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Health
At enrollment
Each child enrolled
in the Center must have on file a record of a physical
examination and
documentation of state required immunizations.
Illness
Each day, upon arrival,
children will be observed by staff members to check
for early symptoms of illness.
According to NC state regulations, the Center may
provide
care for a mildly ill child who has a Fahrenheit
temperature of less than 100.0 degrees auxiliary
(under the arm)
and who is capable of participating in routine group
activities. Parent(s)/guardian(s) of sick children,
including those with fever [auxiliary 100.0 degrees
or more], vomiting, or diarrhea, will be notified
immediately to pick up their child within a hour.
If parent(s)/guardian(s)
cannot be reached, other people on the emergency
card will be contacted. Parent(s)/guardian(s) will
also
be called to pick up a child who is not able to function
in a group. A child who needs a lap all day needs
to be at home with a parent. In an emergency situation,
the Center will call 911.
Parent(s)/guardian(s) and
staff should notify the Center about absences
due to illness, reporting the
nature
of the illness and the expected length of absence.
Parent(s)/guardian(s) should notify the Center
immediately if a contagious disease or condition
such as chicken
pox, measles, impetigo, lice, etc., is suspected
or confirmed. Any suspected cases of contagious
disease identified at the Center will be brought
to the parent(s)/guardian(s)’ attention.
A child with symptoms may be sent home until the
parent(s)/guardian(s) can confirm that the illness
is not contagious. Suspected
and confirmed cases of contagious disease will
be posted in classrooms for parent(s)/guardian(s)’ information.
When your child has a contagious disease, please
refer to the Contagious Disease Policy described
later in
this section or consult with the Center Director
to find out how long your child should stay at
home.
Children who have been sent
home due to fever may not return to the center the
following day. A
child
may
return the following day with a note from the
physician indicating non-contagious diagnoses provided
the
symptoms have resolved. A child’s fever
frequently goes down in the early morning hours
but returns
by midday.
Such children may not return to the Center until
they are able to function in a group setting
and participate
in all of the daily activities.
Medication
The CHDCC will
administer medication to children for whom a plan
has been made and
approved by one of the administrative staff.
Because administration
of medication poses an extra burden for staff,
and having the medication in the CHDCC can
be a safety
hazard, families should check with the child’s
physician to see if a dose schedule can be
arranged that does NOT involve the hours the
child attends school.
Whenever possible, the first dose of a medication
should be given at home.
CHDCC will administer all
medications between 12:00 noon and 1:00 p.m. if the
parent or legal
guardian
has provided a copy of the state medication
form that is located in the Resource Room.
The medication
form
must contain the correct name of the medicine,
exact dates to be administered (including
year),
time to be
given, and the parent or legal guardian’s
signature. The medication must be placed in
the lock box located
in the Resource Room next to the refrigerator
or in the lock box in the refrigerator (if
required).
If
a child needs to receive medications during
the school day, the child’s teacher should
be notified and the medication schedule must
be reviewed
with one of
the administrative staff.. Any medication
left
at the Center
will be thrown away to
insure that the Center is meeting North Carolina
regulations.
As stated in the regulations, “when questions
arise concerning whether a medicine provided
by the parent should be administered, the medication
is NOT
administered without signed, written dosage
instructions
from a licensed physician or authorized health
professional.” Parents
or legal guardians may always come to the Center
and administer medications to their children
if they wish
to.
For prescription medication,
parents or legal guardians must provide the medication
in the original,
child
resistant container that is labeled by the pharmacist.
This label MUST include the following: child’s
name, name of medicine, date that it was filled,
expiration date, exact dosage to be given and
the name of the
health care provider who wrote the prescription.
For
over the counter medication, parents or legal
guardians MUST provide the medication in the
original, child-resistant
container. The medication MUST be labeled with
the child’s first and last name. The
Center is NOT able to administer any medicine
that doesn’t
give the exact dosage for the child’s
age and weight, without written consent from
a physician.
For
example, if the medicine states “children
under the age of two, consult a physician,” the
Center will NOT administer the medication to
any child under
the age of two without written physician orders
to do so.
Sunscreen Policy
CHDCC recognizes
the risks of exposure to the sun’s
ultraviolet rays and is happy to apply sunscreen
to your
child’s skin according
to the following guidelines.
- Each classroom
will have one bottle of sunscreen per
classroom provided by one of the Classroom’s
parents/guardians.
- Each parent must
sign a medication form giving permission for
the teacher to apply that particular
brand of sunscreen.
- Sunscreen will be applied
before going outside in the afternoon. It is the
parent/guardian’s
responsibility to put sunscreen
on his/her child each morning.
- Sunscreen will be
applied from the first of April until
the end of September.
The Division
of Child Development and the Health Department
define
sunscreen as a
hazardous material; therefore,
it must be stored 5 feet above the floor.
Insect Repellent Policy
It is
the parent/guardian’s
responsibility, if
you choose, to put insect repellents on his/her
child each morning.
- If you request the center
to apply insect repellent
not containing
deet, a weekly medication form must be completed
and signed monthly by the parent.
Contagious Disease Policy
Certain
illnesses, while not serious, can cause problems
in a day care setting.
As a general rule of thumb, if your child
is not feeling well enough to participate
in all
daily
activities (including outside play and
meals), s/he should remain
at home. If a child requires a level
of care that jeopardizes
the care and supervision of the other
children, s/he should remain at home. Here is a list
of some of
the most common problems and how the
CHDCC
handles them.
Chicken pox - If you suspect chicken
pox, keep your child at home and call
your doctor.
Your
child may
return to school when all of the poxes
have scabbed over, usually about 7 days
after
the appearance
of the rash, and s/he feels well enough
to participate in daily activities and
tolerates
a normal diet.
Conjunctivitis – If
your child has white or yellow discharge
from his/her
eye, you should take the child
to be seen by his/her physician.
If conjunctivitis (pinkeye) is diagnoised by a physician and an antibiotic
for at least 24 hours
before s/he can return to class.
Children with a watery discharge generally do
not need to be excluded from
the class unless there have been
other children in the class with similar symptoms,
but should be monitored
for signs of more serious illness,
such
as fever or rash.
Impetigo - Impetigo
is a very common and very contagious infection in
young children.
It
can be treated
with or without oral antibiotics. A
child who is being
treated with oral antibiotics may return
48 hours after treatment
has begun. Any moist skin lesions must
be covered by Band-Aids or clothing
if the child
is in
a group setting.
Children who are being treated with
an antibiotic ointment must stay home until
all sores are
completely dried
up.
Head lice -
Don’t panic!
Occasionally a child (usually one with a sibling
in public school) will
get head lice. We suggest that you
have your pediatrician prescribe
treatment rather than use an over-the-counter
treatment. Your child may return
as soon
as s/he has been treated and is free
of all lice and nits.
Strep throat - If your child has
strep throat, he may return 24 hours
after he starts taking
antibiotics, is fever free, and s/he
feels well enough to participate
in daily activities and tolerates
a normal diet.
Diarrhea - Any child
with diarrhea must be sent home immediately and
not return
to CHDCC
until
24 hours
after the last episode of diarrhea.
CHDCC defines diarrhea by any
of the following
three criteria:
- Stools that are too
runny to be contained by a diaper
- The inability of a potty-trained child to make
it to the bathroom before having
a stool
- Three or more watery stools, even if contained
by a diaper
- If a
health care provider sees your child, a stool
culture
is advised.
If the results
are
positive,
please inform one of
the Center’s
administrative staff
immediately so that measure can be instituted
to control
the spread to other children.
If you
are unsure if your child’s
illness is contagious or not, please
contact one of the administrative
staff so that they can look it up
in the health policies.
Hand Washing Policy
Most expert
agree that the single most effective
practice
that prevents
the spread
of germs in child care settings
is good hand washing. CHDCC asks parents
to wash
their
child’s hands
when they arrive at the Center and before they leave.
Center staff see that the children’s
hands are washed immediately before
and after eating; after using
the toilet or having their diapers
changed; before using water tables;
after playing
on the playground;
after handling pets, pet cages,
or other pet objects; and whenever
hands
are visibly
dirty.
Biting
If during the day a child
is bitten and the skin is broken,
an incident
report
is completed,
describing the incident. Parents
of both children involved sign
off on the advice that they consult
with their child’s
health care provider to determine
if testing or treatment is indicated.
Handling Children Who Become Sick
or Injured
A member of the administrative
staff or
one of the
child’s
teachers will call the parent(s)/guardian(s)
of the sick child. If this person
cannot be reached, s/he
will call the emergency contact
of a sick child. If necessary,
the Director or appointed assistant
will
give simple first aid and/or contact
the Village Pediatrics of Chapel Hill (969-9611) for medical advice.
Emergency Medical Care Plan
The
Director or appointed assistant
will determine
the course
of action in
a medical emergency, carry out
the plan, and determine how the
child
will be taken
to the
emergency room.
The UNC Hospitals, Hospital Emergency
Room (966-4131), on Manning Drive
will be used
in case of emergency.
If necessary, 911 will be called
and the South Orange Rescue will
be used
for transportation.
One of the
child’s teachers or member
of the administrative staff will
accompany the
child to the emergency room.
This person will ensure that
signed authorization is taken
with the
child to the emergency
room.
Policy on Smoking and Use
of Alcohol or Illegal Drugs
Smoking,
using or having illegal drugs,
and alcohol
use is prohibited when children
are in care. No children
should be exposed
to
tobacco
smoke. Inhaling
secondhand
smoke has been linked to
respiratory problems
in children. These children
are at increased risk
for developing
bronchitis, pneumonia, and
otitis media when they get common respiratory
infections
such
as colds.
Children
with asthma are especially
in danger of having their conditions
get
worse when
they are
exposed to cigarette
smoke. Smoking in rooms other
than those that children
occupy is not
a sufficient
remedy.
Smoke gets into
the ventilation system and
is distributed throughout the building,
there
no smoking is allowed at
any time in the Center or on its
premises.
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