Yes. But I also think it's fair that people with preexisting conditions pay more for health care. It's "probably" not legal for them to do that, but the money you'll spend compared to the cost to them , legally (they wont just give in if they're pockets are bigger then yours)is not worth the fight.

I think it is fair, but it should be advertised.  They can't change the price after you have signed a contract.

Depends on the daycare.. not all are private. Some accept public funds for "scholarships" and so on. If this day care is such a place, it cannot selectively choose its clients nor can it charge an "extra" fee.

The times my kids have been in daycare, I have never been charged a fee for the "extra" service provided. And there was some extra stuff needed. For instance....

My youngest required brushing of his arms, belly and legs every 2 hours to help keep him calm and from stimming so he could focus on work. The brushing took 15 minutes at a time. So, he was there for six hours. That's an hour and a half of "one-on-one" attention spread through-out the day. Not sure that'd equal out to requiring an additional fee though.

And another incident is when the day care saved my oldest's life. Yep. He had had a seizure, where he was sleeping, woke up vomiting, the teacher took him to the restroom because he had also soiled himself and that is where he passed out and lost his bowels as well.

The quick reaction by the staff saved his life. Sadly, they recognized it as a seizure because the directors' son (the teacher's brother) died four months earlier from the same type of seizure. I'd pay them any amount of money they asked for (if I had it).

However, typically speaking, they did not spend in inordinate amount of "special" time with my autistic children and we'd have to ask what "extra" are they giving this child, this "auti-angel"? Is it really "extra?" Think about it...

All children require one-on-one attention throughout the day. A child is missing her mommy, and crying, and it's been five minutes and she's still crying. A teacher comes over to redirect her attention to another activity to try and move the child beyond the fact that the mom is not there. Does that mean the mom has to pay extra because her child has separation anxiety issues?

A tattle-tale loves to go up to teachers all day long and tell on the other kids, for real and imagined infractions to the "rules." For every two minutes the teacher spends discussing this with the child, should the mother or father pay "extra" for that attention?

A child has trouble tying his laces on his sneakers and through out the day, he has to have a teacher re-tie them for him. Should they charge him extra because he has fine-motor issues?

Some "extra" attention comes with the job. Some does not. I'd like to know the daycare's idea of "extra" attention that this child is alleged to have received. If it is something like that a teacher or aide has to stay at his side all day long, then maybe they deserve to be paid extra. Otherwise, he's just like every other kid there, sometimes requiring direct attention.

So frustrating.

I think it depends on how much extra work the child requires. If it is a LOT, then yes, it is fair.

@heatherbabes -  You make very good points, but at the same time, as you said, every child requires special attention every now and then, and this is a normal part of caring for children in a daycare. That's part of the job. In my opinion it would take a LOT of extra care beyond the "normal" for the staff to notice that the child is extra work. That isn't part of the job.

In your children's cases, it doesn't sound like they were that different from typical children. But what if their special needs amounted to a lot more than that? I wouldn't notice brushing your kid for 15 minutes every 2 hours that much, but 30 minutes out of every hour I would definitely notice and consider to be quite a bit more needy than other children.

Just because a teacher is spending more time on a particular child doesn't mean she gets relieved of her responsibilities with the other children. She still has to meet those responsibilities and thus, is being stretched beyond what her job is. Everyone suffers when that happens, not just the teacher. A regular daycare is just that... it should not be expected to act as a therapy center for disabled children.

@sarahb_86@xanga - thanks! I just wasn't sure...

@BohemianLotus@xanga - Which is why I wonder, how much in this particular case was "too much" for the daycare. I can't say 100% either way until that is known. What the school is alleging is too much.

I agree that day care workers are "teachers," a step up from the level of babysitter (not that there is anything wrong with being a babysitter) but yet are not therapists, unless that is the particular service offered by the school/daycare. Some do.

And I agree with the other person who said they shouldn't/can't change the contract without agreement. So the mom in this case has the right to pull her child(ren) without punitive measures that are often in the contract for doing so since the daycare is changing the contract's essential terms. Which is, quite honestly, what I'd do.

Only because if a place tells me they aren't equipped to handle my children, then why put them (the children AND the daycare) in the potential possible predicament where something could go seriously wrong. I'd take them at their word that they are not equipped and find an alternative (if possible)

No personally i don't think it's fair. I am 19 years old and have had experience with autistic children in a classroom environment. I volunteer at a local elementry school and do crafts with children that have learning disabilities. Because of my experience i put an ad up for babysitting services stating that i have experience with autistic children. I got a call from a woman who sounded extreamly interested in me because she had an autistic child herself. She asked me if i would charge extra because of her sons diability and i said no. She broke down into tears saying that i was the first babysitter she contacted that wouldnt charge extra. She said it was nice to know i would treat her son like a normal 6 year old boy and i got the job.

That is definitely not fair. its almost as if this child care centre has a gene pool thing going on. 'yeah lets price out the genetic trash. the most important thing is prepping these normal kids for school life and beyond.' so what about 'extra attention paid". one would rather get a more tangible explanation (at least) as to why fees go up for the autistics. fair go.

my nephew was in a daycare center and while the didn't charge my sister more money (to the best of my knowledge).   i remember that he got ignored a lot by one morning teacher and she didn't seem to like him and she let it show when dealing with him.  i didn't pick him up often but even i noticed it.

he's started school and thats been a few years ago. we raised cane about it and he got a new teacher.

I have had some experience volunteering in a very good, expensive childcare (it costs 1,000's of dollars a year). The class-size is about 20 kids...and let me tell you, in those 20 kids, there are usually at least 4 or 5 that have some sort of disability that disrupts class-time. You're right, it is a huge job keeping up with them. There are staff meetings several times a week to try to figure out what to do with them and how to approach each issue.

That being said, there are points when things become too much. The childcare I volunteered at had one teacher per every 3 or 4 kids. They did have a lot of man-power. But there was an autistic girl in one of the classes. She was a very severe case, and finally the school told the parents that if they didn't get her an aide, she would need to leave the school. But I don't know how severe your child is. This girl would climb on carts or engage in potentially dangerous activities if somebody wasn't watching her all the time. She was also such a severe case that the childcare wasn't able to give here the individualized attention she needed to help her become at least a little bit more "normal" (ie. able to do simple things that most kids her age could, like sit in sand, or use scissors).

Your kid may not need much extra attention at all. But s/he might need a lot...In some states I believe that the government HAS to give you an aide if your child is autistic/developmentally disabled. I know that many states are clamping down on money right now...Also I'm not sure about the rules for private child-cares....

I don't think it's right that they change the rate on you...They should have told you in the beginning. Go over the contract that you signed...If it doesn't say something about rate-changes in the contract, then the whole thing is bs, because they can't do it. I think that instead of raising rates, they might need to ask for an aide for your kid. If I was you I don't know if I would immediately pull my kids...I would tell them what your legal counsel told you: that it is illegal for them to do what they propose. But it's often hard to find child-cares that are willing to take autistic kids, so make SURE you have another option before pulling them.

Absolutely...if they make the work load go up and require more time and individual attention. 

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