Conditions that prevent attending child care

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Conditions that prevent attending child care

Your child should not attend child care if he or she is too ill to participate in the regular program activities or requires more care than staff members are able to provide. Talk to your doctor before allowing your child who has been ill to attend group care. Get assurance that the condition is not contagious or serious.

Keep your child at home when he or she has the following symptoms or conditions:¹

• Fever, irritability, lack of energy, trouble breathing, persistent crying, rash with fever or behavioral change, or other signs of severe illness
• Diarrhea or stools that contain blood or mucus
• E. coli or similar infection
• Vomiting two or more times within the past 24 hours (unless it is from a noncontagious disease and the child is not at risk for dehydration)
• Mouth sores with drooling (unless diagnosed as noninfectious)

Keep a child who has been diagnosed with any of the following diseases out of group care until a doctor tells you it is safe:¹

• Tuberculosis
• Impetigo
• Strep throat
• Scabies
• Chickenpox
• Rubella
• Whooping cough, also called pertussis
• Mumps
• Measles
• Hepatitis A

Immunizing your child can help prevent some of these diseases, as well as others not listed.

References

Citations

1. American Academy of Pediatrics (2006). Children in out-of-home child care. In LK Pickering, ed., Red Book: 2006 Report of the Committee on Infectious Diseases, 27th ed., pp. 130–145. Elk Grove Village, IL: American Academy of Pediatrics.

Credits

Last updated:	September 26, 2008
Author:	Debby Golonka, MPH
Reviewed By:	Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine, Michael J. Sexton, MD - Pediatrics
Editors:	Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA, Pat Truman, MATC