Is this a normal policy for part time daycare/preschool?

Yes

Daycare is typically use it or lose it. You are paying for specific days so that’s when you can go. If we go on vacation for a week we still have to pay for that week of daycare.

I think it’s because they schedule certain kids on certain days and probably max out the capacity daily, so if you wanted to swap days they’d have too many kids that day.

Dang that sucks! I was saying I probably should've just sent her with a 50/50 chance she'd get sent home 😮‍💨

Daycares have to follow specific teacher/child ratios, so can only have so many kids per teacher or can get in huge trouble legally. They schedule their employees and the slots in each classroom each day around that, so if you brought in your kid on a day they're not scheduled to go it could put the school over ratio. It sucks but it's for the school's legal protection and to ensure the teachers aren't overwhelmed with too many kids to handle properly

@Lacy ah that makes sense. But I would assume that when they're closed on Mondays for holidays that, when letting parents bring their kids in another day, that they would be over their ratio

@Melanie they may have additional staff that day because of the holiday, but they wouldn’t pay an additional person just if someone wants to swap days one time.

@Melanie That's a situation they can plan in advance for. They can change staff schedules ahead of time, etc. One kid being out sick is a different situation unfortunately

Depends on the center

@Lizz @Lacy but I'm not sure that parents are telling them when they'll bring their child in for that makeup day! And they don't have additional staff 🥴 now I'm wondering on the legal issue because I've talked to a few parents about the teacher to child ratio seeming too high on normal days

@EEgeekwife do you have your child in one that says it's okay? Maybe they are always at capacity, they have a lot of kids there

@Melanie great idea putting the other children at a 50/50 risk of getting sick just to save a day of daycare. SMH

@Ashley so you don't go back out until you're 100% recovered from a cold? They've told me she can go to school if she's recovering (which she's done before) but thank you very much for your two cents 🙏🏿

@Melanie I don’t share my toys and personal space with others if I’m sick without their consent…. But you’re an adult so be f$*ckin foreal with the question. Plus you said she was sick not in recovery. And if it’s a 50/50 chance she may be sent home for appearing sick that implies you know she not in no recovery phase this time. You the type of parent that make folks not like daycare.

@Ashley then don't be around them? 🤷🏿‍♀️ Congrats and keep your child out of school. But it's at the discretion of her school to say "yeah she's gotta go" or "she can stay." In another instance, she was allowed to stay. Plus, I know you read I didn't end up sending her in. Don't think getting sick is the reason people don't like daycare it's probably the high ass costs. Your kid is 150% going to get sick at these places regardless so do what you will with your child, doesn't make a difference to me and mine whatsoever ☺️

It's the same in the UK frustrating but makes sense, i lose out on pay for that day but still pay for it 🥲

Yes I work in a private nursery unfortunately this is how it works. If you would like your child to go in on another day that is not booked then you need to pay for an extra day if they have slots available

Yeah probably max kids to adult ratio for the other days. X

@Melanie your reply doesn’t even make sense but regardless you sound like you do this on a regular basis. Sending your child in sick in hopes she passes for the day. You are absolutely a reason people don’t like daycare. It ain’t just the cost. But carry on…. My kid doesn’t attend daycare but if so I wouldn’t send them sick with a 50/50 chance…. And not all daycares have a “150%” chance because they have better policies and more considerate parents. But hey your kid, your daycare, your 50/50 chances 🤷🏽‍♀️ just stating facts. Could care less about the difference it makes to you or not.

Meant to hit yes

I knew that sometimes you couldn’t switch days, but I didn’t know it was dependable on how many days the nursery is open that week.

i think they may be a bit more lenient if you let them know in advance that you won’t be there but since she was sick it’s kinda nothing they can do. i imagine it’s because they schedule staff and meals around the number of kids that are scheduled to be there so it’s not a matter of just making that day up, there’s a lot more legalities that go into it. like i’m sure they’re only allowed a certain number of kids per adult and a certain number of people in each room, etc.

@Maya yeah a tad frustrating 😭

@Khushi but wouldn't this go against the issue of the adult to child ratio?

@Ashley wow you woke up mad? 😬 Seek help. I could absolutely tell your child wasn't in daycare from your responses so just take it as something you'll be embarrassed about raging online about later on. Have a good day Ashley Oh and it's "couldn't care less" btw

@Shannon it's like Nia said below, that I've been able to move around days if I know in advance but there are set days. But also thinking about it, I've done this before too and it was always "sure no problem!" 🤔

@Nia yeah they probably do have a whole system behind it. I wish I got the answer everyone else gave though (short version of course) because it kinda just felt like nope, your loss

@Melanie not mad just calling it how I see it ma’am. I know enough daycare parents to absolutely be able to make my stance on the type of parent that’s not liked and also I have enough sense to know as well. I won’t be embarrassed by a thing, your statements hold no truth just projection… and actually I COULD care less because I’m caring less now. You try to deflect but hey you just a parent who sends their kid to school sick and some parents are more considerate. Kudos mama!

Yep that's right, the staff can only look after so many children, so if they are full it can't be done.

I get that its frustrating but I am sure if they were able they would but the ratio may be off. If they let you before they may have known another family or 2 was on vacation, etc and could take your LO that day to switch. I know I got nervous when i showed up to drop off my LO they were going to send her home because of capacity which I honestly was upset about because we pay for the full week not selective days and someone had brought their LO when they were not supposed too (switching days). So for me who pays the full week regardless would be upset if we cannot attend due to someone switching days. Luckily they were able were to switch LOs around to different classes to accomidate but we had to wait about 10 minutes for them to let us know if she could stay. I WFH but i have a lot of meetings and my work demands my attention alot so my LO attends because its not fair on her nor my work to only give partial attention. Plus when daycare is closed certain days, for work I literally get nothing done 🙃

Yeah you can't just move your days around, they're set.