Amy,

I recently left my job as a child care center director because my district manager told me she didn't think I could handle work and my three children This all occurred the day after I used a personal day to attend to a sick child.

I was told I needed to think about it over the weekend and give her a decision on Monday. I took that to mean I could either resign on my own, or face termination by her in the near future.

She replaced my position with a woman with far less experience in the field who has no children. Is there any protection for working moms against this type for discrimination? I had over 160 hours of benefit time to use when I used my personal day, specifically over 40 hours of just personal.

Thank you for any advise you can give.

Sincerely,

Marsha

Marsha --

As is the case with most of the inquiries I receive, I wish people were writing under better circumstances. There are certainly many protections for working parents -- both federal and state.

The state tends to go above and beyond the federal policies, so I would begin by inquiring with state agencies. The problem is that depending on the size of your workplace -- your employer might be exempt from some policies, as the number of required employees might be too small to apply.

You should also speak directly with your employer. I would call Legal Aid as a starting place and they can tell you about policies that you might be able to apply to your situation.

I hope that helps. Good luck. -- Amy