Why a "Snow Day"?

I'm guessing she has a legitimate fear of kids being stranded at her house until the not so bright parents can make it to her house.

the only reasons i can think of are if she a) might have liability issues due to shoveling the walkway or driveway, which is a shame but we live in a ridiculously litigious society, or b) she's been stuck with kids whose parents couldn't get through to pick them up, and is wary.
either way, i can see how it's a PITA. in her place i'd probably play it by ear.
but i guess it's her her business, her rules.
khairete
S.

Same reason schools close when weather/roads are bad.
Anyone who has to travel on a slippery road is putting their lives on the line.
I've tried to get my son to school when they didn't close for an ice storm and we counted 5 trucks in ditches before we were a mile from home.
We turned around, went home, and I called the school and said "This isn't worth dying over.".
I imagine the sitter also doesn't want kids to be trapped (snowed in) at her home - she'd rather they stay warm and safe at their own homes.
For you it's easy since you can walk to her home.
But then you'd drive off and maybe not be able to come back so easily to take your granddaughter home again.

She sounds like a responsible childcare professional. So what if you only live two houses away? She may not want to run the risk (and liability) of having your child stuck at her house until who knows when if you get stuck at work or in traffic.

Maybe she doesn't want stupid people killing themselves trying to get their child to her school. Kind of the same reason why schools close.

If you don't like her policies, you are free to find another day care.

Maybe it's for liability reasons. What if she has an emergency with a child and can't get out if her house? Most places I've heard of follow the schedule of the school system for snow days.

I would appreciate her looking out for the best interest of the children she's caring for vs judging that she works from home and assuming she only gets up brushes teeth and hair to prepare for a HARD day of work monitoring and teaching children!

She has to prep and make sure everything is cleaned often for germy little fingers which might be a part of her morning routine.

Many day care providers, along with other organizations like private gyms, adjust their schedules based o the school closings due to snow. That can mean a full closing, or a 1-2 hour delay, or an early closing. There are liability issues if the roads are impassable or icy, and there are significant issues with her requirements to shovel and de-ice her driveway, walkway to the house, steps, and so on. If it's heavy snow and there is a risk of a power failure from a high risk of branch breakage bringing down lines, she has the risk of people slipping on her walk or her being stuck with a ton of kids with no electricity or heat. I don't know what the licensing requirements are in your state, but if she would be required to buy a generator, that's an issue. And she certainly can't have a bunch of babies and toddlers in a room lit with candles, and no heat. Rather than make parents come back in 2 hours when the room temp drops below 60 degrees or whatever, she chooses to close. Furthermore, many parents have older kids home from school so they'd just as soon keep the toddlers home from day care. You might be just 2 houses away, but her other families may come from a greater distance, and if they get stuck on the road or in her driveway, it's a nightmare. So no, it's not your decision - it's a business decision that she has to make based on state laws, licensing requirements, and some general town-wide decisions about what businesses and schools are closing. She couldn't possibly get all the parents (and grandparents, in your case), to agree on what's a good day and what's a bad day, and she doesn't need to be on the phone at 5:30 AM calling you all to get a consensus. Hopefully, she spells out her policies in your contract - if not, you can ask her for a full statement of all policies on everything from closings to vacation to late pick-ups to weekly rates.

Interesting question. I can think of a few reasons: if it's icy, there might be a liability issue if one of the parents or kids slipped and fell on the steps or walkways. If the daycare owner has school-aged kids of her own, she might need to spend that day taking care of them, or take the day to catch up with their homework. And what if the power went out due to the snow or wind? It would be difficult to have a house full of small children with no electricity. And, if one of the babies or toddlers had an emergency, it might be difficult for emergency first responders to get to the house, or they might be tied up with accidents around town, or it might be difficult for the parents to get to the daycare quickly. And for those parents who don't live 2 houses away, they might risk an accident trying to drive to the daycare in the snow.

I imagine it must be frustrating, especially when some towns close everything for a single snowflake that happened to fall, or when they close the schools at 3 am but then the storm takes a turn at 5 am and misses the town altogether.

I would find that very inconvenient. My daycare center closed for snow once in the 4 years I used them. And that was for 28 inches, the roads weren't plowed and her employees couldn't get in. Our public schools close if they are predicting snow. She also shouldn't be driving your child. If your child has an emergency, she calls 911 -she doesn't leave the other kids and take yours to the hospital. Nor does she take the time if one has an emergency to pack up a bunch of kids and take them all with her to the hospital. Most days that our school district has a snow day, the rest of the world goes to work. As for liability - she should keep her walk and steps snow and ice free. Just like any business owner.

Maybe she doesn't want to get stuck with a kid while the parents are stuck in a blizzard. We don't have that problem here. What is the reason the schools have a snow day?

Gee when it snowed my child care provider had all the kids off from school. Close?? Never. She was the absolute best!!

I am with you. If she is staying at home then she should be open. Where I live, the schools close for the THREAT of snow, but a lot of businesses don't. And we still paid when our sitter closed for snow. I have a friend who has the same situation as you. Her sitter is two doors down and closed last week for snow, when everyone else was open and going to work. It's crazy.

Just because you aren't going to her house doesn't mean you won't go somewhere else too. If you have to find alternate day care you might be on the roads longer. And maybe you are fully capable of driving in the snow, unlike those who aren't comfortable with it at all.

I think home daycares should stay open unless it's the middle of a hurricane or blizzard, or no power.

If you don't like the policy, you can find another daycare. I suspect it is as she said - for people who do not live 2 doors down who have to go out in bad weather. My DH took our DD to "snow day camp" and it took him 45 minutes for a 10 minute drive because the roads were so bad. It really wasn't safe.

ETA: So there's your answer. You accept that her snow day policy isn't ideal for you in return for the convenience of her being 2 doors down. 5AM is when our school district makes decisions on delays, too, so my phone chimed right at 5:07 the other morning. She has to think about EVERYONE in her care. You have to think about you. Let it go.

C..

If she is responsible for driving kids anywhere - her insurance would go through the roof if she had an accident.

If the roads are icy - really - WHO should be on them?? No one really.

Here in DC? There are some REALLY bad drivers. In the snow and ice? It's even worse. I'd say THANK YOU to her and stay safe.

Well it is her business and she can decide how she wants it run. You just got used to having a childcare provider two doors away. Most of us do not get that luxury unless it is a nanny.

As you state in your SWH it is your choice to continue to use her or to get another one. Perhaps a center close to where you work would be better. You take her with you and bring her home when you get off work. Not every situation stays fluid as we would like when it comes to people watching our children we have to allow for flexibility. Perhaps that is an underlying reason why she did this and it may be that she is not wanting to watch your granddaughter any longer.

Think long and hard about it and make your decisions and live with them.

Have a good day.

the other S.

PS I agree with what the others have posted about road conditions and sidewalks. Insurance is costly enough without extra fuel to the fire to make the fees go up or drive a good person out of business.

She doesn't HAVE to but she chooses to in an effort to keep everyone off the roads. My old daycare did that too. She knew I had to go to work so unless there was a state of emergency she would say "if you can get here, I'm here but my road is bad" (we both live on what is considered an auxillary road so it is last to be plowed. It is extremely frustrating to be required to be at work and not have childcare that yo are paying for.

In your case, if the road is accessible to get to work there should be no reason that you can't walk the little one over.

She doesn't want to be bothered by snow and mess in her house on those days.

She will be closed when she wants to be closed. Chances are she still has them pay for the whole week too.

It must be nice having the provider right there on the block but seriously, your grandchild would be getting the same education from any reputable child care provider.

She should only be closing if the schools are closed.

Diane B. gave a comprehensive answer - that's what I explained to parents when I was a provider. Closing the daycare keeps people off the roads, it's for the safety of all. Even if main roads are clear, sometimes neighborhoods are impassable, and the parents get stuck in the provider's driveway or street.

In regards to the 5:30am notice - that time is standard practice in the school system here, so it doesn't seem unsual to me that a childcare provider would do the same. When a snow day is a possibility, we parents just make a point to wake up at 5:30 to check for a notice. It would be nice to know before bed and be able to sleep in, but that isn't how it works out most of the time.

Since I'm in Wisconsin and we have the infrastructure to handle a ton of snow on a regular basis, schools usually only close for Really Big Deal bad weather. When they do, it is usually bad enough that kids shouldn't travel to daycare either.