Exclusion Policy
For some conditions, exclusion can significantly reduce the spread of infection or allow children time to recover to the point where we can safely care for them.
When children arrive at school, the teachers will determine if a child appears to be in good health and able to participate in our regular daily activities. To appropriately access your child’s health we ask that you do not medicate your child prior to coming to school. Often times, medications like Tylenol or Benadryl will wear off in the middle of the day and your child could be left feeling ill and tired.
We are familiar with what is typical for each child and can identify common symptoms of illness. Here is how we assess children’s health:
- Listen to what the child and parent tell you about how the child is feeling. Is the child hoarse, having trouble breathing, or coughing? Did he or she eat breakfast?
- Look at the children at their level. Observe for signs of crankiness, pain, discomfort or fatigue. Does the child look pale; have a rash sores or runny nose or eyes?
- Feel the child’s check and neck with the back of your hand for warmth, clamminess or bumps.
- Smell for unusual odors in their breath or diaper.
You can help us determine if your child is healthy enough to be at school by providing as much information as possible about his or her well-being daily.
When and why we will call parents to have a child picked up
We make every effort to allow children to participate in our daily activities; however, we appreciate the need for each child to feel his or her best in order for them to conduct themselves positively as part of the group. It is also our goal to minimize the spread of germs, viruses and infections in the best interest of all children and staff in our program. Some reasons for exclusion include:
- The child doesn’t feel well enough to participate comfortably in routine activities.
- The ill child requires more care than our staff is able to provide without compromising the health and safety of the other children.
- The illness is any of the specific list of diagnosed symptoms or conditions for which exclusion is recommended.
Symptoms or conditions for which exclusion is not required:
Certain conditions, by themselves, do not require exclusion unless recommended by the child’s health care provider or the public health department.
- Symptoms of the common cold, runny nose, sneezing, coughing with no behavior changes.
- Conjunctivitis, with a clear, watery discharge and without fever, eye pain, or eyelid redness.
- Rash without fever and without behavior changes.
Symptoms or conditions for which exclusion is required:
Symptoms and signs of possible severe illness such as unusual tiredness, uncontrolled coughing or wheezing, continuous crying, or difficulty breathing.
Child is irritable, continuously crying, or requires more attention and care than we can provide without compromising the health and safety of the other children in your care.
- Fever along with behavior change or other signs of illness such as sore throat, rash, vomiting, diarrhea, earache, ect. Fever is defined as having a temperature of 100 F or higher taken under the arm. Oral temperatures should not be taken on children younger than four years of age.
- Diarrhea – runny, watery or bloody stools.
- Vomiting – more than once in a 24-hour period.
- Body rash with fever.
- Sore throat with fever and swollen glands or mouth sores with drooling.
- Eye discharge – thick mucus or pus draining from the eye. (Viral conjunctivitis usually has a clear, watery discharge and may not require medication or exclusion.)
- Head lice or nits (eggs) until it is gone.
- Severe coughing – child gets red or blue in the face, or makes high-pitched whooping sound after coughing.
Runny/Stuffy Nose
Parents often ask about our policy regarding runny/stuffy noses. We are well aware that runny noses are often a symptom of the common cold or caused by seasonal allergies. Because runny/stuffy noses are generally a lingering symptom at the end of a cold and the child was contagious before the onset of the stuffy/runny, children are not typically excluded from our program unless the runny/stuffy nose if accompanied by one of the exclusion symptoms or conditions.
Parent Notification
A parent or both parents will be contacted if their child displays symptoms of illness, infectious disease or is incapable of participating in our daily activities. In the event that a child is ill, we will seclude him or her in an isolation room. We will make the child as comfortable as possible.