How illness policies are set
Licensed centres in Ontario follow illness and exclusion policies shaped by their local public health unit, in our area the Region of Waterloo Public Health. The aim is to protect a room full of young children, who share everything, while being fair to working families.
Every centre gives parents its policy in writing. It will spell out when to keep a child home, when a child will be sent home, and when they can return. Read it early so a sick morning is not a guessing game.
Common reasons to keep a child home
Most policies share a core set of symptoms that mean staying home. The general principle is simple: if a child is too unwell to take part in the day, including outdoor time, or has symptoms that spread easily, they stay home.
- Fever, until it has resolved without fever-reducing medicine
- Vomiting or diarrhea, until symptoms have settled for a set period
- A new, unexplained rash until a cause is known
- Symptoms of a communicable illness identified by public health
- Being too unwell to take part in normal activities, including going outside
Specific illnesses and returning
Some illnesses have their own exclusion periods. Hand, foot and mouth, pink eye, strep, and others have guidance from public health on when a child can return, sometimes after a number of symptom-free hours and sometimes after starting treatment. Head lice generally does not require exclusion once treatment has begun, though policies vary.
When in doubt, call the centre and your health provider. A good centre would rather you ask than guess, and they will tell you their specific return rule for the illness in question.