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).

@Horehound

Although I have to say my nursery do keep the children and don't send them home if they can help It. Sometimes then being there distracts them. They give the children calpol if required and we don't have to wait any days to send him back in if he has been unwell. Seems like this is not as common though!

They keep ill children at nursery to distract them?? I'm glad my son's nursery don't do that. What's behind that idea? To make all the children and staff sick? I just can't understand why sick children should be at nursery. 48 hours is standard at school and nursery. They are being extra vigilant. If it's a big issue for you why not see if you can find a nursery with different policies, I think it'll be difficult but you might get lucky.

But the point is trying to work out if your child is actually ill. Nursery clearly think that she is. Otherwise why are they even taking her temperature.

So you need to establish if she is actually ill.

So tell Nursery not to give her calpol if she has a temperature as you want to see that she has a temperature herself. Because she has never had a temperature at home.

And clearly something is not working with the Nursery policy if she is getting ill so much

Covid has changed the temp rule at my nursery. Previously they could stay if calpol brought it down.

Now you must collect ASAP and can return once their is a negative result so your nursery is more strict.

My nursery did have a covid outbreak and my child caught it too and was off fir two weeks and we didn't have to pay which I thought was amazing.

Although at the time it was terrifying (I was 38 weeks pregnant) now glad my toddler has had it

That seems a fairly standard policy in daycare and school settings in our area even prior to covid however given the amount of times my DC (who gets very unwell from normal illnesses) seems to get unwell I think a lot of parents give them calpol and send them on with fever because if the 48 hour rule really was being followed I feel there should be a lot less sickness being passed around in these settings to begin with.

@Vergingontheridiculous

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

Presumably if you have had to regularly covid test your DC then you would know this. We had to do one this week and on the text with the negative result it states at the bottom very clearly.

'If you get new symptoms of coronavirus, self-isolate and get a test at www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test.

Otherwise, you can return to work if you've not had a high temperature for 48 hours and feel well. Contact your employer first.'

So how you don't know that this is a guideline and also applies to children attending nurseries and schools is beyond me.

As others said it’s normal

Though

If you are paying just over £10ph 😱 for nursery, why don’t you use a cm or get a nwoc nanny - will be about same price

This kind of crap is apparently quite common in nurseries. People are emotionally involved in nursery selection so don't vote with their feet/push back against these bonkers policies.

I use a CM. If my kids have a temp, if they are well in themselves she'll message me and check if I want calpol given. If they are a bit under the weather and the calpol doesn't perk them up I'll go collect. She's fine having them back the next day if they are well in themselves.