> If there is one thing every parent in my social circle is cursing about, it is all the tons of bugs their kids bring home from school because other parents can't be arsed to let their kid spend a few days at home watching TV
Viruses spread prior to any indication of infection. By the time any kid in daycare has a fever, the class is already infected and spreading to others. A huge proportion of viral infections just result in runny noses.
One of my kids’ classes got hand foot mouth a few months ago, and I don’t think even a single kid had a fever, or even any painful spots. Just some red spots for a few days, but otherwise unaffected. Not to say that it should intentionally be spread or ignored, but just providing perspective on how non problematic the vast, vast majority of viral infections could be, especially relative to the cost of preventing them.
Also, schools serve as daycare taking on the legal liability for handling kids, allowing parents to work. The changes you seek would crater the economy of any developed country, and especially so with aging demographics. And I don’t think any country offers unlimited paid sick time. Not to mention that efforts to prevent abuse of this unlimited paid sick time would be another huge resource sink.
It doesn’t sound like a country wide universal benefit (at least as of 2013).
> Florence currently provides support to about 2,000 working families in 23 wards and four cities in Tokyo, Kawasaki, and Yokohama cities in Kanagawa Prefecture, and Urayasu and Ichikawa cities in Chiba Prefecture.
I have read tons of articles on these types of benefits, but never seen them successfully implemented on a national, universal level. The main problem being voters not wanting to prioritize spending on kids, or at least prioritizing spending on older population groups rather than kids (since that is who the voters are).
> Viruses spread prior to any indication of infection. By the time any kid in daycare has a fever, the class is already infected and spreading to others.
Sure but pretty much any daycare worker you ask can tell you stories about a kid barely able to stand that just got dumped on their front door, or ones that have been obviously given quite the hefty dose of medication and "suddenly" get worse in a matter of 2-3 hours once the medication wore off.
And that is frankly anti-social behavior, for me it would be grounds to yeet the parents from the daycare effective immediately.
> Also, schools serve as daycare taking on the legal liability for handling kids, allowing parents to work.
In Germany we have "Kinderkrankentage" - sick days for your child that you as a parent take to care for your kids.
> Not to mention that efforts to prevent abuse of this unlimited paid sick time would be another huge resource sink.
EVERY Western country has such a policy and survives just fine. If the US fears it being abused, well, maybe do the decent thing and give them a similar amount of vacation PTO?!
Viruses spread prior to any indication of infection. By the time any kid in daycare has a fever, the class is already infected and spreading to others. A huge proportion of viral infections just result in runny noses.
One of my kids’ classes got hand foot mouth a few months ago, and I don’t think even a single kid had a fever, or even any painful spots. Just some red spots for a few days, but otherwise unaffected. Not to say that it should intentionally be spread or ignored, but just providing perspective on how non problematic the vast, vast majority of viral infections could be, especially relative to the cost of preventing them.
Also, schools serve as daycare taking on the legal liability for handling kids, allowing parents to work. The changes you seek would crater the economy of any developed country, and especially so with aging demographics. And I don’t think any country offers unlimited paid sick time. Not to mention that efforts to prevent abuse of this unlimited paid sick time would be another huge resource sink.