Missing school due to colds and stringent covid policy
Hi all. What do you do when your kid has recurrent colds with covid-like symptoms (eg runny nose, coughs, sneezing) but not covid? We are usually stuck with our child for 2 days at home while we run antigen tests for 48h and is cleared to go back to school. I have taken so many sick days off already since my child gets a cold every 6-8 weeks but will not be able to do this indefinitely and am at wits end to figure out what to do. It is basically impossible for me to work when my kid is home, many times I end up working late at night (I know I’m very lucky to be able to do this but it is certainly not practical).
Is there a short notice nanny service that can help? Does this exist where they can send the same person so our kid forms a relationship? How do others manage this if their school has a similar policy?
Any advice or commiseration much appreciated!
Parent Replies
We were in a similar situation at our daycare. My child had to be out all the time - I’d estimate she missed 25% of scheduled days. We switched somewhere new that has more relaxed policies, including not closing every time a kid gets Covid. I’m sure this would horrify the Covid conscious parents that back the stringent policies, but for me it’s been a tremendous source of peace of mind and stress reduction. You didn’t indicate your child’s age. Obviously change is hard and other variables matter, but it sounds like you’re in a situation that’s not working for you. I will say - as my children have gotten older, their colds become much less frequent.
You asked how we handle it. To be honest, this is a significant factor in why I decided to seek out part time freelance work where I set my own schedule. It makes it harder to make ends meet, but I just could not handle any more days where I was trying to both work and parent. Obviously, not a solution for everyone, but that’s what we did.