Nursery Isolation Periods

[Vergingontheridiculous]

DD is 14 months old. Being an original lockdown baby, she didn't come into contact with many bugs until she started at nursery at 11 months (so I could go back to work). As a result she is now catching everything going, and is getting a cold/sniffle/cough seemingly every other week.

Nursery has a policy of sending her home if her temperature goes over 38 degrees, and getting a covid test.

The big issue we're having (aside from the frequency at which she's being sent home) is that they refuse to take her back until she has been a clear 48 hours without a temperature. This means that every time she has any kind of short-lived temperature spike for any reason, she is excluded from nursery for 2 days after she becomes well again. This is the case even where she has had a negative covid test, and even where the likely cause is something else (e.g. post jabs).

We are therefore having to take multiple days off every couple of weeks when DD is actually well, and has tested negative for covid. We are being charged full fees for every day they refuse to take her.

I understand that there have to be policies in place to protect children and staff from exposure to covid, but I cannot see how this achieves that, given that we know DD does not have it following a test, and when she is clearly well again.

Is this a normal policy, or is our nursery being unreasonable? Are they unreasonable to charge in full for the multiple days that they are refusing to provide childcare, when I or DH have to take a day of leave to look after her? Or am I being unreasonable in expecting them to fulfill their obligations when we have a confirmed negative result and DD no longer has a temperature?

(FWIW we pay over £1,000 a month for the service).

If she has a negative test then I think they are being unreasonable.

Covid aside 48 from temperature to return to nursery and indeed school is a common policy.

My 7 year old was off with a temp couple weeks ago. Negative covid test and then 48 hours from temperature being high before being allowed back.

Nursery I work at has this policy as well.

Ours are more flexible after a negative test. They do send home for temp and do ask for 24hrs clear after a temperature (48 after vomiting). Standard to charge though I'm afraid.
It's very challenging for the first bit... not much to be done but solidarity. My 15 month old is the same and it's pretty relentless with work xxx

Understand your pain but. I doubt it has anything to do with Covid, the school I used to work at had a 48 hour isolation period after any incident of vomiting or diarrhea, I know this is temperature related but it may be an existing policy they had before.

Also pre pandemic its unfortunately very common for children to get everything going when they start nursery, same for new staff as I know from experience. I know it's also a massive pain in the arse!

They say it is specifically covid policy, and that it follows government guidelines. I haven't seen any evidence for that.

The nursery I work at has this policy too. I do understand it but I also understand how frustrating it is for parents especially if the temperature is MMR/teething related. Obviously nursery is no place for a child with a temperature but in the first few months of starting nursery, they do seem to be off a lot!

Our 16 month old was almost identical. He was ill almost constantly for 3 months when he started nursery. My NCT pals all said it took theirs 3 months to build up immunity and almost to the day they were right.

But our nursery policy is identical. 48 hours from temp spike, sickness, diarrhoea or starting antibiotics. Our DC has done 7 covid tests and between us we've had two weeks off. We were lucky to have some help and both our works have been flexible about getting the work done rather than set hours which was helpful

I can only sympathise and say it will end!

The official guidance is actually that there's no need for a covid test within 2 weeks of the MMR jab. So that part is wrong at least.
The nursery that my child attends is pretty hot on covid prevention but they are no longer taking temperatures routinely as this is no longer recommended.
It is normal for them to be off sick quite a bit at that stage but your nursery's policy sounds over zealous.

Obviously I wouldn't want to send her in while she has a temperature, but I don't understand why we have to wait 2 days after she stops having a temperature before we can send her back in. And why we should be charged for the privilege of taking time off to look after our perfectly healthy child.

I’m pretty sure 48 hours free of temperature is NHS guidelines

My kids nurseries had exactly the same.

Sadly, most primary schools don't or don't enforce it. It means parents lie, and bugs spread around, forcing you to have even more time off.
Brace yourself, because it's even more infuriating (and inconvenient).

why we should be charged for the privilege of taking time off to look after our perfectly healthy child.

because the staff is not usually temping and all the costs still need to be paid?

It sucks, but it's in everybody's interest.

Yep, says here 48 hours after high temp stops

www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/testing/test-results/negative-test-result/

And why we should be charged for the privilege of taking time off to look after our perfectly healthy child.

Because you’re keeping your space open. Same with bank holidays and when you want to keep your daughter off or go on holiday.
Our nursery had this policy long before Covid too.

Mine is the same but only since covid.

Previously, it was just take them home if temp not controlled by calpol and/or they seem unhappy. 48h after vomitting/diarrhoea also.

I'm hoping it goes back to normal soon, it is annoying having to stay at home with a kid who is actually well and has tested negative, as if we haven't all had enough to deal with childcare/lockdown and trying to work!

Also our nursery do 'temperature monitoring' if the kid seems unwell, which seems to mean they check both ears every 15min. After about 20 readings they get one which looks a bit high and bang, you're home for 48h. Those thermometers are a bit variable, if you keep going for 20 or more readings you will eventually get a high one!

Honestly I don't know how some of us hold onto our jobs!

It's one thing if I'm choosing to keep her off, and if I'm off anyway. It's another if they're charging full whack for repeatedly refusing to carry out the service we are paying for. I wouldn't get away with that in my professional life.

And whose interests is it in if I end up having to stop working because the childcare provision I thought I had in place is in reality unviable? They lose the £1,000 per month in fees and I lose a career, and become another statistic about women giving up jobs to look after children.

Thats pretty standard even before covid. Same as 48hrs clear after any incident of vomiting.

The thing to think about is why is the child continually getting a temperature? Its not typical for a child to regularly be having a 38c temperature for no reason

It can invalid their insurance if they don’t adhere the rules too. It’s frustrating but it’s just the way it is at the moment annoyingly. I’ve been in your shoes but can understand they don’t want to risk having to close an entire bubble down and not be able to charge any fees for the others affected.

Vergingontheridiculous you are being silly.
You don't expect the staff to stop being paid do you?

Of course it's frustrating, but you do pay for nursery - even if your child is off. That's absolutely normal and the case everywhere. Nothing new and nothing outrageous.

Did you honestly believe nurseries were Pay-as-you go?

If you remove your child, they will just give the space to another child...

And would you be complaining if they didn’t have such a stringent policy and had an outbreak of Covid?
You would have to keep her off then
Or would you not mind as you wouldn’t have to pay? Even though people might get really ill or even die?
It’s not all about you

I'm amazed how many nurseries have this policy. My DC is 18months and had the nursery enforced that rule I'd be jobless by now.

Luckily they take a common sense approach. My DC gets a temp when teething, but as long as it's not too high and she's not unhappy in herself she can go to nursery.

She's had no more illness than her friends that are in nurseries with really strict isolation rule. There have also been no cases of Covid in the nursery.

This is fairly standard unfortunately. Though you should perhaps consider alternative childcare. My DD had a temp at the weekend, got a negative covid test Sunday and went back to Childminder on Monday. Childminder was informed (before anyone gives me shit) and said that if the kids she looked after are off every time they have a slight temp/off colour, then she'd never see them. Not every childminder will be like this to be fair, but as long as they're 48 hrs clear of sick and diarrhoea and/or neg covid test, our CM is happy to take them.

@motherloaded I expect the staff to be paid by the business, which makes a profit from parents. I don't expect to pay each staff member directly for each day that my daughter is there. I also don't expect the business to continue to make a profit from me for days on which they refuse to provide a service to my perfectly healthy child. How on earth do you think other businesses with overheads cope?