Eugene’s Parent-Child Preschool

Illness

A sick child raises many questions:

• Should he/she go to school?
• She/he really wants to go but…?
• She/he is fine when on medication…?

If you have to ask these questions about your child, you should keep them home.  Bottom line, preschool is an active time.  Your child plays hard and must use his/her resources to learning, growing and working to get along with many other children.  If you were sick like your child, would want to go to a busy job where you had to interact with numerous other co-workers? Or, would you rather take an extra day to rest and refresh for the next day?  Also, would you want your well child playing with another child in the current health of your ill child?

If after asking the above you still are undecided if your child is well enough for school, here are EPCP’s guidelines to help control the spread of illness:

DO NOT send your child to school if he/she has:

• A 99.6°F or higher temperature.
• A sore, red throat with or without a fever.
• A cold with a hacking cough with or without a fever.
• Diarrhea or vomiting with or without a fever.
• Had a fever.  Keep your child home until the temperature has been normal for 24 hours.
• Chicken Pox.  Children are considered contagious with any sign of Chicken Pox.  Children should remain home seven days after the rash first appeared.  If after seven days the spots have not scabbed, the child should stay home until the spots all scab.

Please remember… children are sent outside every day.  Active, outdoor play is an important part of a child’s development.  Please dress your child appropriately for wind, rain, cold or snow.  If your child is well enough to come to school, he/she is well enough to play outdoors.  If you feel your child is too ill to go outside when dressed warmly, please keep him/her home an extra day to ensure complete recovery before returning to school.

To further limit the spread of infection within the classroom, please assist your child with washing hands immediately upon arriving at school.

Medication at School

If your child requires medication (either prescription or over-the-counter) during school hours, you need to provide the Teacher with specific written instructions on dispensing the medication and about the medication.  Please provide the following information:

• Child’s name
• Name of the medication
• Dose to be given
• Specific time to be given
• Specifically how the medication is taken
• Parent’s signature