What is your policy if my child is sick?

Our illness policy is in place to ensure the health and safety of all children and staff at Playto. If your child becomes sick or shows signs of illness while at the center, we will call you to pick them up so they can go home, rest, and recover. We know it can be hard to drop everything, but it’s important to minimize exposing other children to what might be contagious and to give your little one the comfort and care they need. When we call, we’ll explain the symptoms we’re seeing and discuss next steps. We ask that you (or an emergency contact) arrive as soon as possible in these cases; in the meantime, we’ll keep your child comfortable in a quiet area with a familiar teacher watching over them.

Before your child can return to Playto, they must be symptom-free for at least 24 hours without the aid of fever-reducing or other medications. “Symptom-free” means that if they had a fever, the fever is gone; if they were vomiting or had diarrhea, those have stopped; if they had heavy congestion or excessive cough, those have significantly improved; etc., all for a full 24 hours. For example, if we send a child home on Tuesday with a fever, the earliest they could come back would be Thursday (provided they’ve been fever-free all day Wednesday). In some cases, we might require a doctor’s note to return, particularly if the illness was severe or there’s a question about contagion. For instance, if your child is diagnosed with strep throat or pinkeye, we usually need them to be on antibiotics for 24 hours and have a doctor’s clearance before coming back. We’ll give you all those details specific to the illness at the time.

We adhere to common childcare health guidelines and any applicable local health department regulations regarding illnesses. We also communicate with other families as appropriate (never using names) if there’s a case of a communicable illness, so everyone can watch for symptoms. Ultimately, the policy exists to keep everyone healthy. We ask families to err on the side of caution – if your child is clearly unwell in the morning (feverish, vomiting, very lethargic), please keep them home and let us know. We’ll be happy to welcome them back once they’re better. We maintain a clean environment and practice frequent handwashing to curb the spread of germs, but robust illness policies and cooperation from parents are key parts of that effort. If you have any questions about the guidelines or if you’re unsure whether your child is ready to return, just give us a call. We’re happy to advise and we truly appreciate your help in keeping our community healthy.