PURPOSE
The purpose of this policy is intended to protect the interest of the sick child/adult and to prevent further contact with others.
POLICY
Kids Come First staff will greet each child as they arrive at the centre to ensure that each child is well enough to participate in the program. Children with signs of physical illness will be treated as infectious. In the best interest of all children at the Centre, a child should be kept home when s/he has any of the following symptoms:
- A cold that hinders day to day functioning
- An earache
- Digestive upset – vomiting/diarrhea
- A sore throat or trouble swallowing
- Discharge from eyes/ears/nose
- Fever
- Severe coughing
- Unusual spots or rashes or infected skin patches
- Loss of appetite
- Severe itching
- Seizure
- Difficult or rapid breathing
When a child is ill and cannot attend the Centre, the Centre must be informed by phone. It is also suggested that parents prepare and arrange for emergency back up childcare in anticipation of these situations.
The Child Care and Early Years Act requires that all children attending Child Care Centres must participate in outdoor playtime. If the child is too ill to participate outdoors then the child is too ill to be at Kids Come First.
Program staff are responsible for carrying out daily health inspections for any symptoms of ill health of all children as they arrive. The staff will follow the Department of Public Health’s Guidelines. During drop off, should the staff observe a child who demonstrates any symptoms of illness the parent will be requested to take the child home or to the doctor by the staff or Executive Director/Supervisor/Designate.
If the child develops any symptoms of illness during the duration of the program, the parent(s) will be contacted to pick the child up immediately. Parents are expected to pick up the sick child within the hour or make arrangements for someone else to pick up the child. This is for his/her well being and that of the other children. It is, therefore, essential that staff be able to locate the parent(s)/guardian/designate should an illness or emergency arise.
The child will also be isolated from the other children in the Centre until such time as the parent(s) or guardian or designate arrives. If the child exhibits signs of enteric illness (diarrhea or vomiting) the child must be excluded from the child care centre until they are symptom free for at least 24 hours. (E.g. If a child is sent home on Tuesday, they cannot return on Wednesday).
Upon registration, a written consent form is to be filled in by the parent, which authorizes the Centre to send a child to the hospital in the event of an emergency. Should a child require medication when s/he returns to the Centre, parents must fill out a “Medical Consent Form”. All medication must be prescribed by a doctor and in the original container. For more information, please see Administration of Drugs Policy.
Please note: A child may be refused admittance and require a doctor’s note if any of the following are noted:
a) unusual skin rash e) fever
b) heavy mucous f) discharge from eyes
c) red and/or irritated eyes g) unusual, infectious looking sores
d) diarrhea
All Children and adults exhibiting any of the must be off 24 hours from the last sign of the symptom unless it is a gastrointestinal illness (diarrhea) which requires child/adult to be off 48 hours .
If a child is absent due to illness for three (3) or more days or the child has a communicable disease such as Pink Eye, measles, strep throat, etc., a Doctor’s Note is required to accept the child back into the Centre.
Kids Come First does not require a note for a child who had been away with Chicken pox; however, we do require that a child not return until the spots have scabbed over. Depending on the illness or condition there are handouts available to be passed out to families for further information. (i.e. chicken pox, lice etc)
If a child is found to have nits or head lice, the child will be isolated from the other children and excluded from the Centre until treatment has been provided. All nits and lice must be removed from the child’s hair before they can return.
It is the Centre’s right to refuse a child’s admittance for any of the reasons outlined in this policy.
Outbreak Control Procedures
Staff will record in the daily log book any symptoms of illness. If there is more than one case of a similar illness, staff will inform the Executive Director/Supervisor/Designate who will notify the York Region Health Services, Infectious Diseases Control Division immediately if the one or more of the following conditions are present:
- Two (2) or more related children or staff with similar signs and symptoms of an infection or illness (i.e. in the same room or age group)
- Two (2) or more laboratory-confirmed cases
- If the number of ill children or staff exceeds what is normal in the centre within a short period of time.
Staff will work with the local Public Health Suspected outbreaks must be called into York Region Control of Infectious Diseases: Monday to Friday, between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. 1 (877) 464-9675 X 73588. After hours including weekends and holidays (905) 953-6478.
Kids Come First will communicate information to parents about communicable diseases and any increased or unusual illnesses maintaining strict confidentiality of the child’s identity. Families must adhere to the ill child policy in order to have their child enrolled in the child care centre.
Updated August 2025