Illness Policy

Fever
Fevers are common in young children and are often a signal that something is wrong.  If your child has a fever, please keep him or her home.  If your child develops a fever while at daycare, you will be called to pick him/her up. 

Our policy is that your child must remain free of fever for 24 hours before returning to childcare, and area pediatricians agree with this policy.  This means that if your child is picked up at 3:00 p.m., but still has a fever at 6:00 p.m. or later, he/she cannot return to daycare the next day.  The 24 hours begins when your child’s fever has broken and remains in a normal range. During the days that your child is ill regular daycare fees are still due. If your child is sick for an extended period of time please speak to us about the possibility of putting a hold on your enrollment.

Diarrhea and Vomiting
Diarrhea due to illness is highly contagious.  If your child has diarrhea, please keep him/her home.  If your child has 3 or more diarrhea episodes, or any uncontained diarrhea while at childcare, you will be called to pick him/her up. I wear gloves while changing diapers and use proper hand washing techniques between diaper changes.  The changing table is also disinfected after every diaper change.  Please understand that germs from diarrhea can be spread through carpets, toys, swings and direct contact.  It is very difficult to keep from spreading these germs to other children.

If your child vomits while at childcare, you will be called immediately to pick him/her up.  Please keep your child at home until 24 hours after the vomiting has stopped.  When children return too soon, there is a much higher rate of recurrence and contagiousness.

Coughs and Colds
Colds are a common occurrence.  However, there are some symptoms that warrant keeping a child home.  These include, but are not limited to:  bad cold with hacking or persistent cough, green or yellow nasal drainage, productive cough with green or yellow phlegm being coughed up.  These symptoms may be present with or without a fever. I ask that parents do not bring their child to daycare in the first 24 hours that they come down with a cold. This is often the most contagious time. Many different illnesses present like a cold at first so keeping a close eye on your own child in the first 24 hours can reduce the risk of accidentally exposing the other children to a more serious illness that you at first thought was just a cold. If you are not sure when it is okay to sent your child with a cold, just call me and we will determine this together.

If your child has just a cold, please notify me.  I encourage extra fluids and proper hand washing.  If there are cold medicines you know will make your child more comfortable, I will administer them with your written permission.  I cannot keep a child with a cold indoors.  If your child cannot participate in the ordinary daily routine, he/she is probably too sick to be in childcare.  Fresh air with proper attire is always healthy.

Rash
A rash may be a sign of many illnesses, such as measles or chicken pox.  In infants, an external rash may be a sign that something is going on internally.  Please do not send your child to the daycare with a rash until the doctor says it is O.K. to do so.

Doctor’s O.K.
In some instances you will be asked to keep your child home until we have written permission from your doctor saying your child is well enough to return to childcare.  Please understand this is for your child’s well being along with the well being of the healthy children at the daycare and their families.

Bringing In Ill Children
If your child is not infectious and your doctor has said they may return to the center, but your child is still not feeling 100%, please see that we have everything to make him/her comfortable.  Items such as extra clothing, pillows, blankets, medication, etc. are very helpful to your child.

Medications
If your child goes to the pediatrician and is prescribed medication, please keep your child home until they have completed 24 hours of antibiotic treatment.  If your child is to receive antibiotics at childcare, please bring in the labeled bottle from the pharmacy and a syringe or other measuring device. 

Well Child Assessment
Every child should be assessed when entering the daycare.  This is a state rule.  We owe this to the families who pay for a state-licensed facility.  If your child appears to have an infectious or contagious condition, i.e. pink eye, head lice etc., you will be asked to take him/her home or to a pediatrician to get checked out.  Please do not be offended if your child is too ill to stay at the daycare and you are asked to take them home.

If your child has had a rough night or previous day, please assess them before bringing them to the center.  If you ever have any doubts about whether or not your child should be at childcare, please do not hesitate to call and ask us.  The daycare opens at 8:30 a.m. and we would be more than willing to help you make that decision before you have to drop off your child for the day.

Immunizations
When it is time to schedule your child’s shots, please do so on a Friday or a day when you can be with them for the following 24 hours to watch for reactions.

Emergency Contacts
We occasionally have problems with not being able to reach someone when a child is ill or injured.  If you need to be notified because of your child’s illness or injury, it is imperative that we be able to reach someone. If you or your spouse/significant other are listed as emergency contacts, please make sure one of you can be reached at all times.  If there is ever a situation where you know you cannot be reached, for whatever the reason, please make sure we have the name and phone number of another individual that can always be reached.  We also request that if you are notified of your child’s illness or injury, you arrive at the daycare to pick them up in a timely manner.

We do understand and empathize with parents when their children are ill.  It can be a very difficult, frustrating, and emotionally challenging situation when you are torn between a sick child and other obligations. These policies are designed to be fair to the ill child and their family, as well as our healthy children and their families.  Please understand that we love your children and provide the best care possible for them, but we are not a sick day care.  We are hoping to control the amount of illnesses at the daycare and to keep everyone healthy and happy.  If you ever have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to call and talk to us at any time.

We wish to express our sincere thanks to all of you who keep their sick little ones at home and comply with our policies.  We appreciate your courtesy!