Sick Kids and Daycare: When to Send Them

by Ann Douglas

You're doing the morning hustle to get everyone ready and out the door when you spot flushed cheeks or hear a rattling cough. You turn to spy your normally energetic 3-year-old dragging. Everything grinds to a halt as your mind whirs through your plans for the day. It's judgment time as you have to make the call whether to send your child on to daycare/school or keep them home. This short guide can help you in your decision process:

Chicken Pox

•Symptoms:
Fever and headache; rash within 24 hrs. Itching for four days. Blisters appear in crops over 3 to 4 days, turning to crusty scabs. Symptoms appear 11 to 21 days after exposure.

•Transmission:
Spread through the air and by direct contact with blister fluid, saliva, phlegm, or articles freshly soiled by the sick child.

•Infectious Period:
Up to five days before the onset of the rash, and not more than five days after the spots appear.

•When infected child can return to school or daycare?
When all lesions are dry (at least five days after the first crop of lesions appeared).

•When siblings can return to school or daycare?
Sibling should only be attending school or daycare if they have already had the chickenpox.

Common Cold

•Symptoms:
Runny nose, sore throat, cough, decreased appetite.

•Transmission:
Spread through the air and via contaminated hands and objects.

•Infectious Period:
From one day before to seven days after onset of symptoms.

•When infected child can return to school or daycare?
Child can attend school or daycare unless too ill to take part in activities.

•When siblings can return to school or daycare?
No need for siblings to stay home.

Conjunctivitis -- (Pink Eye)

•Symptoms:
Red swollen eye(s); then thick, yellow discharge and crusting. Eyes itch and smart; no pain. Symptoms appear 24 to 72 hours after exposure.

•Transmission:
Spread by touching the eye or through contact with articles soiled with discharge or phlegm.

•Infectious Period:
Contagious until treated.

•When infected child can return to school or daycare?
When whites of eyes are clear and crusting is gone.

•When siblings can return to school or daycare?
No need for siblings to stay home unless they are also infected.

Ear Infections

•Symptoms:
Earache; irritability, fever, and cold symptoms.

•Transmission:
Not infectious.

•Infectious Period:
Not infectious.

•When infected child can return to school or daycare?
No need for child to stay home unless he/she is not feeling well enough to go.

•When siblings can return to school or daycare?
No need for siblings to stay home.

Fever

•Symptoms:
Temperature over 38.5 degrees C. A child with a temperature of 40 degrees C and higher will look and feel sick.

•Transmission:
Not infectious.

•Infectious Period:
Not infectious.

•When infected child can return to school or daycare?
Keep child away from school or daycare until he/she is feeling well enough to return.

•When siblings can return to school or daycare?
No need for siblings to stay home unless they are also have a fever.

Gastroenteritis - (i.e. campylobacter, E.coli, Shigella, Yersinia, viral)

•Symptoms:
Poor appetite, vomiting, stomach cramps, watery or bloody diarrhea. Symptoms usually appear 24 to 72 hours after exposure.

•Transmission:
Spread through contact with stool or through contaminated food, milk, or water. Also spread by people with poor hygiene habits.