Must Remove Shoes?

If her socks are getting that dirty then the floors are not being cleaned well enough... but i have never heard of a daycare having the kids remove their shoes most daycares make them keep them on for the sake of saftey. Kids can slip and fall with socks on bare floors and think of how much work it is for the teacher to put on shoes to go out side and have to take them off comming back in. I don't think you are over reacting and i would maybe put in a call to whom ever checks saftey in your daycares area and ask about it even if you want to remain unknown.

First of all the house slippers should be fine I think the day care is going alittle too far. And if she wants them just to go barefooted i think she should go green and get the chemicals out that way she can just clean the bathroom every time someone goes!! And it wont harm the children

http://www.sarahs4sweetboys.com

I have owned my own Child Care Center and have over 15 years experience. My insurance would have had a fit if they knew I didn't have kids wearing shoes at all times. Some child care places won't even let kids take their shoes off for nap time in case of a fire. Having to stop and put kids shoes on to get outside is a useless waste of time.

Although I think it is a good idea for kids to not track stuff in, usually sand from the playground, I would never expect kids to walk in pee and poop, much less where other bare feet have walked...kids get athlete's foot too. I think only wearing socks is nasty too. Socks getting dirty shows you what is on their floor. Sock absorb the substances on the floors and hold it next to their skin until the socks come off. Ewwwwww!!! Kids sit on those floors, put toys off the floor into their mouths, some even lick the floors.... I know my carpet in the circle time area was always getting dirty. Kids track paint, sand, dirt, leaves, animal poop from the sand area, you can imagine what else. A center can't clean their carpets every day, not even monthly. It's just not affordable or practical. Most do the best they can.

DHS requires child care facilities to follow certain guidelines. If your place is licensed then you can look up their past inspections. The link is listed below.

http://204.87.68.21/childcarefind/

Here is a link to what child care centers are required to do:

http://www.okdhs.org/NR/rdonlyres/C###-###-####-C005-45D1...

You may also want to call DHS and ask for a licensing worker to discuss this facility so you can find out if they are able to tell her she can't wear shoes.

Here are the phone numbers and contact information.

http://www.okdhs.org/divisionsoffices/visd/dcc/ccl/docs/r...

Keeping kids areas super clean/sanitized is something that is nearly impossible to do. Kids need to be exposed to germs to build their immune systems. If the place you are taking your child is a place like a Mothers-Day-Out then they are going to fall through the cracks. You will have to decide if it is worth your time to take your child there. You may be able to find a different place that allows her to wear her own shoes. If you really like this place then by all means ask them before spending money on socks they won't let her wear.

I think I would raise the idea of concern that this would cause in a case of emergency. If little ones had to evacuate due to emergencies. Parking lots and sidewalks are filthy, not to mention they tend to get a little "steamy" in the summer season. And lets not forget the terrible flu bugs going around. And we as moms know germs love to breed in the bathroom areas. An alternate to the soiled sock stains is you could buy only dark socks for your daycare center, the dress kind black or blue seem to be a little thicker and will disguise the stains.

While I think it's great that they have this rule (one of the biggest causes of indoor pollution is tracking stuff in from outside: oil puddles, pesticides, poop... Two other big ones are pressed wood/particle board furniture and household cleaners, fyi), this is a bit tough. What I recommend is, suggest to them that kids be allowed to bring slipper-type socks or whatever they can run around in safely, and they leave them there. That way, they know they're not being worn outside :)