How to deal with childminder claiming children are sick

My friend is a childminder and regularly has children sent in with coughs and colds - she would only send them home if they had sickness and diarrhoea or a raging temperature. If they’re overly sleepy or really coughing etc she will let the parent know but leaves it up to them to decide if they want to pick up early - most times they don’t. Her own school aged child was off school ill for a week recently and she told all the other parents and gave them the option to keep their kids off but they all opted to send them in.

It’s mad for her to say, your child was coughing on a Tuesday so can’t come in the rest of the week. Have you contacted her today to say they’re absolutely fine and you want to bring them in tomorrow? If she won’t have them but they’re well I think I would be pointing out that you won’t be paying for sessions they could attend but she is refusing to provide.

I think surely if one of her kids is sick and she therefore can’t work then that should count the same as her sickness, meaning you don’t pay? She is being insanely cheeky as it is! We used two different childminders when my kids were little and although we had the odd time when they’d say a kid was ill and then we’d collect them and they’d be full of beans (same as happens at nursery and even at school), we never had anything like this. I don’t think it’s all childminders who are like this! Ours were great, and I felt much happier that the kids were with them than a large nursery.
Hopefully you find a better solution soon.

Yes but your DC isn’t sick, and they also weren’t sick when the other child threw up. Don’t pay for these days.

I think you should. Our nursery wouldn’t let kids back in for 48 hours after a temp or needing calpol, but it said this policy in the contract. She can’t just not allow them in for no documented reason and expect to get paid.

I had this with a childminder and it was a nightmare - I was a teacher so could not work from home. I was working part time, childminder 2 days a week, split between the middle and end of the week. Almost every Friday there would be a reason why she couldn’t have him - one time she had a headache! My H would have to stay home as I couldn’t and when he couldn’t one time we had to use the emergency nanny service through his work in absolute desperation the 4th week running. Needless to say notice was given and we switched to a nursery. I only used a childminder because everyone kept telling me it was better for a young one. It was so stressful. When we gave our notice she asked for a reference letter for her ofsted file - the cheek! I conveniently forgot..

I’m a childminder and I can assure you this isn’t standard practice,The only reason I can think of would be if it was her own child, in theory they would have to be isolated for 48 hours. Or perhaps the setting needed deep cleaning after a child was ill?? (Not something I’ve heard of happening though!) on top of her constantly claiming they are sick when they aren’t, it definitely doesn’t sound right.

How do you feel about the setting in general? If you think it is worth trying to resolve I would have a chat with the childminder and try to work out what’s going on. Although I think perhaps another setting might be worth thinking about in this situation (BE AWARE if you’re using funding you may not be able to clam anywhere else before January)

Ah ok, that wasn’t clear to me. Yeah that’s weird. I guess she could have given you the option if you didn’t want them to catch it.

If one of her children are ill then I can understand her not working but then you shouldn’t be charged. But no they shouldn’t stay home for half the week because another child was ill and they might catch it.
have you read her sickness policy?

I would refuse for the days she has sent your child home....cf if another child not yours was ill!!!

What are her policies? I’d call her bluff & point out that, as she isn’t providing a childminding service for several days this week, you won’t be paying her for those days this week.

I assume you wont pay her for the sick days?

What did she say when you asked what her reasoning is then?

Why on earth was she sending all the children home if one had an upset stomach? Was it her own child?

That is crazy!

The only possible reason for this I can think is that the other child had pooed/been sick everywhere and she had to close the whole setting to clear up/avoid a biohazard.

If it wasn't that, then I'd start looking for other childcare.

I fully expect to be annihilated for this but my honest answer would be to use a nursery, everyone I know who uses a childminder has had an identical experience. <waits for the flurry of angry childminders insisting THEY don’t do that …>

Many places have that for fever too, did your child have a fever?

She’s taking the piss.

Part of caring for children is judging risk. Blanket policies are poor.