In response to the request of our families, we have developed a more specific guide to help parents decide whether or not children should be at the Center.  This guide will also aid our staff in deciding when children must be sent home.

1. If your child has a temperature over 100 degrees or higher, keep your child at home. Please keep your child home until your child has not had a temperature of 100 degrees since the evening before (without the assistance of fever reducers such as Tylenol or Motrin) and has had a good night of rest.

2. If your child exhibits behavior changes (such as irritability or listlessness) or other signs that your child does not feel well enough to participate comfortably in the daily activities including outside play (see page 17), please keep your child at home.  Please keep your child home until his/her behavior returns to normal.

3. If your child has had diarrhea in the past 24 hours, keep your child at home until the child has been diarrhea-free for 24 hours or for infant, when stools are formed enough that they are contained in the diaper. 

4. If your child is vomiting, please keep your child home for up to 24 hours after the vomiting has ended.

5. If your child has a runny nose, accompanied by low-grade fever (99 to100 degrees) and crankiness or difficulty breathing, please keep your child home until the child is acting better and fever free.

6. If your child has a sore throat with swollen glands or blisters, please keep your child home until the swelling and/or blisters are gone.

7. If your child is experiencing itchy, watery eyes (often symptoms of pink eye), please keep your child home until the condition has been evaluated by a physician and necessary treatment has begun.

8. If your child exhibits an unexplained skin rash, yellow skin or eyes, please keep your child home until the condition has been evaluated and treated.

9. As parents, use your best judgment in determining your child's health.  Please take your child seriously when he/she says they are not feeling well.

Parents are ultimately responsible for determining their child's ability to actively participate in the daily activities in the classroom or on the playground.  While we sympathize with the childcare needs of each parent and their child, we must provide a healthy environment for the other children in the center.  In addition to the potential spreading of illness, a sick child often needs special, one-on-one attention.  It is difficult for a teacher to take time away from well children to devote special attention to a sick child.  Recognizing our own responsibility, we will contact parents to pick up children who are discovered to be ill at any time after  their arrival.

The teachers and staff at the CDC appreciate compliance with our sick child policy.  As always, families should feel free to call when uncertain about a child's condition.  As a general rule, a child who is not up to par due to illness should remain at home.