|  | Conditions Treatments | Medical Conditions

Regulations for Children in Day Care When They Have a Fever

Day care centers provide a necessary service to parents and guardians who need responsible providers for their children. Day care centers follow protocols for health and safety, which include following specific regulations for children in day care when they have a fever. Prior to enrollment, facility staff inform parents of specific rules regarding fevers, which parents and staff are expected to follow. These regulations protect children and staff in the day care setting. Keep in mind that some states will have different requirements regarding the care of a sick child.

  1. Definition of a Fever

    • According to Dr. Copeland of Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, national guidelines dictate that children should have a fever above 100 degrees F and symptoms or changes in behavior to warrant exclusion from a child care facility.

    Notification

    • A child must be sent home if the temperature is more than 100 degrees F under the arm. Fever is often a sign of another illness or that the body is fighting off infection. Keeping children with fevers out of a day care can help reduce the risk of outbreak within a child care facility. A child with a fever should be separated from the other students while the parent or guardian is notified of the illness and while waiting for the parent to come take the child out of the facility. Many day care centers will have parents sign a form to acknowledge that the parent was notified of the fever and that the child was picked up from the facility.

    Medication

    • Many day care centers do not have approval to provide medication for fevers to children; however, this regulation varies by state. If day care employees have the ability to provide medicine for sick children, the staff must be properly trained to administer medication, they must have policies on the handling of medication, and it must be stored properly. A day care provider needs written, signed authorization from the parent with specific instructions by the child’s pediatrician approving the use of medication. If a staff member does give the child medication for the fever, the child should still be separated from the group while the parent or guardian comes to pick up the child.

    Period of Exclusion

    • Day cares are required to put an exclusion period into practice, so that a child should be free of a fever for a minimum of 24 hours without medication before being able to return to school. Day care centers should turn away children who are brought back to the facility the next morning. In some cases, a day care center will require a note from a doctor stating that the child is free of contagious illnesses prior to being allowed to return to the day care.

Medical Conditions - Related Articles