Health, Safety & Security

Sick Policy
The primary aim of RDC is to protect your child to the greatest degree possible. Health checks are done every day as each child enters the center. The check consists of observing the child’s general appearance, feeling body temperature, and observing the skin for rashes or obvious signs of illness. After this check, RDC staff may determine not to accept a child for that day. If a child should seem extremely fatigued or ill during the day, RDC will notify the parent to pick up the child. We are not equipped to care for sick children. If this is your child’s first group experience, it is quite possible that he or she will have more illnesses than before. We are counting on the cooperation of parents in keeping children home who are ill, or who seem unusually fatigued, or show symptoms of possible illness.

When a child becomes ill with a communicable disease or anything the Center for Disease Control deems contagious, the parent should notify the Executive Director immediately so that the center can notify other parents of their child’s exposure. In many circumstances, illnesses are most contagious prior to the child exhibiting any signs. As such, RDC asks that parents notify the center regardless of when the child first became ill.

Conditions for Exclusion from RDC
The Executive Director will notify families of children exposed to contagious illness at RDC. Parents are required to notify RDC within 24 hours of any serious illness in the family, including diagnosis and cause of illness. This required even if the child is kept at home or if it is a sibling or parent who is ill.

The following is a list of infectious diseases or symptoms that will require exclusion of a child from RDC.

• Fever greater than or equal to 100.5 degrees F
• Severe abdominal pain, vomiting, or diarrhea
• Skin rashes (until diagnosed and treated)
• Epiglottises
• Hepatitis
• Chicken Pox
• Measles or Rubella
• Mumps
• Tuberculosis
• Whooping Cough
• Giardia
• Conjunctivitis
• Ringworm
• Lice or nits
• Strep Throat

In addition to the above, if your child exhibits any of the following symptoms, RDC asks that the child not participate in the program.

• A painful, red throat, even if fever is not present
• A deep, hacking cough
• Difficulty breathing or untreated wheezing
• Complaints of stiff neck and headache accompanied by other symptoms
• Yellow discharge from the eyes
• An unusual yellow coloring of the skin or eyes
• Cuts or openings on the skin that are pus-filled or oozing

Once a child is treated and is not contagious, assuming the child is feeling fit to participate in the daily activities, the child may return to care.

Picking up a sick child
If your child develops any of the listed symptoms after arriving at RDC, you will be called to pick up your child. In order to minimize the other children’s exposure to illness, when you are notified to pick up your sick child, you must do so within 45 minutes. (Please note: sick children must be isolated from the other children and RDC staff is not staffed to provide sick childcare.) If your child is not picked up in the allocated 45 minutes after you or your office is notified, you will be charged according to the late pick up charges described above which will be payable immediately. Staff will make every effort to make your child comfortable until you arrive.

If staff is unable to reach a parent/guardian, the staff will contact those people authorized to pick up the child from RDC. Remember, it is always the parents’ responsibility to be available or have someone available to care for their child should he or she becomes ill at daycare.

Return to the Center
Generally, a child who has been ill cannot return to RDC until 24-48 hours after initial treatment with medication, if appropriate. In addition, the child must be fever-free and no longer showing symptoms of illness. The Executive Director will consult with the County Health Department or a health consultant as needed. The final decision as to whether a child may return is at the discretion of the Executive Director or Assistant Director. In certain situations of illness, the Executive Director may require a written note from a physician before allowing the child to return to care.

Medical Emergencies
In the event of an accident or medical emergency requiring immediate treatment, a staff member will perform first aid and/or CPR while another staff member calls 911 immediately. A third staff member will then contact the parents and the child’s physician. In an urgent situation, RDC top priority is to ensure that the child’s immediate medical needs are treated.

Security
Rainbow Daycare utilizes secured doors on all entrances into the center and classrooms. At the time of enrollment, RDC will provide parents with the codes to access the center. The door codes are confidential. RDC asks that parents do not share with anyone who is not a current family or an authorized person to pick up a child of Rainbow Daycare. Maintaining the integrity of the door codes is essential to the health and safety of the children, as such, the door codes may change periodically.

Emergency Plan
RDC posts the emergency plan in each classroom and in the office of the center. RDC staff trains continuously on the evacuation procedures of the center and the children participate in regular evacuation drills. Each classroom is equipped with an emergency backpack that includes a First Aid kit and other items that would be essential in an emergency. In the case of an emergency, the staff’s first priority is to ensure the health and safety of every child and staff member. Following, staff will begin to contact each family and arrange for pick up of the child. The current evacuation plan calls for the center personnel to evacuate to Roosevelt Park.