Children and staff shall be excluded from the Center when ill.
Children need to be 24-hour symptom-free (without medication) before returning to the program.
A positive diagnosis of a communicable disease must be reported to the Center receptionist. Families of the exposed children will be notified by the Center and shall be watched for symptoms of the disease.
To comply with state regulations and protect the health of all children, families and staff, a child must be kept home if experiencing any of the following symptoms:
- Fever (100.4 degrees)
- Sore throat
- Inflammation of the eyes
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea (3 incidents within a 24-hour period)
- Rash
- Other signs of illness (changes in behavior-e.g. lethargy)
Staff will use the following criteria to determine if a child is to be sent home:
- Does the illness prevent the child from participating comfortably in regular activities?
- Does the illness require greater care than staff can provide without compromising the health and safety others within our staffing ratios?
- Does the illness pose a risk of spreading to others?
If your child becomes ill while at the Center, you will be contacted and asked to take him/her home. If you cannot be reached, we will contact an ‘emergency contact’ person you listed on your application form.
If a child has no fever or other symptoms of illness but displays significant behavior changes and is clearly uncomfortable and not able to participate in activities, they may be sent home.
Children and staff who are sick with Giardia bacterio-diarrhea, infectious hepatitis, infectious mononucleosis, tuberculosis or staph infections must have a doctor’s permission to return to the Center.
If your child has a reportable communicable disease (including but not limited to: German measles, infectious hepatitis, measles, mumps, polio myelitis, ringworm, scarlet fever, whooping cough, diphtheria, and meningitis), you are responsible for reporting it to the State Health Department.
If your child has a pre-existing (but not contagious), or possible ‘developing’ illness, please alert staff. If your child has a skin condition you know is not contagious, (e.g., eczema, prickly heat, hives, insect bites, etc.), please inform the teachers so they do not spend time needlessly trying to identify the nature of the condition.
Conjunctivitis (pink eye): We will not exclude children with conjunctivitis unless they are unable to avoid touching their eyes or your child’s health care professional recommends exclusion.
Head Lice: We will not exclude children with head lice. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, because a child with an active head lice infestation has likely had the infestation for a month or more by the time it is discovered, poses little risk to others, and does not have a resulting health problem, he or she should remain in class but be discouraged from close direct head contact with others. If the head lice is found while the child is in our care, the child’s parent(s) will be notified that day by telephone or a note sent home with the child at the end of the day stating that prompt, proper treatment of this condition is in the best interest of the child and his or her classmates. If a child/staff has head lice, we will notify families of all children in the classroom and encourage that all children be checked at home and treated if appropriate before returning to the Center the next day. Families are responsible for checking for head lice, initiating treatment and informing the Children’s Learning Center when their child has received treatment.
(updated 4/2/2024)