Childminders child poorly.

[BlueCoffee]

My child goes to a child minder setting.
its 2 lovely ladies who work together, one has a daughter and they run the business from her home.

I had a phone call a hour before my child was due to attend for the day saying her daughter had come out in chicken pox.
and was given the option to still send my child, despite her child being in the infectious stage of virus.

the following week, strep A was diagnosed and again, was asked for my thoughts about sending my child despite it being another infectious virus.

would you send your child knowing that there was such an infectious virus in the settling?

I’ve been made to feel that I’m in the wrong for questioning the decisions made.

No I wouldn’t send my child, and I wouldn’t expect to pay for the session either.

Of course you shouldn't send your child, if yours had chicken pox or strep A she wouldn't be able to attend. Please tell me you didn't pay for these sessions!

I guess the risk of using a CM that also looks after their own DC is them being ill, that and their Dc always getting most attention. It isn’t a situation I’d want my DC to be looked after in tbh.

No, I wouldn’t want to send my child in and risk being infected. In what way have they made out you were wrong?

They later said that mum isolated the child upstairs, and the other one took the children out for part of the day.

I asked if these sessions were going to be credited to my account because of this. They have said not because they were still ‘open’ I could have sent my child.

needless to say I wasn’t very happy, and still not happy about this.

Honestly if that's their approach I would be looking for alternative childcare.

Yes I would send my child. If they hadn't had chicken pox it would be good to get it out of the way and if they had had it they'd be immune .

Nicesalad…. Even the week before Christmas??

Me too, though I suppose other commitments might conflict with having a sick child at home. My dgd is nearly 11 and still hasn't had chicken pox which is a worry

They are permitted to remain open if they can separate their child from the mindees ie by them being upstairs and then the children going out as was done here. It's not unreasonable to not want to risk it, but they can stay open and as such as they're offering a service yes you're obligated to pay. It sounds like they did make an effort to reduce the risk, I would rather have a childminder that made an effort to remain open than one who closed everytime their child was poorly even though they had things in place to open safely. If the child had say noro or was poorly enough to require constant looking after, or if there wasn't a second adult in the setting then that's different.

Assuming that if your child had either of these, you would be told to keep them home then they are completely unreasonable to claim they were open.

Immunise your child for chickenpox. My 3yo nearly died from it (combined with strep a). Even if they're not very ill, it's a good week off work.

If your child had been there with child who then came down with CP, high chance your child would get it anyway, incubation period is up to two weeks and can be infectious for days before any symptoms.

Strep a I would avoid.

Really they should have a system where the cm with child can step back and other cm can do childcare, maybe with help brought in to cover.

@Coyoacan consider the vaccination for CP - it can be serious and it's worse the older you are. DH had it as an adult and it was absolutely miserable, can cause deafness and infertility etc.

Do you realise they can get chicken pox more than once?

Yes , but it's very rare to get it more than once.

And no to the pp who asked, I wouldn't want it at Christmas or if I was about to go on holiday!

I'm a cm and I think it's kind of the cm to give you the choice (tbh that's probably frowned upon) BUT if you choose not to send her as you (rightly) don't want to expose her then you should be entitled to a credit for the session. Presuming in the contract you don't pay for cm sick days.
I will add that this does depend on the illness. Chicken pox is a disease that is excludable (so she should close ideally) but if her child had a chest infection and could legally remain open but she gave you the option just in case then she wouldn't need to refund

It’s the inconsistency’s in everything. Being told after asking is the session would be credited I was then told that the child was isolated. (How that’s possible with a poorly child in their own home environment, I have no idea. still using shared facilities). And that it was my choice not to send them.

thats completely understandable, chest infection cold- I’d still send my child. the childminder is pretty good at letting me know if there’s something like this going around.

3 out of 5 weeks her child has been poorly, and I’m having to pay for all of them.

She should be upfront rather than say you'll be credited and then say something different after the fact. To be honest whilst it's usually a risk when using a childminder as many have their own children, it does sound if their child has been poorly a lot it might be worth looking for alternative settings. Has she been open at all those 3 weeks? If she can't because of the illness then she shouldn't charge as she isn't offering the service, invariably the majority of childminders will open if they can (ie if they can separate their child from mindees)- it's a business at the end of the day!

There was a week where they messaged the night before saying the child was poorly. (10 hours before my shift was due to start). There was an option of my child being dropped off at 9, go somewhere and then be picked up at 3.(Contracted 10 hours). So the children were out of the setting. Or I could have the week credited. I opted to have the session credited. But when questionned I had the ‘we have a business to run’.
I believe they did have a couple children attend. If my child were to attend, it would of been a massive inconvenience to my partner having to cut his day really sort to accommodate the drop off and collection. (and no mention of a refund of the hours lost)

I have no idea on the uptake on the week her child developed chicken pox. But the following week when she had strep a they decided to close.

and this isn’t even touching on when the childminder is ill. (The one who lives in the setting)

i thought having a childminder would be better for my child, but in turn the inconsistency has been detrimental.

I used a childminder myself and loved her, but I was lucky in that she never had to close until my child was old enough to come to work with me (and that it was possible!). For anybody who doesn't have that flexibility a nursery is definitely more reliable.

In this case I find it really odd on their part that they didn't stress the isolation to you! Yes it's still shared resources etc but not really any different to if a child is in one day and then falls ill overnight. I probably still wouldn't have wanted to send mine in but would have more easily accepted that would still need paying for.

Tbh with cp they are most infectious before they pop so likely your child will get it 2w later if goes anyway

Happy for get cp

Strep a slightly diff. Wouldn't ideally went my child to get

But they are isolating child so making an effort to keep open

Would you prefer they shut for 3/5 days and you find childcare /not work

That is not good advice chicken pox can be very serious.

Yes can be serious in a child but rare

More serious in an adult if doesn't have as a child

My dh didn't get cp as a child tho his 4 siblings did

He didn't get cp till his youngest child caught it. He was almost 30 and very poorly and got shingles qns now will get shingles if run down /tired

Not all childminders are as unreliable as this one. I think you need to look for alternative childcare. They should not be open if there is chicken pox or strep A in the setting. Both can be very serious. I bet your child would not be allowed to attend with either. And they should not be charging you.

I use to be a childminder. I sometimes gave option of still attending. For example when my dd was in her teens and could stay upstairs. But if people opted not to come I never charged. I'm pretty sure she has to close if there's illness in her own house.

Not all childminders are as unreliable as this one. I think you need to look for alternative childcare.

This.

The CM I used had adult children living at home. She is also into health and fitness.

She only closed for sickness once in over 4 years and that was only part of the week as it covered the weekend.

The other few days she closed apart from holidays she had alternative cover.

She was more reliable than the staff at the nursery my DD went to as well for 2 years. Incidentally my DD picked up more illnesses from nursery.