Originally Posted by AmyKidsCo:
I only exclude for the typical things: fever, vomiting, diarrhea, unexplained rash, etc.
In researching influenza I discovered that you can be contagious 3-4 days before showing symptoms and several weeks after symptoms go away, so all of the children have probably been exposed anyway.
On another note, I have one who was out yesterday and today for flu, and no one here has it so he got it somewhere else. The point being that even if you did exclude until all symptoms were gone, they'd probably be exposed somewhere else.
I do see your point, however, I also take into consideration the fact that these kids are together sharing toys, eating, sleeping and playing together for 10+ hours a day in the same space. Most things I have read say that you are most contagious up to 7 days after getting the flu. Then it goes down significantly. I feel like we can cut the risk, if children are kept home during the most contagious time.