If mindees make me ill should I charge?

[SueBrom]

I was thinking of adding a clause in my Pol& Proc that if a child makes me or my DD's ill and unable to work, they should pay for loss of earnings from all other mindees. Do you think that is cheeky or will it stop them sending the nibblers when they know they have the lurgy?

LOL, your first post does sound mad, but you're obviously not.

These parents are taking the piss and I pity their child - how horrid to be sent to a cm's when you're ill and want your mummy/ daddy.

A clause about 38 or over is the way forward, rather than trying to prove mindee made you ill. Most parents would consider that reasonable anyway. I would hate the thought of my DS or DD being ill at a CM's and wanting me, while the CM is trying to look after all the mindees in her charge.

30 minutes is not long enough for calpol to work - it takes an hour with my ds.

And are all the nurseries with policy sure they have an accurate thermometer? I once was told my son had a 39 degree temp and when I took it it was 37 something.

I don't think you can enforce such a clause as it would be considered an unfair contract term and you can't change your terms and ocndtions unilaterally either - you cannot, as someone suggested here, change your terms and then give people notice to quit if they don't like them - not enforceable either and parents could sue for breach of contract. After all - presumably most of the kids will catch their bugs from your setting in any event?

And remember that lots of bugs are not infectious - or are infectious before the children show symptoms. You can't ban the kids for everything - the parents are using you because they need to earn a living.

If I have a cold I go to work. I may do a shorter day but I turn up. I send my son to nursery with a cold - and pick him up early. It may sound harsh but you can't keep them off with every minor thing. I have done on several occasions and he bounces around the house in full bloom of health!!

And surely after a certain amount of time working with kids you become immune and it's all academic anyway?