Health Care Policy and Procedures

The following health care policies and procedures are put in place to help keep our environment, children and staff healthy and safe.

Procedure for Handwashing:
Step one: WET – Wet hands first.
Step two: SOAP – Use soap, preferably anti-bacterial.
Step three: SOAP/LATHER – Lather well beyond the wrist … make lots of bubbles!
Step four: WASH – Work all surfaces thoroughly including wrists, palms, back of the hands, fingers and under 21 the fingernails. Rub hands together for at least 15-20 seconds.

TIP: Sing the ABC song once or twice ©.

When should hands be washed?

  • Prior to starting the workday at the center.
  • Prior to care of children.
  • Before preparing and serving food and feeding children.
  • Before giving medication.
  • After each diapering.
  • After using the toilet or helping a child use the toilet.
  • After handling bodily fluids.
  • After handling animals and pets and cleaning cages.
  • After handling garbage.
  • When soiled.

Staff and volunteers shall assure that children wash their hands at all the following times:

  • Before meals, snacks, or food preparation experiences.
  • After toileting or diapering.
  • After handling animals and pets.
  • When soiled.

Cleaning and Sanitizing Equipment:

  • Scrub all surfaces to remove any soil.
  • Wash the surface with soapy water and a single service towel then rinse with water and a separate single service
    towel. Finally, wipe with a bleach/water solution.
  • Equipment should also be cleaned with a bleach/water solution.
  • For Kids Club: Equipment should be washed with the disinfectant that the East Arbor Academy uses.
  • All toys and equipment are cleaned in a bleach/water solution monthly and also when equipment has come in
    contact with body fluids.

Handling Bodily Fluids:

HIV has been found in significant concentrations of blood, semen, vaginal secretions and breast milk. Other body fluids, such as feces, urine, vomit, nasal secretions, tears, sputum, sweat, and saliva DO NOT transmit HIV UNLESS they contain visible blood.

However, these body fluids do contain potentially infectious germs from diseases other than AIDS. If you have contact with any of these body fluids, you are at risk of infection from these germs.

Here are some guidelines for dealing with situations where contact with body fluids may occur. Following these suggestions should also help prevent the spread of the flu, colds or other communicable diseases.

  • Treat all bodily fluids as if they are infected with a life-threatening disease
  • Always use disposable rubber or latex gloves
  • When the job is complete, take the gloves off by pulling the cuff over the fingers then turn inside out.
  • Dispose of the gloves by sealing in a plastic bag before placing in a trash can.
  • Encourage anyone with a bleeding wound or nosebleed to apply pressure to their own wound or nose and cover
    their own wound with bandaging.
  • A first aid kit is always available. In the first aid kit you will find rubber gloves, a plastic bag, a diaper for
    serious bleeding, and bandaging.
  • Thoroughly wash your hands and other part of your body that encountered body fluids with hot water and soap
    even if gloves were used.
  • Disinfect the area where body fluids have been with a 1:10 bleach solution
    NOTE: If an employee is exposed to blood, a blood exposure report is to be completed.

All employees are encouraged to receive the Hepatitis B vaccine. The vaccine is provided at no cost to the employee. If the employee has declined the vaccine, and is involved in a blood incident, a new declination form and/or a consent form must be completed by the employee.

Controlling Infection
Sick Children – Please do not send a sick child to the program. Not only is it better for the child’s emotional and physical well-being to remain at home but a contagious child can affect the health of everyone in the program. If a child becomes ill while in the program, he/she will be isolated from the other children. A family member or designated adult will be contacted to pick up the child.

The following should be helpful in deciding when it is appropriate for your child to attend the program before, during and after an illness. These policies were written with the health of everyone in mind.

  • Change in behavior: If this is the only symptom, send your child to the program, but be prepared to be notified
    if your child has developed other symptoms and needs to be picked up.
  • Fever: If your child’s fever is higher than 100.4 degrees axillary or typanic then he/she should not attend the program until 24 hours after the temperature has remained normal (without fever reducing medication) and the child feels well.
  • Upper respiratory disturbances: A child with a simple cold may attend the program only if he/she is fully able to participate in the daily regimen of the program. If he/she is lethargic, please keep him/her at home.
  • Gastrointestinal disturbances: If your child vomits or has diarrhea, he/she should stay at home and may return after 24 hours of no vomiting or diarrhea.
  • Pain: A child who is in pain cannot be comfortable or adequately cared for in a child care setting; therefore, the child should stay at home until the pain has been investigated and the child feels well enough to return and fully participate in the normal routine.
  • Rash: if your child has any rash a physician must identify it. Your child can return upon documentation from a physician.
  • If your child has a minor illness or has one of the above six symptoms and you are unsure about sending your child to the program, please call the director.
  • If your child will be absent because of any of the above illnesses, please call the director. The staff will post a sign near the door to alert parents about any contagious diseases. To ensure confidentiality no names will be  posted.

The following is a list of illnesses that exclude a child from attending:

Disease/illness symptoms  When child may return
Fever of 100.4 degrees or above Fever free for 24 hours without medicine
Vomiting 24 hours symptom free (on regular diet)
Diarrhea- Two or more When stools are formed and symptom free
For 24 hours (on regular diet)
Nasal Discharge (yellow or green mucous)  Discharge is not thick yellow or green and/or if the child
has been on antibiotic for 24 hours.
Chicken Pox After all skin lesions have dried
Mumps After swelling is gone (~9 days)
Strep Throat After 24 hours of antibiotic treatment
Measles or German Measles Not earlier than 4 days after onset of rash
Pink Eye or Conjunctivitis When eyes are mucous free or on medication for 24 hours
Hepatitis A With physician’s clearance
Impetigo With physician clearance, after medication for 24 hours
and infected parts covered
Ringworm or Pin Worms After 24 hours of physician prescribed treatment and kept
covered
Lice When infestation and nit free as the result of treatment with a medicated shampoo
Scabies  After 24 hours of physician prescribed treatment
Unidentified Rash With physician’s clearance
Meningitis With physician’s clearance
Influenza With physician’s clearance or fever free without
medication for 24 hours
Roseola After rash clears
Hand, Foot, and Mouth When lesions heal and drooling ceases
Croup  After free of viral infection and child is no longer having
difficulty breathing

COVID

Please see written Covid Response Plan for
more detailed information. 

After isolation period determined from WCHD and after
all symptoms have disappeared; 24 hours of NO fever or
chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing,
fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste
or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, rash,
nausea or vomiting, and/or diarrhea.

Please notify us as soon as possible when your child contracts a communicable disease. Parents and other children will be informed of exposure to the disease. Your privacy is assured.

Your child should stay home if he/she does not feel well enough to participate in all group activities both inside and outside. Any time a child has been crying more than usual or complaining about discomfort for over ½ hour you may be called to pick up your child.

Dorothy’s Discovery Daycare Center, Inc. will report any accidents/incidents or changes in the child’s health to the parents. If the child becomes ill while at daycare, he/she will be comfortably cared for separately from other children until the parent can arrive to take them home. After leaving that child must be free of symptoms, eating a regular diet, and fever for 24 hours before returning. It is important that your child be well enough to
24 participate in activities and not be contagious. If an antibiotic is prescribed, your child may return after taking the medication for 24 hours, if they are feeling better and no fever is present. We know this may be an inconvenience, but we also know that efforts such as these to contain illnesses benefit all of us. All parents must have emergency plans established to care for ill children.