Snow Day-Related Details To Check At Your Child's Daycare

If you reside in a state that gets a lot of snow each winter, you know just how disruptive drastic weather can be. Snow days can cancel the school buses for your children and delay your ability to get to work because of poor road conditions. If you've just enrolled a child in a local daycare and winter weather is approaching, you need to be clear on how the daycare handles snow days. Here are some important details that you should go over with someone at the daycare center so that when the snow falls, you're ready for whatever may happen.

Closing vs. Staying Open

You'll find that different daycares take different approaches when the weather is bad. Some daycares will close entirely when it has snowed a certain amount or the roads are bad because of ice. This is especially true if the daycare is in a semi-remote area that makes it difficult for staff to reach safely. Other daycares, including those in suburban areas, will often stay open — but they may open a little later if it's difficult for staff to get there on time. Knowing how your child's daycare operates will allow you to plan accordingly.

When Decisions Are Announced

It's also useful to know when the daycare will make a determination on what it does because of the weather. For example, if the daycare decides to close, announcing this decision ten minutes before you're set to drive your child to the center is of little value to you. Some daycares will do their best to make and announce their decisions regarding snow days by certain times — for example, 10 p.m. the night before, or 6 a.m. on the day in question. The earlier that you know what the daycare is doing, the easier it will be for you to make alternate arrangements if needed.

How You're Notified

It's also important to determine how the daycare center plans to notify parents about closures in the event of inclement weather. There are a variety of scenarios that are possible. Some daycares post messages on their websites or social media pages, so it will be up to you to check these locations regularly for updates. In other cases, the daycare may text message or even call you to ensure that you're aware of the latest news. Once you know what is happening with the daycare, you can then make plans accordingly.