Not much you can do if you have agreed to their policies and choose to send your child there. The policy is in place to protect the other children and families from possible illnesses.

That’s so frustrating. I find it so stressful trying to book a GP appointment last minute as well and a few times my son wasn’t actually sick. I now have a few medical centres that I contact for appointments and some take walk ins too which helps but it doesn’t change the fact that my husband or I have to take time off work to take him to the doctor.

The childcare need to think of the whole centre not just one child.
I would honestly have a doctor physically examination.

I would love my daycare to gave this policy! It might have stopped my child from getting HFM!

I respect the policy childcare have in place but it can be quite difficult to get a doctors appointment at the moment. If only there was another way around it?

The child care center is trying to keep other kids from getting sick. Since the pandemic began they have been very cautious and we just obey and not argue with the new policies.

@mom101628 ‘just so glad I got to spend time with mine before they went to school’
you do know people who use childcare also spend time with their child, right? Or do you think you are a better parent than everyone else? For heavens sake!

Centres have protocols they must follow as do schools. Everyone is being extra cautious at the moment. Next time see if your pharmacy can write a certificate – I’m not completely sure about this but it would be worth a try. I know it’s frustrating but I wouldn’t be blaming the centre.

Policies like this, whilst annoying for those affected, are made for good reason. Foot and mouth is one of those diseases that is highly contagious and it is not just the centre that is dictating the child’s exclusion but above them – the state health department.

Some very interesting answers on this post and I can see both sides of the story. Just was so pleased to spend time with mine up until they had to go to school.

I can understand how annoying it is for you, but I can also understand the childcare centre’s position. Better to be safe than sorry.

I’ve never been in this situation before but if you stop and think about it, would you want your child to go to childcare knowing that another child may be sick? Or would you just take the chance on it being nothing and then have your child end up ill too. I know how serious foot and mouth can be. I’ve seen someone suffering with it and unfortunately pass away. There’s no way I’d want to take that risk.

Look it’s policy and procedures and yes it’s annoying. I’ve been in similar situations and I’ve also had to leave work. On one occasion my son just needed to poop and they thought he was sick in the stomach.

I know it may seem like a inconvenience but I have had to do this myself. It is for the safety of all the children and a trip to the doctor good save just one child from being sick then it’s worth the trip to the doctor. If you can’t get in to see your local doctor bulk billing doctor where you can sit and wait is what I did for my son. I didn’t wait I saw a doctor right away just in case. Too many people these days have kids unvaccinated and this can cause other things to happen. Just see the doctor don’t put it off and put every parents mind at ease.

Having worked in daycare for 17yrs, I can tell you all centres have policies in place and all staff have to follow the policies set by the management. Usually a senior staff will be asked to check a child that is presenting with symptoms of anything and then they will let the parents know if it is an exclusion problem. These precautions are in place to protect all the children in Centre and staff, no Centre just sends children home because they want less children, less children means the Centre makes less money, not what the owners want at all.
A little aside, do you realize that when a child has hand, foot & mouth – the policy states that the whole centre has to be cleaned, which includes toys, books, cushion covers/rugs (all washed and air dried), all shelves and anything in the rooms have to be washed with hot soapy water and even the walls have to be washed. The toilets are given an extra clean once a diagnosis has been made (they are already cleaned mid day and at end of day) and all the floors have to be washed. This is done when first child is diagnosed, but if other children are diagnosed at any time over the next week … then all the cleaning is done every day a diagnosis is made. Please realize that workers are trained to spot these types of things and report them to a senior staff member and its only after consultation with the Manager, that a call is made to the parents to pick up their children. The exclusion period varies depending on what the child is diagnosed with and a doctors note is always requested to make sure the child is clear.
All of these precautions are done to protect your children, the staff and the parents who pick up the children- some of which are older and grandparents and sometimes we have new babies (6wks is youngest) who need to be protected from getting these types of things, when children present with them. Yes some children will catch colds and other things … but also be aware that things like hand, foot & mouth can be caught at a shopping centre, off a trolley or any surface your child touches. Good hygiene helps to keep these things away and protects your children, but as I said the hand, foot & mouth is brought into the centre by your children, as are any illnesses that manifest and the carers also get these illnesses when dealing with your sick children. Be thankful you dont get excluded when they have a snotty nose – it used to be an exclusion when I first started working in the industry.
Please treat the staff at your Centre with thanks for all they do to keep your children happy, healthy and entertained day in and day out, because they love their jobs, even though some parents get cranky at them and abuse them verbally about issues they have experienced. Just for reference I was a senior staff and was able to identify things for any staff on request.

I’m so glad I get to stay at home with my son. He has only been sick twice in his almost 3 years unlike his friends who are continuously sick from child care

My oldest starts childcare next week and I’m hoping she doesn’t come home sick after each day like other mums have said their kids have.
I have one friend who is constantly sick because her son keeps picking stuff up at daycare. I really feel sorry for her as she is heavily pregnant and already stressed.

Childcare have you over a barrel- they know you need them and they’re in short supply. It makes their life easier with one less kid and they still get paid anyway. I would try speaking to management though as in this case they’re trying to diagnose symptoms they clearly know nothing about.

This has actually never happened to us. I think its not a bad idea as it protects other families who may be particularly vulnerable. Better to be safe than sorry, think of the families with pregnant mums, elderly relatives, family members who are immuno-comprimised.

So this happened to me with my son but in regards to a cough. I sent him to daycare with no sign of a cough the night before or in the morning. I get a call to say he coughing when he is laying down during the rest period and I need to come to get him. Because my son gets croup cough I race up expecting the worse and he is fine, his bag is ready and I put him in the car. No cough, no cough all afternoon, no cough all night, no cough in the morning, I take him to the GP and I said I needed to get clearance to send him back and she looked at me and said for what. I called the daycare and spoke to the director and explained that I had to pay for a day that he couldn’t go for because of a cough that didn’t exist. They gave me a makeup day and apologised for this. Go to the director and ask for make-up days or credit on your account if you have a GP’s note it. We also believed this was at a time the childcare may have been short-staffed and we think they were trying to find ways to have “less” kids.