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Daycare Center and Family Home Forum>Do You Have a Policy About Low Grade Fevers Between 98.6-100?
Lilbutterflie 09:11 AM 08-25-2010
I just let dcm know her 5mo son's temp was 99.3 & he has been really fussy the last two days... this morning especially. He had a cold last week & pulled on his ears, which I have already told dcm about. He's also not eating too well. All signs of ear infection, to me at least. DCM wants me to give him tylenol. Well I told her I would give tylenol if fever reached 100, otherwise I felt like we would be covering up his potential fever and warning signs of an ear infection. Well, she has called his Dr. and convinced them he is teething, so they would write me a note stating to give him tylenol for teething. I"m thinking that I need to add this to my contract to avoid future conflicts. Do any of you have a policy against giving tylenol fora low grade fever, and how do you word this?
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kendallina 10:03 AM 08-25-2010
If she gives you a doctor's note, I would give the tylenol.

I don't have a policy about low-grade fevers, but if the child is not feeling well or cannot participate in normal activities, then my policy is that they have to stay home. My handbook says something like, "when children are not feeling well, they are mcuh more comfortable at home with mom or dad, not at child care...."

My own daughter is teething right now and she had a fever of 100.6 and has been fussy and just seems to feel yucky. And I know it's teething (well, I'm pretty sure), so it would suck to not be able to put her in care for today, but for her comfort, it would be the right thing to do.

I hope that helps, good luck!
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DanceMom 10:29 AM 08-25-2010
I wouldnt take the doctors note unless the child was actually SEEN by the doctor. I had a child that was teething and had a low grade fever - so I kept her in care well the next day her temp was 102 - her low grade fever wasnt teething..it was Roseola. I don't give tylenol unless it is for pain only, I do not allow children to be dropped off with tyelnol in their systems either.

I also have in my contract/sick policy that if a child is extra fussy and cannot participate in normal activities and requires more one on one attention that they may need to be at home where they are more comfortable.
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Lilbutterflie 10:31 AM 08-25-2010
Yes, I did give him tylenol. I was forced to with the dr. note. I realize he could be teething, but we won't know now b/c the tylenol is keeping his fever down. He's been teething for about a month now, but all of a sudden after a cold virus he gets irritable/low fever/etc...? To me, they are all signs of ear infection. I hope mom ends up getting it checked out just to be sure.
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Lilbutterflie 10:34 AM 08-25-2010
Originally Posted by Heather:
I wouldnt take the doctors note unless the child was actually SEEN by the doctor. I had a child that was teething and had a low grade fever - so I kept her in care well the next day her temp was 102 - her low grade fever wasnt teething..it was Roseola. I don't give tylenol unless it is for pain only, I do not allow children to be dropped off with tyelnol in their systems either.

I also have in my contract/sick policy that if a child is extra fussy and cannot participate in normal activities and requires more one on one attention that they may need to be at home where they are more comfortable.
That's a great way to word it. Thanks! I'd still like to have something about NOT giving tylenol for low grade fever; but don't know to word that one so that they can't blame everything on teething and make me give tylenol to hide the real symptoms.
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kitkat 11:11 AM 08-25-2010
I don't have anything in my contract about Tylenol for low grade fevers or teething. Perhaps you could word it like this: I will not administer Tylenol or Motrin for low grade fevers (98.6-100 degrees). Low grade fevers are considered beneficial to the system and the child should not be uncomfortable from just a low fever.

Teething is such a gray area though and it seems like a convenient excuse for a lot of parents and can be an easy way to cover up a real fever. I guess I've been fortunate that my own kids never had fevers or much pain with teething. Personally, my kids don't get Tylenol unless they absolutely need it for pain or have a temp of 102. I think some parents over medicate and just give Tylenol when the kids don't need it, but I do know that some kids do benefit from the pain relief. To address the Tylenol issue with teething, perhaps you can put in: Tylenol for teething will only be administered if I receive written permission from the parent and the child is uncomfortable while in my care. Tylenol will only be administered once per day. If you must give your child Tylenol before attending care or if it must be administered more than once per day, then your child should not attend care for the day.

I think the teething one comes off really strict, but it's just an idea. Like I said, I don't have anything in my contract for it, so I just made that up. If you think your parents (even if it's only one) give Tylenol to mask a real fever, then I'd go with a strict policy.
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JJPlaycare 11:36 AM 08-25-2010
I explain in my contract that even though a child doesn't necessarily have a fever over 100 it doesn't always mean they feel great and want to participate in daycare! I said mothers always know best and you know when your child isn't feeling 100% and when you feel this way it is a day you need to stay home and give the added attention to your child in which they deserve!! If they cannot participate in an entire day of daycare because they are not feeling well they cannot be here no matter if they have a fever or not! I always get the teething excuses, it is always the first thing out of a parents mouth when a child starts running a fever!! I just say well maybe it is, but I don't know for sure because I am not a doctor! But I do know that they are not feeling well and that they are not having fun here today and they need to be picked up!! Teething is a tough thing because it can come and go and it can last a long time, but aren't fussy every day of teething so stay home with them and give them the comfort they deserve when it is a fussy not feeling good day!! : )
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caitlin 05:55 PM 08-25-2010
I will not give Tylenol/Motrin for teething because I have had too many parents try to hide other things by saying their child is teething. Instead I use teething tablets, oral gel, cold teething rings, cold wash rags, etc.

My policy is if their temp goes above 99.5 I call a parent and inform them, especially if the child is fussy. If it gets higher than 100.2 then a parent is called and they must stay out of childcare for at least 24 hours. I then keep an eye on the child to see if they get that mysterious fever that occurs after they have been in childcare for 4-6 hours. I find it amazing fevers start then and that is the same amount of time pain relievers last! Crazy isn't it?

Last week I had a parent take 2 sick days and bring her child to child care. Okay, that is fine, she is paying me and she doesn't feel well. But then this week her child is sick and trying to get her to stay at home with him or take him in to the doctor is like pulling teeth! I don't understand these people some days.
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ninosqueridos 06:54 PM 08-25-2010
I don't have a policy for low grade fevers. I will not give Tylenol for teething - I use the cold teethers, rags, tablets, orajel........I do think some dcps over-medicate with tylenol and they wouldn't even know if their child had a "real" fever in the first place. UGH!

Funny how the 3+ year old dck's (and even a couple of 2's) will tell me that Mommy gave them yucky red medicine at home in the morning. I LOVE watching the dcp's faces get all red when I tell them that at pick up.
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JJPlaycare 11:02 AM 08-26-2010
Originally Posted by caitlin:
I will not give Tylenol/Motrin for teething because I have had too many parents try to hide other things by saying their child is teething. Instead I use teething tablets, oral gel, cold teething rings, cold wash rags, etc.

My policy is if their temp goes above 99.5 I call a parent and inform them, especially if the child is fussy. If it gets higher than 100.2 then a parent is called and they must stay out of childcare for at least 24 hours. I then keep an eye on the child to see if they get that mysterious fever that occurs after they have been in childcare for 4-6 hours. I find it amazing fevers start then and that is the same amount of time pain relievers last! Crazy isn't it?

Last week I had a parent take 2 sick days and bring her child to child care. Okay, that is fine, she is paying me and she doesn't feel well. But then this week her child is sick and trying to get her to stay at home with him or take him in to the doctor is like pulling teeth! I don't understand these people some days.


LOL I call right around lunch time "Witch Hour", you know right when the tylenol/motrin wears off after being given it right before daycare and all of a sudden a fever pops up!!
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Former Teacher 02:57 PM 08-26-2010
We had to make our own separate illness policy for the parents to read and sign. It was outlined: fevers, diarrhea, vomiting, and misc.

TX law requires regardless of the cause once a child reaches a temp of 100.4 they must be removed from the center. We said that we would take in account that true that a child may be teething but if the child exhibits other symptoms IE fussiness, they MUST be picked up and fever free 24 hours. We would not give Tylenol unless we had a dr's note to RETURN to daycare. We would have a note on file that we could administer Tylenol/Advil, however the parent still must be pick up the child.

Diarrhea: after 2 diarrhea's the child must be removed from the center. We stated however stated we wait until the 3rd diarrhea only because in case a child isnt done Plus we would take in account: antibiotics, teething etc.

Vomiting: after 2nd episode, must be picked up.

Misc: in this section we just basically told the parents that if a child is crying, irritable, cranky, blah blah blah, would they like their child next to this child?

As for this particular parent: if she was at my former center: I would tell her that I would not be giving tylenol. If the temp reaches 100.4 (or whatever) he is to be picked up. He may return 24 hours later. If again after 24 hours he has another fever, he can only return with a dr's note stating he is not contagious. Should he indeed have an ear infection, he needs to be on the medicine for 24 hours or 3 doses.
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caitlin 05:50 PM 08-26-2010
Originally Posted by JJPlaycare:
LOL I call right around lunch time "Witch Hour", you know right when the tylenol/motrin wears off after being given it right before daycare and all of a sudden a fever pops up!!
I think I'm going to steal the phrase Witch Hour.
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QualiTcare 08:07 PM 08-26-2010
it works both ways.

providers are skeptical about parents giving medication and using teething as an excuse - and parents are skeptical about providers using a low grade/teething fever as an excuse to get rid of a kid and have an easier day. that def. DOES happen. i knew one provider that would check temps of every kid, every day - so if a kid happened to have one (even if they felt/acted fine) the ratio would be lower if a kid had to leave - and she could go home early.

i know that it does happen, but there are very, very few parents who would leave their infant in daycare to suffer if they were truly ill and needed to see a doctor. babies DO get fevers when they're teething - along with diarreah. so, if a baby is teething and the parent says the LOW GRADE fever and/or diarreah is a result of the teething, then it probably IS.
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hawkfan428 04:42 AM 08-27-2010
Our policy at the center I work at is 100.5 and then they go home. I don't "warn" the parent's that their child has a low grade fever. I just wait for it to go up past 100.5 and send them home which garuntees they won't be back the next day.
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Lilbutterflie 11:18 AM 08-27-2010
Thanks everyone for your responses. Well, here's an update: his dad ended up taking him to the Dr. yesterday & he did not have an ear infection. For that I am happy; I truly just wanted him to get checked by the Dr. b/c he is NEVER fussy like that unless something is wrong.
However, I did send him home today. He woke up from his first nap with bright green discharge caked all over his nose and lip. Mom's response when I called her was "But the dr. said he was fine yesterday!" I explained " I know it's frustrating, but he didn't have bright green discharge yesterday. I have been in your shoes before & I understand where you're coming from; but I have to stick by my sick policy for the benefit of the other kids and yours."
She picked him up- one hour and 40 minutes later. I was not happy. Then, she calls me later & says she called and spoke to the nurse. She says "he just has an upper respiratory infection, no need for antibiotics, not contagious, & could have this discharge for two weeks. Kids are just snotty!"
So I told her if the dr. (not the nurse) wrote me a note stating he is not contagious in his current state of green discharge & upper resp. inf.; then I will watch him next week. Haven't heard back from her.
This mom seems to challenge EVERY policy I have; from bringing kids outside to play, to putting her baby on HER schedule (not mine), to giving him tylenol for low grade fevers, to having green discharge in the nose.
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Unregistered 02:03 PM 02-14-2012
I stumbled upon this thread after googling for my own daughter's being sent home from daycare. I have to say, I am glad I do not send my child to any of you who have posted in here. I am a teacher and have been in your shoes, wishing kids would just stay home.

Please think about the service you are providing to these parents. If they could stay home, I am sure they would. Most parents would love to stay home every time their child has a slight fever or a snotty nose. Yes, kids who don't feel well would rather stay home. As a working parent (who works outside of the home) and an employee, you have to be able to send your kids to a reliable person when they are not feeling themselves. Now, vomiting and high fevers, I am right with you. Those kids need to leave the center asap. But really, green snot?!? If you are requiring that child stay home, the parent could be forced to take a week off of work. For a cold. Really? I thought you called yourselves daycare PROVIDERS. Provide the care. No, it's not easy, but if you sign up to do it, hold up your end of the bargain.

P.S. Babies need to be on their own schedules, not yours. This is something called child development, don't know if you have heard of it. Read a book. I hope she found a new provider...
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Lilbutterflie 05:43 AM 02-15-2012
Originally Posted by Unregistered:
I stumbled upon this thread after googling for my own daughter's being sent home from daycare. I have to say, I am glad I do not send my child to any of you who have posted in here. I am a teacher and have been in your shoes, wishing kids would just stay home.

Please think about the service you are providing to these parents. If they could stay home, I am sure they would. Most parents would love to stay home every time their child has a slight fever or a snotty nose. Yes, kids who don't feel well would rather stay home. As a working parent (who works outside of the home) and an employee, you have to be able to send your kids to a reliable person when they are not feeling themselves. Now, vomiting and high fevers, I am right with you. Those kids need to leave the center asap. But really, green snot?!? If you are requiring that child stay home, the parent could be forced to take a week off of work. For a cold. Really? I thought you called yourselves daycare PROVIDERS. Provide the care. No, it's not easy, but if you sign up to do it, hold up your end of the bargain.

P.S. Babies need to be on their own schedules, not yours. This is something called child development, don't know if you have heard of it. Read a book. I hope she found a new provider...
Unregistered... I was a full time working mom for a LONG time before I was a daycare provider. I also was very aware that when my children were sick; it was my job to take off of work to be home with them. Not only that; but when I knew my children were sick; I WANTED to be home with them!! I can't imagine my child being absolutely miserable at daycare without the proper motherly care they needed. Being sick enough to stay home from daycare is a fine line; but for me when I was working; the rule of thumb was that if they were miserable (despite not technically vomitting or having a high fever), that means I needed to stay home with them. Did I get warnings at work for missing too many days? Sure I did. Did I sometimes have to work later on some days and sometimes on the weekend to make up for my lost time caring my sick children? Sure I did. But it was something I had to do because I was their parent and they needed me.

The service that I provide to parents and their children is very clearly stated on my contract; I am a WELL child daycare ONLY. If they are miserable and cannot participate in the activities of the daycare, they need to go home. Parents understand that prior to enrolling, and if they disagree then it means we are not the right fit for each other.

In regards to the green snot; there are many public schools I know of that also send home for bright green snot. It usually implies an infection and that is contagious to all of the other children. It's also in my contract; so she was aware of this prior to signing up. Plus in this particular circumstance, he was MISERABLE.

In regards to your last remark about baby schedules. Sure, newborns absolutely need to be on their own schedules. They need to sleep when they are tired, eat when they are hungry. Once babies hit around 5-6 mo of age; they start developing a routine of eating and sleeping at consistent times during the day. But this is where you have to try to imagine yourself being a daycare provider. This is the time when most daycare providers will start trying to put all of the older babies on the same napping schedule. Imagine taking care of multiple babies, all having their own consistent (but different) napping schedules. You would NEVER get a break, you would NEVER have time to go to the bathroom, NEVER have time to eat. You would constantly be caring for the babies b/c they were all on different schedules. These babies depend on YOU to care for their every need, but you would not be able to do that without any sort of consistent routine. In addition to that; babies THRIVE on routine. Once they are able to start napping, eating and playing based on a consistent routine; they are much happier babies.
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Angelwings36 05:53 AM 02-15-2012
Teething can cause:
Increased drooling.
Restless or decreased sleeping due to gum discomfort.
Refusal of food due to soreness of the gum region.
Fussiness that comes and goes.
Bringing the hands to the mouth.
Mild rash around the mouth due to skin irritation secondary to excessive drooling.
Rubbing the cheek or ear region as a consequence of referred pain during eruption of the molars.

Teething has not been shown to cause the following:
Fever (especially over 101 degrees).
Diarrhea, runny nose and a cough.
Prolonged fussiness.
Rashes on the body.

I do not give tylenol to children at all. In fact it states in my contract that children must be tylenol/advil etc... free within 6 hours before attending my daycare. In this way I am able to further avoid the dope and drop procedure.

I personally would not give this child tylenol even with a doctors note and I would add this to your contract. Change your policy on illness and have this mother read and sign it. If you have anything in your contract at all that states that children must be well enough to attend to all regular activities and this child is not capable of doing so due to fussiness, etc... I would exclude him for the day.

Good luck.
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meganlavonnesmommy 07:18 AM 02-15-2012
This is where a detailed illness policy is so important.
It doesnt matter if the dr said the kid isnt sick, sometimes kids are too sick to come to daycare, but not sick enough to go to the dr. This is when the parents need to stay home with them!

This is my illness policy
Health: To ensure the health of all children and adults in my home no child will be admitted to my home without proof of the required immunizations and a health exam. Your child will not be accepted for care at any such time that he/she has a contagious illness. All children will be visually screened upon arrival for any symptoms. Children with a temperature of 101 degrees F or higher ( or 100.5 with one additional symptom), vomiting, any rash other than heat or diaper, unless it is severe, complaints of a sore throat, greenish runny nose, eye discharge of any kind, complaints of severe abdominal pain, severe cough, cough with mucus or discharge, lice, unusual sluggishness or behavior will not be admitted for care. Any child displaying signs of illness will be separated from the group and the parents/guardians will be called. Parents must take immediate action to pick up their child. Child must be picked up within one hour of parents/guardians notification. Symptoms include but are not limited to those listed above. Parents will be notified immediately of any illness that develops while the child is in my care. If the parents/guardians are contacted the child will only be allowed back into my FCC with a doctor’s note stating that they are no longer contagious or have been without fever, vomiting, diarrhea or severe cough with or without mucus or discharge for twenty-four hours. Any child that does not meet the criteria for removal but is showing signs of not feeling well will be permitted to stay in my home as long as he/she can participate in normal activities.


Sometimes kids arent truly sick, but sick enough they just want to be home, snuggled up on the couch with mom or dad.

My licensing dictates that I ABSOLUTELY will not give medicine without a drs note. Even tylenol. The note from the dr must state exactly how much and how often the medicine must be given. It cant say "as needed", because its not my job to determine when medicine is needed. THat is too much of a liability. If its tylenol, the drs note must state "2cc's tylenol to be given every 4 hours", it has to be specific, and then I have the parent sign a waiver stating the last time they gave the meds, and I document when I give it and have them sign it at the end of the day. Most drs wont give prescriptions for tylenol.
So if the parent wants the kid to have tylenol, they can leave work and come and give it to them.


Unregistered needs to take a flying leap! Whe has a completely ingorant attitude and I can tell has no idea what running a home daycare is about!

EVERY provider I know excludes from care for green discharge from the nose. Yes it sucks for the parent, but we are not excluding from care so we can have a day off! It doesnt make us unreliable, it makes us responsible. We are excluding from care because the child is ill, and we are putting that child at home, where he belongs, and protecting the illness from spreading to the other children in care. If your child was the healthy one, wouldnt you want us to protect them from other sick children spreading germs to them? If you have a child in care who is ill and constantly fussy, they require more of your attention, which isnt fair to the other kids in care.

This is why working parents need to have a backup plan for when their child cant be in daycare. A friend/neighbor, who can watch that child if they are unable to take off work.

Stick to your guns and your policy, and dont let the parents push you around.
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MrsB 07:31 AM 02-15-2012
In Maryland the law is over the counter medications have to be once per illness, (except diaper rash cream, teething gel, and sunscreen), unless they are prescribed by a doctor. My requirements are: if it is prescribed by a doctor the medicine has to have a prescription label on it with the doctor information, the patient information, and the dosage instructions, in addition I require a seperate form with the same information and a date in which to stop the medication. I also have in my contract that if a believe a child has something where they need to see a doctor I can exclude them from care until they have seen by a doctor. As providers we also have the option to state in our contracts that you will not give medicine at all! I know some providers who do this and the parents have to come at such and such time and give the child their prescribed anitbiotic or whatever. A little overboard for my taste but a policy I certainly understand!

Because of all the recalls on over the counter meds for children/infants is the reason I require more than just a doctors note stating what to give them. I want the medicine to come from a pharmacy, even if you can normally buy it over the counter.

The reason I put the stipulation about me requiring them to be seen by a doctor is, I had a little boy that limped for about 2 weeks. His mom said he jumped off the couch one time and must have turned his ankle a little. I was really upset after the 2 weeks that this little guy was still limping and his parents wouldn't take him in. Eventually she did and turns out he did have a broken bone. When the doctors questioned her at first, she said that he must have done it at daycare and a whole investigation broke out. Eventually I was cleared. Mostly because one of my other dcms reported that one of the first few days he came to care with the limp she noticed it and asked me what happen, and I said that he came to care with the limp and few days before that.

I hope that it is teething and this poor little thing isnt struggling with the pain of an ear infection!
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Lilbutterflie 07:41 AM 02-15-2012
Originally Posted by meganlavonnesmommy:
This is where a detailed illness policy is so important.
It doesnt matter if the dr said the kid isnt sick, sometimes kids are too sick to come to daycare, but not sick enough to go to the dr. This is when the parents need to stay home with them!

Stick to your guns and your policy, and dont let the parents push you around.
I'd like to point out that this thread is about 2 years old; and give an update!! About a month after this happened we ended up parting ways. However, if you can believe it; I am still very good friends with this mom (she is my neighbor)!! This is where I learned never to do business with friends, neighbors, or relatives. I ended up telling her that I loved her as a friend, and b/c I knew this business relationship would eventually end our friendship I needed to give her a two week notice. She mutually agreed and found another provider. We are great friends (just don't really talk about daycare anymore!). She has gone through two providers since; both of which she tells me she has never had to sign a contract! Oh dear...

Yup, I agree about detailed illness policies. It was actually because of this situation that I now have a VERY detailed policy, one that states that a Dr. will never be able to write a note to override any one of my policies.
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MarinaVanessa 08:43 AM 02-15-2012
This issue is why I won't give medication at all. Well this issue and because I think that we as parents are quick to medicate our children to make our day easier. It's really not good to give children medication regularly especially if they are under 2 years old. It's so easy to over medicate and pain reliever is also a fever reducer which masks symptoms and if used regularly (such as every time that a child is teething) it can cause liver damage. Children under 2 really shouldn't be given a pain reliever/fever reducer unless a Dr. tells you to.

I've told so many friends and family who regularly gave their babies/young tots pain reliever for everything even if all they were was fussy and they all get it now. Medicine is ok to use when it's necessary, but not at daycare. My position is if they need a fever reducer/pain reliever then they aren't well enough to be at daycare.

PS: to the teacher. My DH has had to take off 7 or 8 days off of work since school started in August because my DD has had fevers at school (most of which I checked at home and was unable to get a reading past 99 degrees), had diarrhea and twice just because she complained about a tummy ache and was unhappy. He took the day off because I could not take care of her if I had daycare kids here and I didn't want to inconvenience all of the other families by closing my DC. He picked her up each time and cared for her upstairs and away from the other kids just in case she did have something so that none of the children would sick if she was sick. We never complained and we never thought twice about it. It is our responsibility as parents to be prepared for these situations. Kids get sick, it is my responsibility as a parent to take care of my sick child ... mine and my husband's. I don't send kids home at the smallest indication of sickness however when they have a fever of 100 degrees or more or any other symptom on the long list of symptoms for exclusion that LICENSING REQUIRES me to send a child home for, then yes the child will go home.
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wdmmom 08:49 AM 02-15-2012
If he is unable to participate in regular daily activities, he must go home.

If he don't feel well, wants to sleep all day, etc, he can't stay.

And if he has a persistent runny nose or a persistent cough, that's grounds for going home too.

Parents need to realize when to keep their kids home. To me it doesn't matter if there is a fever present or not. It's my call on whether they need to go home and it's stated in my handbook.

If you think he needs to go home, call mom and tell her. It's your daycare and your rules.
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daycare 09:03 AM 02-15-2012
Originally Posted by kendallina:
If she gives you a doctor's note, I would give the tylenol.

I don't have a policy about low-grade fevers, but if the child is not feeling well or cannot participate in normal activities, then my policy is that they have to stay home. My handbook says something like, "when children are not feeling well, they are mcuh more comfortable at home with mom or dad, not at child care...."

My own daughter is teething right now and she had a fever of 100.6 and has been fussy and just seems to feel yucky. And I know it's teething (well, I'm pretty sure), so it would suck to not be able to put her in care for today, but for her comfort, it would be the right thing to do.

I hope that helps, good luck!
I agree with this...
1. its need to be in your rules, if this is what you want.
2. If they can not participate as normal, they need to go home, also put in your rules
3. (my suggestion) don't give any form of OTC medication without written directions from doctor, along with diagnosis. I tell my parents, if they need OTC to function, they need to be home.
4. Go with what you gut is telling you.

Good luck..

oh btw... a temp that low could be caused from even being dressed to warm. that is not a temp for a baby.
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AnneCordelia 09:27 AM 02-15-2012
I don't administer OTC meds. My fever policy is that if it is low grade and accompanied by other symptoms of illness then they go home. If it is over 100.4 then they go home regardless of other symptoms.
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Childminder 09:32 AM 02-15-2012
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. This is a debate that will continue as long as children go to school or daycare. I only send children home if their fever is over 101 or if they are spewing out of either end. By the time symptoms show the child has probably gotten or given the virus from/to someone else. Nature of the beast so to speak. Tis true I'm pretty immune to the sickness that is passed around and have only had the stomach flu 3 times since 1998, a cold maybe once a year. I have no problem letting a child lay around if they are feeling bad, parents need to work, the day might just be a lazy day so to speak. We really don't have much illness here, the occasional cold or whatever. And bleach is used here to disinfect.
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MarinaVanessa 12:34 PM 02-15-2012
Originally Posted by Childminder:
I have no problem letting a child lay around if they are feeling bad, parents need to work, the day might just be a lazy day so to speak. We really don't have much illness here, the occasional cold or whatever. And bleach is used here to disinfect.
Same here all the way around, I think the point of the original post was that the child was fussy. I don't send kids home for a common cold, only if they get a fever. Again, because that's what licensing requires me to do. I'm not going to risk my license over a fever. As long as the child doesn't have any symptoms for exclusion they can stay ... or if the child is fussy and makes everyone around them unhappy then it's time to go home. I don't give any type of medication at all whatsoever, OTC or prescription. It's not the norm here but I do it because of the liability KWIM?
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momma2girls 12:38 PM 02-15-2012
Originally Posted by DanceMom:
I wouldnt take the doctors note unless the child was actually SEEN by the doctor. I had a child that was teething and had a low grade fever - so I kept her in care well the next day her temp was 102 - her low grade fever wasnt teething..it was Roseola. I don't give tylenol unless it is for pain only, I do not allow children to be dropped off with tyelnol in their systems either.

I also have in my contract/sick policy that if a child is extra fussy and cannot participate in normal activities and requires more one on one attention that they may need to be at home where they are more comfortable.
I have this same thing written in my contract. Plus if a child has a fever over 100, parents will be notified to pick up immediately.
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Tags:ear infection, fever, fever - policy, sick policy
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