ILLNESS EXCLUSION

Rule 3 Exclusion Policy

As a licensed center, Child Garden follows the Minnesota Department of Human Services Division of Licensing Rule 9503.0080 for the exclusion of sick children from the school. The rule as written states:

“A child with any of the following conditions or behaviors is a sick child and must be excluded from a center not licensed to operate a sick care program. If the child becomes sick at the center, the child must be isolated from the other children in care and the parents called immediately. A sick child must be supervised at all times. The license holder must exclude a child:

  1. With a reportable illness or condition as specified in Part 4605.7040 that the Commissioner of Health determines to be contagious and a physician determines has not had sufficient treatment to reduce the health risk to others;
  2. With chicken pox, until the child is no longer contagious or until the lesions have crusted over;
  3. Who has vomited two or more times since admission that day;*
  4. Who has had three or more abnormally loose stools since admission that day;*
  5. Who has contagious conjunctivitis or pus draining from the eye;
  6. Who has a bacterial infection such as streptococcal pharyngitis or impetigo;
  7. Who has unexplained lethargy;
  8. Who has lice, ringworm, or scabies that is untreated and contagious to others;
  9. Who has 100 degree Fahrenheit axillary or higher temperature of undiagnosed origin before fever reducing medication is given;*
  10. Who has an undiagnosed rash or a rash attributable to a contagious illness or condition;
  11. Who has significant respiratory distress;
  12. Who is not able to participate in child care program activities with reasonable comfort; or
  13. Who requires more care than the program staff can provide without compromising the health and safety of the other children in care.”

*See separate sections on fevers, diarrhea, and vomiting.

Based on the above guidelines, if at any time the staff feels a child is too sick or contagious to participate in all classroom activities, the parent will be notified immediately so that arrangements may be made for the child to be pick up. Parents or authorized persons are required to pick up the sick child within one hour of notification that the child is being excluded. Sick children will be placed on a cot within sight and sound of an adult until the parent or authorized person arrives.

Upon pick-up from the school, the child’s parent or authorized person will receive an Exclusion Form and information regarding the conditions required in order for the child to return to the school. The Exclusion Form will identify the specific guidelines determining the exclusion, and also list the child’s symptoms and other observations made prior to pick-up.

If the child’s physician verifies that the child has a contagious condition, his or her parents are required to inform the school within 24 hours. The classrooms of the children who may have been exposed will post a specific information sheet regarding verified contagious conditions. Other parents will then have the opportunity to be alert for similar symptoms in their own children.

If a parent feels that his or her child is not well enough to participate in ALL activities, including outdoor play, Child Garden requires that they stay at home until they are fully recovered.

Ultimately, it is Child Garden’s decision to allow a child to return to the school. If, in its in activities, or poses a health hazard to other children in the school, the doctor’s recommendations will be overridden. The child will be excluded until the staff feels the child is well enough to participate in all activities and is no longer a health risk to others.

Child Garden contracts with the Minnesota Visiting Nurses Association who sends a certified nurse monthly to our schools. They are responsible for monitoring health and safety practices, promoting preventative and wellness practices and act as a resource for health education and health care referrals for parents and staff.

Specific information about fever, diarrhea, and vomiting are included below:

Fever

When a child runs a fever, it is usually an indication that the child is fighting some type of infection. If a fever is suspected, the child’s temperature is recorded by the axillary method (under the arm.) A normal axillary body temperature is 97.6 Fahrenheit.

Licensing requires a child to be excluded from the school when his or her temperature reaches 100 degrees Fahrenheit axillary or above before fever-reducing medication is given. Because fever-reducing medication such as Tylenol can mask an underlying illness, Child Garden will not medicate children for the sole purpose of reducing a fever, unless the child’s parent is on their way to pick them up. Furthermore, parents are expected not to bring their child to the school while medicated for the sole purpose of reducing a fever. By following this simple guideline, illness in the school can be diminished.

In order for a child to return to the school after exclusion due to a fever, he or she must:

  • Be free of fever (under 100 degrees Fahrenheit axillary) for at least 24 hours without fever-reducing medication of any kind.
  • Have written documentation from the child’s physician stating that the child does not have a communicable illness and no longer has a fever without fever-reducing medication of any kind.

Diarrhea

Diarrhea is defined by licensing as the occurrence of abnormally loose stools three or more times since admission that day. A child who exhibits symptoms of diarrhea may have an underlying communicable illness and must be excluded from the school.

The child may not return to the school until she or he has been diarrhea free for 24 hours, whether or not a physician has determined the cause of the diarrhea as a communicable illness. The reason for this policy is that the possibility of accidents and subsequent exposure to fecal matter to other individuals in the school is significant and must be avoided.

Vomiting

Vomiting is defined by licensing as two or more incidences of vomiting since admission that day. A child who is vomiting may have an underlying illness and must be excluded from the school.

A child may return to the school after the 24 hours have passes and they have not had any more occurrences of vomiting.