AIBU to be mega pissed off with DS nursery???

[user1468829213]

Opinions please...my 13 month old has been absolutely fine this week apart from teething so a bit more clingy than usual. No raised temperature or illness. He went to nursery as usual Wednesday & was absolutely fine when I dropped him off, nursery updated the app to say he’s fine eating normally etc. Then at about 2 they call to say he woke up from his nap hot so they did his temp & 39.5 so we need to collect him as so high but till we get there they gave him some calpol. DH went to collect him 30 mins later & he said he seemed fine, got him home did temp & 36, put him down for a nap & temp still 36 when he wakes up & happily eating Easter egg on sofa!
Nursery told my DH because of his temp he needs a negative covid test before coming back...bit extreme I think with his temp rise seemingly lasting less than an hour but fair enough rules are rules. Do him a lateral flow test as we have these in the house & negative...send this off to nursery to which I get a message saying it needs to be a PCR test.
At this I ring the nursery to tell them DS is absolutely fine & I’m not putting him through another PCR test unnecessarily. Their response was if he doesn’t have a test he will need to isolate for 10 day’s as he has ‘covid symptoms’. I tell her surely a fluke temp rise of less than an hour isn’t covid & definitely teething especially as it went down straight after having calpol. She sees my point so rings the director but she again won’t back down & says it’s ‘government guidelines’ & he can’t come back without having a negative PCR test.
Since I was backed into a corner we took him for the test yesterday morning even though yet again he has been ABSOLUTELY FINE & I have myself seen no evidence of a high temperature or illness & are taking their word for it he had a temp of 39.5.
The thing that really makes me angry is their ‘Covid terms & conditions’ means we still have to pay them for his sessions thurs & today un till we get the negative result back...husband works in professional cricket & has had to miss the first game of the season too so not good.
AIBU to be mega pissed at nursery, It all seems so unfair for such a sudden rise & fall in temperature that I never saw evidence of myself??

I think the communication on Lateral Flow Tests has been appalling - loads parents at ds's school have been wrongly using them regularly on the children, and loads have been using them on symptomatic children...it's a real lesson in the importance of clear public health messaging!

I’m sorry but I think you’re being unreasonable. Nurseries need to have rules and stick to them. They can’t weigh the individual pros and cons of every possible scenario. It would be fair to the staff to make that decision. And yes you have to pay whilst waiting for the test, as you would if child off sick. It sucks but the nursery still has to pay the staff and all the overheads minus possibly the child’s meals

Ridiculous to complain about this, you have covid symptoms you get a PCR test, it's been a year - how have people not got it by now!

The kids your child might spread covid to might have vulnerable and unvaccinated family members at home. I'm sure they couldn't care less about your husbands very important job if they get covid and die.

YABU

Be thankful that the nursery are following guidance and not taking a risk.

I have three totally shut nurseries at the minute, where COVID ill children and staff members or staff in isolation means none of the families have child care.

YABU. Always been a rule you have to pay when they aren’t there. One of those things.

It's annoying but what they have to do. One of mine caught chickenpox (ages ago now) FROM the nursery (they had positive cases there). Not only couldn't he go in when sick with the pox we still had to pay for the days be couldn't attend!! And he CAUGHT IT FROM THEM!

It is perfectly reasonable to be frustrated, but if this is the sort of thing that makes you "mega pissed off," you're in for a rocky life. Now, reverse this...someone else's child spikes a fairly high temp, they think, "OH, this will pass," and EVERY CHILD IN THE CARE CENTER is exposed to COVID, measles, mumps, chicken pox, avian flu, you name it. At that point, you would absolutely have the right to be mega pissed off. Best to err on the side of caution.

Frustrating but unavoidable!

My DC are secondary school and they have been doing 'in school' lateral flow tests for staff and keyworkers kids since Christmas. When the rest of the children went back it was 3 in school LFTs then home testing.

The rules initially were that if you failed the LFT, you took a PCR and if clear you could go back. Then the kids all started back and the govt changed it so even if you passed the PCR you still had to isolate for ten days. That obviously led to huge complaints from parents (as so many were failing the LFTs then passing the PCRs) so the govt changed it again just before Easter, to say if you failed the LFT you COULD NOT have a PCR as you were deemed positive, end of!

Guess what? DS failed a school LFT and we all had to isolate for 10 days. Not a massive issue, though not ideal as DH only got Statutory covid pay of £95 pw and kids were off school again - but a big worry for elderly MIL, with whom we had spent mothers day just before the positive test! We weren't even allowed to get LFTs for the rest of the family to try and reassure her! I spent all day on the phone to 119, local council, public health etc but 'them's the rules'! Luckily DH got one from work and passed, so that eased her worry a bit - but a 93 year old living alone, with angina and high blood pressure doesn't need that sort of stress!

Now the children are all doing home tests it's changed again - if you fail the LFT, you get a PCR and if that is clear you can go back to school. This is because the school admin and finance staff are clearly trained medical professionals who can be relied upon to interpret a LFT result but parents can't. (Or because the government has decided it can't cope with any more complaints.....)

So yes OP - I feel your pain - but I think we just have to suck it up! I'm pretty sure DS didn't have it as none of us got symptoms and I kiss him goodnight and we all cuddle a lot etc - but we will never know! But just in case - I totally accept that it was better to stay home for ten days than risk passing it on. (Just wish it had happened the week before....lol).

Calpol reducing the temperature does not exclude COVId-19 which takes about a week to 10 days to reach fruition. So Nursery did the right thing to follow government guidelines.
However, it is I believe mean of them to still take your money. Illness should be excluded from mandatory payments of missed nursery sessions. Speak with Citizen's advice about the money only. You may be entitled to a full refund.

@MakeMathsFun

Calpol reducing the temperature does not exclude COVId-19 which takes about a week to 10 days to reach fruition. So Nursery did the right thing to follow government guidelines. However, it is I believe mean of them to still take your money. Illness should be excluded from mandatory payments of missed nursery sessions. Speak with Citizen's advice about the money only. You may be entitled to a full refund.

Why should the nursery be expected to cover the cost of a child being off with illness? The nursery would not be able to carry on running if every child who was off ill didn't pay. Their place cannot be temporarily filled and the nursery still has to pay their staff and cover overheads. You are paying to keep your place.

It is very hard for nurseries to know what to do. These are unprecedented and difficult times for everyone.They cant have different rules for everybody - they need to make a policy and stick to it. You are being unreasonable sorry...

My DD has had to have a PCR every month since November as she always gets a cough with a runny nose. It is so infuriating and now fairly traumatic process. The last test took nearly 4 days to to come back and with loss of earnings and childcare costs, probably cost us £1000.

It’s annoying but it’s similar policy everywhere. Surprised they administered calpol tho. In my area I have had same day test and results back following morning so only one day lost

Completely normal practice for nurseries to charge for missed days. And whilst it is hard on the bank balance it’s absolutely right that they charge..
A business has many costs - staff, premises, insurances, utilities to name just a few. And those costs don’t go away when a child is absent.
The fee is for your child’s place and the fees are calculated to cover business costs (and profit, if a business not a charity)

And your nursery did exactly the right thing.

I’d be horrified if I heard a nursery allowed a child back because the mum said he’s fine!!!!!!
Many children (and adults) have been completely symptom free - but tested positive and spread the virus to others.
Surely this can’t be new information to you at this stage of the pandemic. (Re your original post repeating he was fine, eating chocolate)

Understand your frustration but this would be nothing compared to the frustration of other parents (and staff) if a temperature was ignored because a mum said he “appeared fine.

paying for missed days is just something you have to suck up during the nursery years.
Our nursery years were before Covid but my little one was frequently poorly and it was very hard financially as I’m self employed so I’d be paying childcare but unable to earn anything on sick days.

My frustration was the number of parents who would disclose with glee that they’d dosed up their child with calpol - knowing they were poorly - so as not to miss a day - only to spread Nora virus and all sorts to others. Used to drive me nuts and I’m glad those days are behind me!

Sorry OP but just be grateful you have a place at a nursery that values everyone’s safety - and that you and your child are well

"Why should the nursery be expected to cover the cost of a child being off with illness? The nursery would not be able to carry on running if every child who was off ill didn't pay. Their place cannot be temporarily filled and the nursery still has to pay their staff and cover overheads. You are paying to keep your place."

If say 10% of kids are ill for 1 day a month average, then the Nursery should make their fee 5% more for all other days. Then they could offer half price for illness days, where illness is proven. Its a kind of integrated social insurance.

@brazilianut I have no idea why a nursery would do that but I mention it because taking a picture would protect them from accusations of sending kids home for other reasons!