When your child wakes up sick with a fever or runny nose, you wonder if you should keep him or her home or send the child to daycare. By not knowing your childcare provider's policies and procedures on illnesses, you may get turned away when you bring your child to the provider. Here are some things to know so that you can decide whether or not to send your sick child to daycare or not.

Symptom-Free Policy

While daycare illness policies vary from state to state, most policies contain the "symptom-free" rule. This means that in order for your child to be able to return to his or her daycare facility, he or she needs to be symptom-free for 24 hours. Symptoms that are typically covered include fever, diarrhea, rash, cough, vomiting, conjunctivitis, and head lice.

This policy is put into place to ensure both the health and safety of the other children and staff who work in the daycare center as well as for the child who is sick. Keeping your child home for an extra day will help ensure that the fever does not return and that the child can rest so that he or she feels well enough to participate in the daycare activities. 

Physician's Note

In addition to the "symptom-free" rule, some daycare providers require a doctor's note before a sick child can come back to the daycare center. For example, if your child has an allergic reaction to something, he or she may develop a rash.

The appearance of the rash may look similar to a contagious or communicable illness that may endanger the safety of other people in the daycare facility. The physician's note will let the childcare providers know that that rash is caused by an allergic reaction and that the child's condition is not contagious and that he or she should be allowed back into daycare.

It is important to note that in order for your child's pediatrician to write a note, your child may need to undergo diagnostic testing to confirm that the rash is not caused by a contagious or serious illness. 

If you have a toddler in daycare, be sure to talk to an administrator to learn about their sick policies. If the daycare facility does not have a policy in place, simply use your discretion. If your child is running a fever, vomiting, lethargic, coughing, exhibiting an unidentified rash, or otherwise feeling unwell, do not send him or her to the daycare center.