Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/caring-for-the-little-ones-the-tylenol-syndrome/5013026/
Everyone who offers child care has experienced this. A parent gives an ill child Tylenol before being dropped off in the morning and says nothing because she cannot miss work. The child's fever spikes mid morning and the parent either cannot be reached or the child is not picked up for a long time.The issue of sick children tops the list of irritations of both staff and parents when I have led panel discussions or done interviews on child care issues. The parent hates to get that call in the middle of the work day to pick up her child, and then is even more irritated when she sees other sick children at the center and wonders why those children are there. It is true that children in group child care get sick more often than those cared for at home who are isolated from other children, under-lining the importance of good hygiene policies and firm enforcement of health policies.
The other side of the coin is that staff are irritated when parents bring sick children, exposing all the others to the germs. Besides the extra work involved in caring for sick children, staff often perceive that the parents are uncaring, or ...