, Sep 30 2022, 11:06 am

I wouldn't send my kid or expect to pay if the morah allows a sick kid to come. Even if that kid is your own, unless he's being kept separate from the others.

amother

Tangerine

Fri, Sep 30 2022, 11:06 am

Are you paid by the day/hour or by the week/month?

You absolutely need to have a policy every time your child is unwell!

You cannot expect other parents to willingly expose their child to yours!!!

I can't believe I'm even reading this!! But I shouldn't be surprised.

When my child's babysitters daughter caught hand foot and mouth, she sent everyone to a backup babysitter for at least a week! Even when it was past contagion and her kid was still exhibiting symptoms. If I recall correctly, another child of hers caught it, maybe that why it was more than a week.
Yes, she lost money. But who would willingly and KNOWINGLY expose children to sickness.
Yes, you shut down every time your baby is unwell, but you dont leave the parents hanging and make sure you have a backup.

This is part of doing business, being responsible and doing your due diligence.

amother

Tangerine

Fri, Sep 30 2022, 11:08 am

amother Hunter wrote:

If you chanrge a monthly fee, it's the same fee regardless if the child was missing, as long as you were open. The only time I wouldn't chanrge, is if you choose to close like for mid winter break.

She shouldn't have been open if her child had hand foot and mouth disease!! Unless she sent her child out elsewhere.

amother

Fri, Sep 30 2022, 11:08 am

amother Almond wrote:

I wouldn't send my kid or expect to pay if the morah allows a sick kid to come. Even if that kid is your own, unless he's being kept separate from the others.

But he's home with me and I obviously can't send him to a babysitter when he's sick. And again, I thought he had an allergy rash /teething etc. I can't keep him away from the other kids he's crawling and everywhere with them.

I stayed open when I heard what it was from another mother (confirmed it but I thought it's likely hand foot and mouth) because so many of the kids had already caught it at the same time as my baby.

watergirl

Fri, Sep 30 2022, 11:08 am

amother OP wrote:

Discuss a set of reasonable symptoms with your own pediatritian for what you will require a child stay home with. I've had daycares allow clear nose-drip to come to school, but green, yellow, opaque, etc. has to stay home unless their own pediatrician sends a note explaining this is allergies, etc. Symptoms like fever above 100.3 means they go home and can not come back until they are fever free for 24 hours without meds.

Whatever you come up with for the kids you charge for - you also have to maintain for your own child who is in the house when daycare is open. As you can not shut down when your child is ill, it means you have to hire someone to be with your child and keep him away from the group when he is sick. So just like a daycare parent has to keep their sick kid out of daycare, so do you. The mom has to lose a day of pay or take PTO, you also have to "lose a day of pay" in terms of you hiring someone to sit in another area with your child, or send him to someone like a parent or whatever if you have.

amother

Tangerine

Fri, Sep 30 2022, 11:10 am

amother OP wrote:

They might, Unknowlingly. But knowingly?! If a Child has chicken pox, they should absolutely NOT knowingly come to playgroup.
If the morahs child has chicken pox, she should absolutely NOT knowlingly expose the other children. She should make other arrangements to make sure the childcare is covered, either for her child or for the rest of the children in her care.

amother

Hunter

Fri, Sep 30 2022, 11:12 am

amother Tangerine wrote:

She shouldn't have been open if her child had hand foot and mouth disease!! Unless she sent her child out elsewhere.

She didn't know. By the time she realized, other kids had caught it already. That's how it goes in playgroups. By the time an illness is caught, other kids have caught it already. They're contagious before symptoms come out.

watergirl

Fri, Sep 30 2022, 11:13 am

amother OP wrote:

You have to find a way to isolate the sick child from the other children, however this needs to happen. This is one of the major reasons I avoided sending my children to any kind of daycare that is a)un-licensed and b) where there is only one morah and c) the only morah has her own kid in the home while daycare is open.

I know it's hard but you have an obligation to your child and to the other kids and parents when you decided to do this for parnassa and keep your own kid at home.

amother

Tangerine

Fri, Sep 30 2022, 11:13 am

amother OP wrote:

If you have a home business, you have to think about this in advance.
What will you do if your own child is sick?

The answer is not to expose the other children to your sick child, the answer is to have backup arrangements for this scenario.

English3

Fri, Sep 30 2022, 11:16 am

I live in London and I always paid holiday pay, including summer holidays in a private playgroup not ofsted. If you started at the beginning of the year you had to pay the whole month of Tishrei. In every institution there will always be parents that will try their luck in not paying. You need to be confident and firm, and get your money. There is no reason you dont charge on half terms.

amother

Tangerine

Fri, Sep 30 2022, 11:16 am

amother Hunter wrote:

When rsv was going around, I had to keep my child home for a week, even though 75% of the playgroup class has it. The morah was Insistent. He caught it at playgroup, and I had to keep him home anyways.
That's how it goes.
You don't KNOWINGLY expose children to disease.
Unknowingly? If they are contagious before symptoms? Yes

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