When should I keep my child off nursery?
During their time at the nursery, especially during the first 3-4 months, children will invariably fall ill. Rejecting or sending children home for illness will always be a last resort, but there are some scenarios where it may be unavoidable.
Our nursery is equipped and staffed to care for healthy children. The nursery will not accept children into care if they are:
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Not well enough to participate in normal activities or require special attention because of ill health.
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Have or develop an illness or symptoms which require an exclusion period as outlined below under ‘Exclusion Periods’.
Exclusion Periods
The NHS provides guidance to parents titled "Is my child too ill for school?" (Link below)
There is also an exclusion table with guidance on a wider range of infections (Link below).
Vaccines
Vaccination is the most important thing we can do to protect ourselves and our children against ill health. They prevent up to 3 million deaths worldwide every year.
There is no exclusion period for a child who has just had a vaccine but they may develop a high temperature in the short to medium term and may need to be sent home.
High Temperature
/Fever
Children with a high Temperature should be kept at home until it returns to normal.
The nursery will contact parents to collect the child if their temperature exceeds 37.8°C. This is to give enough time for the parent to collect before the temperature reaches or exceeds 38°C.
We ask that parents make every effort to collect their child within 30 minutes of receiving the call or message.
Sickness & Diarrhoea
Diarrhoea and vomiting are common in adults, children and babies. They're often caused by a stomach bug and should stop in a few days. If a child has 3 or more loose stools in a day, we determine it to be diarrhoea.
We follow NHS guidance and insist that the child is kept at home for 48 hours after their last episode of diarrhoea or vomiting.
"The wider the range of possibilities we offer children, the more intense will be their motivations and the richer their experiences"
- Loris Malaguzzi (Reggio Emilia Approach)