ILLNESS/COMMUNICABLE DISEASE EXCLUSION POLICY

1. ILLNESS/COMMUNICABLE DISEASE EXCLUSION POLICY • Our Illness / Communicable Disease Exclusion Policy is based on Maryland Department of Health and Human Services. • Prior to enrollment, you must give the Center current medical and immunization records of your child. These records must be updated annually. Children without appropriate current medical records may not attend the Center. • 2. Children should be excluded from the center for the following reasons : • A. The illness prevents the child from participating comfortably in program activities. • B. The illness that results in a greater need for care than staff can provide without • compromising the health and safety of other children. • Certain symptoms in children may suggest the presence of a communicable disease. If your child has any communicable disease, please inform the center immediately so we can take the necessary precautions. • Children who have symptoms listed below should be excluded from the center : • Appearance / Behavior • Child looks or acts differently than usual; unusually tired, pale, loss of appetite, confused, irritable, difficult to awaken plus has oral temperature of 101˚F or above. • Cough & Respiratory • Difficult or rapid breathing, severe cough, high pitched croupy, wheezing sound after cough. • Diarrhea • An increased number and/loose stools in the previous 24 hours that cannot be • contained in a diaper/ underwear or toilet. • Eye/Nose Drainage • Red or pink appearing eyes/thick mucus or pus draining from the eye or nose. • Fever • Any child with a temperature of 101˚F ( oral ) and 100˚F ( armpit ) or above is • considered to have significant high fever. • Skin Problems • Undiagnosed skin rashes are possibly contagious. Be alert to rashes or sores with crusty, yellow or green drainage. Rashes with fevers can be serious & needed to be discussed with the child’s care provider. • Sore Throat / Earache, Sore throat and/or difficult swallowing, especially when fever or swollen glands in neck are present. • Unusual Color • Eyes or skin – yellow ( jaundice ) • Stool – gray or white • Urine – dark, tea colored • These can be found in Hepatitis B & should be evaluated by the child’s care provider.

2. cont… ILLNESS/COMMUNICABLE DISEASE EXCLUSION POLICY • Nausea /Vomiting, 2 or more episodes within the previous 24 hours. • Conjunctivitis (defined as pink or red conjunctiva with white or yellow eye discharge ) until the child has been treated on antibiotics for 24 hours • Impetigo, until 24 hours after treatment has begun. • Strep throat, until 24 hours after treatment has begun. • Head lice, until after treatment has begun and all his nits are removed. • Scabies, until 24 hours after treatment has begun. • Chicken pox, until all lesions have dried and crusted ( usually six days ). • Pertussis (whooping cough ), until five days of treatment with appropriate antibiotics. • Hepatitis A virus, until one week after onset of illness, after immune globulin has been administered. • REQUIRED CONDITIONS FOR A CHILD TO RETURN TO THE CENTER : • A child who has been excluded due to illness or communicable disease from the center • may return : • 1. When he or she is free of fever, vomiting, and diarrhea for a full 24 hours. • 2. When he or she has been treated with an antibiotic for a full 24 hours. • 3. When he or she is able to participate comfortably in usual program • activities, including outdoor time. • 4. A child’s physician signs a note stating that the child’s condition is not contagious. PRESCRIPTION MEDICATIONS and NON-PRESCRIPTION MEDICATIONS : Prescription medications must be in a container labeled by the pharmacy or physician with the child’s name, dosage, and expiration date. At least one dose of prescription medication must be given at home prior to child’s arrival at the center. Non-prescription medications must be in the original manufacturer’s container labeled with instructions for dosage and expiration date. Except for acetaminophen ( Tylenol ) and other topical medications, a staff member may administer only one dose of non-prescription medication to a child per illness unless a licensed health practitioner provides written approval for the administration of non-prescription medication and the dosage. All medications shall be administered according to the instructions on the label of the medication container or a licensed health practitioner’s written instructions, whichever are more recently dated. Please give all medications to your child’s teacher who will ensure proper storage and proper medication administration. Please do not send any medication in your child’s bag, cot pocket or leave any medication in your child’s cubby. No medication, prescribed or over-the-counter, will be dispensed without the appropriate Medication Authorization Form, completed and signed by the child’s parent/guardian and Physician.