Child Care Policy Childcare Policies

Child Care Policy

Childcare Policies

The difficulty with case studies regarding care of sick children is that both sides are correct. The childcare center has an obligation to provide a safe and healthy environment for the children under their care. When a child is sick, it threatens the ability of the childcare facility to provide a healthy environment for the rest of the children and staff. This case study addresses two separate issues: sick children and payment issues. They are both violations of daycare policy, but they are two entirely separate issues. This analysis will address the implications of policies regarding both of these issues.

The most difficult of the issues is that of sick children and the parent who refuses to pick up their child due to work. It is easy for the childcare facility to blame the parent, but both sides must consider the position of the other. The parent may be pressured by her work environment, or may be in danger of losing her employment if she continually has to take off work to attend to a sick child. The parent has no good choice in this case. Low-income families are particularly at risk for this type of dilemma (Heymann, Penrose, & Earle, 2006). This issue cannot be resolved between the parent and the childcare center. Both sides need to pressure the government for an extension of the Family Medical Leave Act to include sick children (Heymann, Earle, & Penrose, 2007). If parents were not afraid of losing their job, they would be more willing to abide by childcare facility policies and pick up their child quickly.

When a parent refuses to pick up their child, it has an impact on the willingness of the other parent to pick up their children as well. However, if children are continually exposed to sickness when at daycare, parents will not feel as if they are placing their children in a safe environment. The daycare center cannot jeopardize the loss of an otherwise well-paying client.

One instance can have a negative impact on the childcare center, as the care of a sick child takes more effort than the care of a healthy child. If the behavior continues, then it could become as contagious as the illness. Continued allowance of this behavior could make it appear as if the childcare facility is lenient regarding their policies. Parent may then wonder if they are lenient on other policies as well. They may begin to doubt the ability of the childcare facility to provide a safe environment for their children.

The only policy, short of legislation protecting women's jobs for taking care of a sick child, is to adopt a policy that requires each parent to have a back up in case they cannot leave work to pick up the sick child. This parent would have to provide a legal waiver to have this alternate person pick up the child when sick. The care of sick children, who are not seriously ill, is a niche market that could be filled by the childcare provider willing to do so. The policy of having a second backup to care for the child will also be self-reinforcing, as the parent is not likely to wish to inconvenience the other party. However, it is recognized that children do much better when cared for by their parent rather than someone else (Heymann, Penrose, & Earle, 2008). The parent should always be the first choice, when possible.