Originally Posted by Unregistered:
I currently have my baby at a child care center. I'm new to all this and wanted to know the rules regarding medication and how long my child can stay at the center. According to their paperwork there is no specifications as far as what the center's stance is but I would like to know the laws.
I work 2 jobs and it's just me and my infant. I drop him off at 7am but am unable to pick him up until 6 and I do not live around any family.
I also have to ask the staff to change my baby when I pick him up because his diaper is always wet. Should I be concerned?
It is is up to each individual daycare to decide what their policy is on medication. Some administer it, some don't, some allow children that are on medication and other's don't. As a previous poster said, just talk to the director and ask what their view on medication is. There are no laws (that I know of) that refer to medication in childcare.
As far as how long the child can stay at the center I suppose that depends on the state that you live in but that can also depend on the daycare itself. If there in nothing in the handbook or contract that you signed then I'm assuming that you can leave your child there for as long as your tuition covers. For example, I live in CA and no child can be in our daycare for more than 24 hours straight (or something like that I think) ladies help me out here. I'm not familiar with this regulation because I set my own cut-off time to 10 hours per day by personal choice. You should try contacting your licensing department and ask them if there are any laws or regulations that cover this.
As for the diaper, I agree that you should speak to the staff and ask how often the diapers are changed and at what times. My rule of thumb is a minimum of every 2 hours whether they are wet/dirty or not or as needed if they poop. I change at every even hour (helps me keep track of diaper changes better) so if you were picking up at 6pm at my DC your child would more than likely be at least a little wet as well. Ask them about it and keep us posted
