When A Child Is Sent Home Sick

The daycare is a very intimate setting for your child.  They will have close contact with the other children and the provider for the entire day.  Thus when an illness or symptom is detected, it is important that we take precautions to avoid the spread of illness.  One illness can cause several families to be affected including the daycare provider so it is important that we are diligent and cautious on the matter of illness in the daycare.

Child illness in the daycare is one of the most contentious issues between the parents and the childcare provider in every daycare centre.  It is a consistent problem because children at this age will always get sick and this becomes a problem when a parent has to stay home and miss work.  There are parents who are overly cautious (often with good reason, immunocompromised people in their circle), and there are parents who do not think anything of a child with a runny nose.  

The primary reason a child is sent home is due to a fever combined with other symptoms such as runny nose, cough, rash or changed behaviour.  A fever is defined as a temperature of 38°C (100.4°F) or higher. 

Unfortunately there are some parents who challenge the decision made to have their child picked up due to symptoms or illness.  Some dispute that a runny nose and fever is not sufficient enough of a reason to exclude them from daycare. What needs to be considered is that, the provider does not want a runny nose and fever either, nor do any of the other families. Another common excuse given is “they are just teething.” While some parents believe that teething can cause a fever, there’s no evidence to support this idea. It’s true that teething may slightly increase a baby’s temperature, but it won’t spike enough to cause a fever. You might think a simple runny nose and a slight temperature is harmless. But consider the fact that your child requires the provider to constantly wipe his or her nose repeatedly while still handling the other children. A runny nose will spread germs by the child and cause other children to be sick. Simply put, the daycare is not a place for sick children, they should be at home.

The decision to have you pick your child up due to illness or symptoms is not taken lightly.  But a decision must be made based on the evidence and circumstances that we observe for the benefit of all people connected to the daycare, including the provider.  We take the temperature multiple times ensuring that they indeed have a fever. We observe their behaviour, we know them well and we can tell if they are off. Other circumstances taken into consideration are the symptoms or illness of other children in the daycare.  If all of a sudden 1 or 2 children are kept home due to illness, and a child shows up with a fever and other symptoms, it is a solid indication that there is likely a virus making its way through the daycare.  Preventative measures must be taken in order for the daycare to remain open to the healthy children, and to keep the provider from becoming ill as well. Furthermore it is simply unfair to put the onus on the provider to care for a sick child and subject the other families to getting ill.

We address the issue of child illness in our “Sickness Policies” which we obligate each parent to review and cooperate with when we sign a parent provider agreement.  We address in those policies: Outbreaks, Siblings and Family Members, Symptoms Requiring Removal and Exclusion Periods.

Specifically from those policies we would like to reiterate:

• PLEASE UNDERSTAND: Toddlers may not have a constant fever, in fact in our experience the temperature spikes and goes back down before it comes back again with other symptoms.  At this time, if it is a virus, they are contagious. Which is why an abundance of caution is necessary for all. Please do not question your child being sent home, it is being done with good reason.  We are trying to prevent illness spreading to other children / families and the daycare shutting down completely.  

• TO BE CLEAR: Taking your sick child to the daycare can impact multiple families including the daycare provider.  YOU need to be able to make the sacrifice of staying home or finding alternative care for your child if your child is sick.  If the daycare provider determines that your child is too sick or contagious and can impact other families; it is not up for debate and there will be no arguement about it.  We will provide you with the symptoms, temperature or whatever concerns we have.  Please, take care of your child and keep them home until symptoms have passed.