As a single parent it is difficult to keep your child home from daycare every time they get the common cold. You only have so many sick days, and with the snow still falling, your child may frequently end up with the sniffles. Other parents are facing the same dilemma, which means that at any given time your child is going to be around a fair amount of germs while they are at daycare.
While this situation isn’t entirely ideal, there are some benefits that come from it as well. Children who stay home are less prone to getting colds than those who are in daycare, but when they get into elementary school those children who have been in daycare get sick much less often. With each germ they have encountered at daycare they have built up their immunity to other bugs they are now encountering at school.
Still, it is extremely important that your daycare provider has a strict hand washing policy for her and the children. This will help keep the spread of germs to a minimum as they are playing and interacting together. Remind your child that it is important to wash their hands frequently throughout the day; after using the potty, before and after lunch, etc. The better they are at washing their hands, the better chance they have at staying healthy during the long cold and flu season.
It is also important that your daycare provider has a clear sick day policy and has communicated it to the parents. While it may be ok to send your child to daycare with the sniffles, if your child has a fever, diarrhea, an earache, or is vomiting it is definitely better to keep them home; not only for their comfort, but for the safety of the other children.