New Policy For 2018 Flu?

[Sunchimes]

Does anyone have a policy for the 2018 flu season? How long are you requiring kids to stay home after diagnosis or after fever breaks? If a family member is diagnosed, are you making the kids stay home? It seems so bad and contagious this year.

[Blackcat31]

Does anyone have a policy for the 2018 flu season? How long are you requiring kids to stay home after diagnosis or after fever breaks? If a family member is diagnosed, are you making the kids stay home? It seems so bad and contagious this year.

My exclusion for Influenza is don't come until everyone in the family is 100% better.
Don't step foot in my door way unless totally healthy.
Even siblings that don't attend. If there is a diagnosed case of Influenza, I don't want to see anyone within 6 generation of their families.

It's the only illness I am over the top about.

[Annalee]

Does anyone have a policy for the 2018 flu season? How long are you requiring kids to stay home after diagnosis or after fever breaks? If a family member is diagnosed, are you making the kids stay home? It seems so bad and contagious this year.

I don't exclude family members generally but I only have singles in care at this time. I do have a child diagnosed with flu right now and told them 5-7 days which is what the local pediatric doctor advised me?? I feel they should complete the five-day tamiflu med before returning.

[Ariana]

I exclude for symptoms only so as long as fever has been gone for 24 hours they can come back. Most of the time people are contagious before they get any symptoms so it is hard to isolate it in my experience. I also know that even if someone has it doesn’t mean everyone will get it so I just stick to my regular policies. I don’t have anyone in my care with compromised immune systems.

According to the CDC Tamiflu only lessons symptoms and makes the flu only 1-2 days shorter. Maybe having a mandatory flu vaccine policy might be better if you are worried about it.

[LysesKids]

I exclude for symptoms only so as long as fever has been gone for 24 hours they can come back. Most of the time people are contagious before they get any symptoms so it is hard to isolate it in my experience. I also know that even if someone has it doesn’t mean everyone will get it so I just stick to my regular policies. I don’t have anyone in my care with compromised immune systems.

According to the CDC Tamiflu only lessons symptoms and makes the flu only 1-2 days shorter. Maybe having a mandatory flu vaccine policy might be better if you are worried about it.

And what if you have a child in care allergic to eggs or thirmosal that can't get the vax (like me because of thirmosal) and yes I'm closed due to the flu

[hwichlaz]

And what if you have a child in care allergic to eggs or thirmosal that can't get the vax (like me because of thirmosal) and yes I'm closed due to the flu

New information came out this year that the egg allergy doesn't matter. And they can request the preservative-free version of the vaccine. https://www.cnn.com/2017/12/19/healt...udy/index.html

[Ariana]

New information came out this year that the egg allergy doesn't matter. And they can request the preservative-free version of the vaccine. https://www.cnn.com/2017/12/19/healt...udy/index.html

Also if a daycare provider has a policy to mandate a vaccine the parent has the option to find alternate care. They can also discuss it with the provider to come up with an alternative solution.

I was just suggesting it as a better alternative to Tamiflu.

[Sunchimes]

I have a mandatory flu vaccine. My husband is elderly and has serious health issues. I was also a special needs DC with medically fragile kids. No fragile kids now, but I have never had anyone question it. In our area, the flu is rampant. Two weeks ago, we had the 5th highest rate of flu in the US. We are on social isolation now, and our parents are trying to do the same, as much as they can. A sibling had a flu scare this week, and it made me wonder if anyone had changed their policy for this unusual season. Just an ear infection, so we dodged a bullet this time.

My last s/n kid is no longer s/n, but I spent 3 years working my fingers to the bone (willingly) to keep her healthy. Twenty five week micro-preemie. She has only had 1 ER visit since she left NICU, and that was only because the clinics had already closed. I don't want to be too casual now, but I don't want to over-react.

[ColorfulSunburst]

My exclusion for Influenza is don't come until everyone in the family is 100% better.
Don't step foot in my door way unless totally healthy.
Even siblings that don't attend. If there is a diagnosed case of Influenza, I don't want to see anyone within 6 generation of their families.

It's the only illness I am over the top about.

But it isn't possible to check. Parents can lay and they do.
If I have a doctor notice that a child is OK to return to school I accept the child.

[tenderhearts]

I really wish I would have put something out sooner about kids returning after a fever. I had a boy go home Wed with a fever, only about 100.5, he stayed home yesterday only for him to return today. I questioned dad and said he has to be fever free and acting normal for at least 24 hrs before returning, I explained with the flu scare I'm just really concerned for all of our well being, he said he understood and said his last fever was at 1 am on Thursday morning and that he was acting completely normal and blamed it on teething, I don't agree with that but now I wish that I have something more that says keep home at least 48 hrs or something.
My unexpected visit from the state was yesterday and she brought a brochure to keep up or send out to families but it says 24 hrs and they can have a fever of 100.5 in my contract it says not higher than 99. I hope he's fine or that they didn't cover up. In my contract it states it's an immediate termination if they cover it up but how would I ever know that.

[Blackcat31]

But it isn't possible to check. Parents can lay and they do.
If I have a doctor notice that a child is OK to return to school I accept the child.

True. However, I am blessed with some pretty awesome families these last few years. Many of them spent a long time on my wait list before getting in so most don't want to ruin a good thing by being dishonest. Plus a majority of families I have that left previous care situations to come here, did so because my illness policy is so strict that it works well.

I would trust a parent before I would trust a Dr. The Dr simply writes whatever the parent asks them to. Their goal and my goal are two very different things and since I am the one that deals with the fall out of either, I am the ultimate authority. Not the Dr.

Those little letters before and after his/her name don't mean as much as the letters B-O-S-S do in this environment

[tenderhearts]

Does anyone have a copy of their illness guidelines I can look at? I would really like to update mine. Mines is pretty standard for fever, vomiting diarrhea but I'd like to go into other things like headlice, colds sores, hand foot and mouth ect.

[Sunchimes]

My exclusion for Influenza is don't come until everyone in the family is 100% better.
Don't step foot in my door way unless totally healthy.
Even siblings that don't attend. If there is a diagnosed case of Influenza, I don't want to see anyone within 6 generation of their families.

It's the only illness I am over the top about.

I feel the same way. My husband is elderly and has health issues. I may write out a new policy this weekend

[Blackcat31]

Does anyone have a copy of their illness guidelines I can look at? I would really like to update mine. Mines is pretty standard for fever, vomiting diarrhea but I'd like to go into other things like headlice, colds sores, hand foot and mouth ect.

I sent mine to you in a private message.