What are Your Illness Policies?

[MaritimeMummy]

Maybe already discussed, but this topic came up at my house over the weekend.

So, more specifically to the question in the subject line, would you close your day care for Hand, Foot and Mouth disease?

Would you close for a throat infection?

Some back story: my son started doing a lot of screaming and spiking fevers on Thursday. I assumed he was getting his molars based on the symptoms. Friday I had to close the day care and drive an hour to a children's hospital for him for an unrelated reason. He was still not himself and acting uncomfortable but still assumed it was teething pain. Car broke down on the highway, it was humid, he began breaking out in a rash. From that, I assumed it was due to the heat and inability for his skin to breathe in the car seat.

Saturday he had spots all over his body. One on his lip. Took him to the ER and turned out he had a throat infection, which caused the fever, which caused the rash.

All 3 DCKs reported having at least a fever over the weekend. The only child who hasn't yet is my own daughter, oddly enough.

One of the 3 DCKs has the same spots as my son, appeared on Sunday night.

Hysteria over H,F&M is pretty rampant in my area right now. It's spreading like wildfire here. I KNOW it's not H,F,&M but it just sort of made me reflect on what I would do.

I think I should have closed today. The DCG who started having spots last night stayed home, but I still have the other two. DCG that's here had a fever on Friday night and hasn't had one since, DCB had a fever over the weekend and apparently one through the night, but she didn't tell me that until she was at my door with him, and handed me a big bottle of children's advil. Who does that?

[texascare]

Do you have an illness policy? I would have refused him at the door. I am 24 hour fever free over here. I would think that if they all have the same thing it will just keep getting spead back and forth between them all if they continue to come sick. i would bleach all the toys you can and do a very good cleaning. Having a good illness policy and sticking to it is a must in this business. Keeo the kids seperated if possible.

[MaritimeMummy]

Do you have an illness policy?

I do, but I guess it's not as strict as it should be. It's never been an issue until now, to be honest. I've been doing home day care now for a year and this is the first time this has come into question. I need to change the policy and be more clear, it seems.

I do have DCB separated. He doesn't play much with the other kids anyway so it's not hard. I just set up a sleep mat over in the corner and he's been laying on that all morning.

[Blackcat31]

I PM'ed you.

[renodeb]

This is my sick policy: There is a few things I need to edit/add.

Illnesses:
If your child has / gets a contagious illness (which may include but is not limited to) pink eye, measles, chicken pox, fever of 100 or higher, diarrhea, vomiting, flu, conjunctivitis, impetigo, severe cold with yellow or green drainage from eyes or nose, a continuously runny nose even if it’s clear, head lice, scabies, Tb, meningitis, rubella, rosella, ring worm, tape worm, or any other contagious illness) it is the parent’s responsibility to inform me immediately . The child must be picked up immediately by parent or emergency contact if parent can’t be reached. The child must be symptom free for 24 hours without the aid of fever reducers before being able to return to care. (Example: If they were absent/sent home with a fever one day they are automatically excluded from attendance the next day.) Regular child care fees apply during this time. Parents may not give the child pain relievers/fever reducers to mask symptoms in an attempt to return the child before contagious period has passed. (Example: if the child wakes up with a fever in the morning (100 degrees or higher they need to be kept home) this is to reduce the threat of exposure to others.
If my child gets a contagious illness that warrants a closure, parents are responsible to finding back up care during that time. Parents will be notified if closure is longer than 24 hours.

I know its hard but if they show up with a bottle of fever reducer I would turn them away. That means that the fever is still present. Another thing that parents pull is showing up at my door and saying " she felt a little warm so i gave her some tylenol." 9 times out of 10 by noon the tylenol has warn off and they are sent home. (I send kids home if they have 100 or higher temp.) Parents always try and get out of sticking to the policies but its important. As one of my good provider friends says: : "If I get sick we all loose"!

[MarinaVanessa]

I know its hard but if they show up with a bottle of fever reducer I would turn them away. That means that the fever is still present.

I second this. I turn them away at the door and I would even terminate if they woke up after nap with a "sudden" fever i.e. 6 hours after fever fever reducer wears off. No fevers here. Fever reducers/pain relievers don't cure illness, they mask symptoms.

[Sprouts]

This is my sick policy: There is a few things I need to edit/add.

Illnesses:
If your child has / gets a contagious illness (which may include but is not limited to) pink eye, measles, chicken pox, fever of 100 or higher, diarrhea, vomiting, flu, conjunctivitis, impetigo, severe cold with yellow or green drainage from eyes or nose, a continuously runny nose even if it’s clear, head lice, scabies, Tb, meningitis, rubella, rosella, ring worm, tape worm, or any other contagious illness) it is the parent’s responsibility to inform me immediately . The child must be picked up immediately by parent or emergency contact if parent can’t be reached. The child must be symptom free for 24 hours without the aid of fever reducers before being able to return to care. (Example: If they were absent/sent home with a fever one day they are automatically excluded from attendance the next day.) Regular child care fees apply during this time. Parents may not give the child pain relievers/fever reducers to mask symptoms in an attempt to return the child before contagious period has passed. (Example: if the child wakes up with a fever in the morning (100 degrees or higher they need to be kept home) this is to reduce the threat of exposure to others.
If my child gets a contagious illness that warrants a closure, parents are responsible to finding back up care during that time. Parents will be notified if closure is longer than 24 hours.

I know its hard but if they show up with a bottle of fever reducer I would turn them away. That means that the fever is still present. Another thing that parents pull is showing up at my door and saying " she felt a little warm so i gave her some tylenol." 9 times out of 10 by noon the tylenol has warn off and they are sent home. (I send kids home if they have 100 or higher temp.) Parents always try and get out of sticking to the policies but its important. As one of my good provider friends says: : "If I get sick we all loose"!

I have this on my policy but everyone here is telling me so kiss business goodbye if i impose this:confused::confused::confused:

how do you handle kids with continuously runny nose but other wise are pretty much their normal selves?

[daycarediva]

I closed when a dcb got hand, foot and mouth for a day. I sanitized toys and took my kids to the pediatrician to be checked. I called each of my daycare parents and informed them of the sign/symptoms. Only one other kid caught it, and he stayed home for 3 days (dcb #1 was sick/sent home on Mon, closed tuesday, dcb #2 stayed home sick wed-friday) I recleaned/sanitized everything Saturday. The dcb who got sick first is a big 'mouther' of toys, EVERYTHING goes in his mouth, so I was really surprised that more kids didn't get it!

continuous runny nose is par for the course, I just roll with it. I only exclude for runny nose if their behavior changes, and I will even take a kid with a mild temp (under 101) as long as their behavior is fine and they are able to participate. My ds is fine with a really high fever, but dd gets to 99* and looks/acts like crap, so each kid is different in that. All of my parents are aware of this, and I really believe that kids are already exposed to the illness before the onset of the fever anyway, so sometimes exclusions for a cold are silly, imho. In 6+ years I have never sent a kid home for a runny nose.

[brookeroo]

continuous runny nose is par for the course, I just roll with it. I only exclude for runny nose if their behavior changes, and I will even take a kid with a mild temp (under 101) as long as their behavior is fine and they are able to participate. My ds is fine with a really high fever, but dd gets to 99* and looks/acts like crap, so each kid is different in that. All of my parents are aware of this, and I really believe that kids are already exposed to the illness before the onset of the fever anyway, so sometimes exclusions for a cold are silly, imho. In 6+ years I have never sent a kid home for a runny nose.

There is a major difference between a small cold and a major illness. If the child is different behavior wise it's better to keep them out but children are building immune systems and are often sick with colds probably 80% of the winter around here. No one would be employed if everyone were forced to stay home with kids with colds here.

Turning people away is tough enough battle when they really are sick and should be home. Heck nothing annoys me more than my supermom who is a receptionist and thinks the entire company she works for is going to go down for a day or two if she doesn't go in and take phone calls.

I dread sicknesses because of her because no matter where it came from (her son) or how severe it is...every single illness is a major ordeal. There are always excuses. She can't afford the time off. His bosses **** and he's in a hostile environment as it is and his job is always on the line. Can't afford to take him to the doctor or to pay the co-pays. Yet despite all this...they are still trying to have another child... They've only been with me for 4 months. I just want to say "If you didn't want to deal with this part of having children or can't afford it then you shouldn't have had him let alone another one..." However what I should be saying is, it's in the contract you signed and you are also required to have a back up. If you don't, none of this is still my problem.

I can't imagine how some of these parents would react if I turned them away for a runny nose.