Health Policy

Purpose: 

 To promote early recognition and isolation of children exhibiting signs or symptoms of impending illness in an attempt to minimize the spread of communicable disease. 

Procedures:

Daily Inspections: 

Every child shall be inspected upon arrival to the center prior to the parent’s departure. The child’s instructor will check the child for any excludable symptoms or bruises. Arkansas Licensing Regulations required the children with the following symptoms to be removed from child care services:

* Fever: A child or staff member with a body temperature of 101 degrees orally. 

* Diarrhea:  Two or more runny/watery stools within a twenty-four hour period. 

* Stools:  Blood or mucous in stool. (Unless caused by hard stools.)

* Vomiting:  Two or more episodes of vomiting within a 24 hour period. 

* Abdominal Pain: That lasts more than 2 hours.

* Mouth Sores: In conjunction with drooling. 

* Rash: Body rashes not obviously associated with diapering, heat, or allergic reaction to medications. 

* Sore Throat: If associated with fever or swollen glands in the neck. 

* Severe Coughing:  Episodes of coughing which may lead to repeated gaging, vomiting or difficulty breatahing. 

* Conjunctivitis: Pink or red eye(s) which may be swollen with white or yellow discharge, until on antibiotics for 24 hours. 

* Impetigo: May return 24 hours after treatment is initiated. 

* Ringworm:  A fungal infection of the scalp or skin: may return after evaluation and under treatment by a health care provider. 

* Head Lice or the  May return after treatment and removal of nits.  

Presence of nits:

* Strep Throat: Until 24 hours after antibiotic treatment has been started and fever free for 24 hours. 

* Chicken Pox:  Until all lesions have crusted (usually 6 days after the rash appears)

* Rubella:  Until 6 days after onset of rash.

   * Pertussis:  (Whooping Cough), until 5 days on antibiotic treatment. 

* Mumps:  Until 5 days after onset of gland swelling. 

* Measles:  Until 4 days after onset of rash. 

* Hepatitis A: Until 1 week after onset of illness. 

* Sudden Changes Such as lethargy, or lack of responsiveness. Unexplained  

In Behavior: irritability or persistent crying, difficulty breathing, a quick spreading rash. 

Communicable Illnesses: 

If a communicable illness occurs within the center, a health letter will be sent home with each child or parents will be notified by phone. The following inform the parents of the following: 

1. Signs and symptoms of the illness.

2. Exclusion period from the center. 

3. Treatment necessary. 

4. When the child will be permitted to re-enter the center. 

Arrival:

To prevent the spread of communicable illness, please make sure your child washes his/her hands upon arrival to the facility. 

Isolation: 

Any child who becomes ill or unable to participate in daily activities shall be isolated in a separate room and supervised. The parent or person authorized to pick up the child will be notified and must pick up the child within one hour of notification. 

In any attempt to provide a safe environment for all of the children, children must be free of fever, diarrhea, and vomiting for 24 hours before returning to the center. If a child has been put on antibiotics to treat an illness, they must have taken the antibiotics for 24 hours prior to returning to the center and be fever free for 24 hours. If there is a question regarding the potential risk to other children from an infectious disease, a physician’s statement will be necessary for the child to return to the center.

If your child is well enough to come to the center and weather permits, the children will go outside. Fresh air is important in a group situation. Therefore, if your child must stay inside, please send a physician’s note. 

Medication Administration:

Prior to administering any medications, the following criteria must be met:

*  There must be a signed and dated parental consent. 

* Medication must be in the original container with the child’s name and a current date on the bottle. 

  * The amount, dose, time, and route for the medication to be given must also be clearly legible on the medication container. 

* If a caregiver is uncertain of any of the above information, it will be clarified by the parent or pharmacist prior to acceptance of the medication. 

* The classroom teacher will be responsible for giving all medications. 

* Parents are responsible for picking up anny medication that is brought to the center. 

* All medications shall be kept in a locked cabinet and out of reach of the children at all times. Medications requiring refrigeration shall be kept in a locked box in the refrigerator. 

* Dosages greater than specified on the label can not be given. 

* An individual medication record will be kept within each child’s individual file for three years and the following information will be included on it. 

1. Child’s name

2. Known allergies

3. Name of medication

4. Date of prescription

5.  Time medication is to be given

6. Signature of parent

7. Signature of staff accepting medication

8. Signature of staff administering medication. 

Oral instructions on medication for a child will Not be accepted. 

The center is not responsible for any reaction your child micht experience from a medication the center is instructed to give. 

Tylenol:

Children with a slight fever may be given liquid Tylenol or Ibuprofen if parental permission is on file in the child’s records. Parents may request that if their child runs a fever, he/she be given the appropriate dosage of Tylenol or Ibuprofen, per his/her weight, as prescribed by the instructions on the bottle until the child can be picked up.

Cleansing of Bedding and Toys: 

* Infant and toddler toys that a child puts in his/her mouth shall be disinfected daily or prior to another child’s use with a disinfectant solution. Preschool and school-age toys shall be cleaned weekly. 

* Cot sheets and blankets shall be washed weekly.

* Infant crib sheets shall be washed daily.