What is your opinion on Fifth's Disease? Should children be sent home with this? We call parents to pick them up, but parents say some doctors are saying that children with this disease should be able to remain in school. Also, when a child is sick and has a fever, we call the parent at work. They don't want to leave to pick the child up. We insist that they have to, but the parent gets mad at us! What gives? Do you think that is the employer's fault? All of our policies are given to parents in writing when their children enroll. The parent must sign a form that says they agree to abide by our policies, but they still try to break the rules, particularly the ones about sick children and payments. We will continue to stick to the policies, but is there any way that we can make parents see that we truly care for the welfare of children, and we know what we're doing? We are well staffed, have the best of everything, we are trained in advanced first aid, child development degrees, etc., yet we still don't get any respect, to quote a Rodney Dangerfield phrase.

This is a very complex and important question. It concerns the care of millions of kids in the United States alone -- over 50 percent of preschool-age children are in group day care settings. Day care can be a wonderful experience for children. It can provide freedom for parents to pursue their goals. But it can also provide a setting where germs spread easily.

Most kids who are in day care are there because the adults they live with work outside the home. These parents sign contracts with you agreeing that while they are at their workplaces, you will care for their children in exchange for monetary payment. You agree to take the best possible care of these growing, learning, energetic tots. So far, so good. But what happens when (not if, but when) one of the children in your care gets sick? Let's look at it from a few different angles.

Child Care Provider -- You get to be with these wonderful (sometimes challenging) kids during their most productive hours five days out of every week. You learn to read their moods. Often, you are there to see those precious "firsts." You grow attached to the children. You want the best for each child in your care.

When one child gets sick, you are not only concerned for that child, but for all the others who are being exposed to the illness while that child is in your care. You are not equipped to care for sick children, you don't have time to give special attention to a sick child, and you are responsible for protecting the other children.

Employer -- In order for a business to run, it must generate enough money to pay all the bills. Of course most employers would like to actually show a profit, but even if they can't, they must at least cover expenses. So whether a business is doing well or barely making it, employers want and need to keep productivity up.

All other things being equal, parents with young children can be less productive than those who do not have such responsibilities. Nine to five just isn't enough in most jobs. It is not unusual for employees, especially those in management, to come in early and leave late. Yet parents often come in late and rush out in time to pick their children up before 6 p.m., when child care is no longer available.

When one of the workers needs to leave suddenly to take care of a sick child, the employers are usually less than thrilled. If the worker plays a vital role, other workers will need to shuffle responsibilities to cover. If the worker is involved in a project with a deadline, his or her absence could throw everything off. Regardless of the specific job, the employer wouldn't be paying the employee unless he or she was needed.

Parent -- Most parents I know feel stress over leaving their children to go back to work. Often I walk into a 2-month physical to find a mom (still post-partum) in tears because her maternity leave is ending. These parents shop for a wonderful place to entrust their precious children. They want what is best for their child. For many, this means group child care. It is an honor to be chosen to play this vital role.

As time goes by, many parents become comfortable with the arrangement, yet they still feel torn. They are parents first, but they feel pressure from their jobs to work more. The parents' employers have specific expectations of them.