Victoria Campbell, News 4
"You can rebuild a business, but you can't rebuild a child's life. I just want them to be safe."
Lisa Munson is near tears, sitting in the almost-empty preschool she has owned and run for 15 years. Fundamentals Preschool has been publicly identified as the place where a 2-year-old girl diagnosed with swine flu attends school. Munson is not convinced that the little girl contracted the virus here, because no other children have tested positive for the illness.
Still, in response to the announcement, many parents have pulled their children out of the daycare center and are vowing not to return if the little girl comes back-- even after she has recovered from the illness. On a typical Thursday, 22 children are at the center. On this Thursday, there were only seven.
"And that's sad," says Munson. "This little girl is sick, she has the flu. And the flu goes around every year.... but there's a certain fear and stigma attached to swine flu, and parents are scared."
One of those parents is Steve Bremer, whose 4-year-old son has come to Fundamentals for a few months. Bremer says he's taking his son to the doctor because he has "a cough, but no fever, thank God." High fever is one of the major symptoms of swine flu. Bremer says he has no plans to continue taking his son to Fundamentals.
But Corinna Rodriguez, whose 3-year-old daughter has gone to Fundamentals for nearly a year, is just the opposite. She says she's happy with the staff, policies and atmosphere at Fundamentals, and will not remove her daughter.
"I'm a parent. Worrying is what I do," Rodriguez says. "But panic is counterproductive, and is harmful for everyone."
Back at Fundamentals, the staff has sterilized all of the toys, sinks, surfaces and play equipment with a bleach solution, and is reinforcing already-strict hand washing and sick-child policies. Munson says she cares about the children who spend their days here, and will continue to watch over those who remain in her care, hoping the health crisis-- and the panic-- will soon end.
