For the upcoming school year we are encouraging parents to make a sick care plan before their child falls ill. Colds are inevitable at this age, so planning ahead for when your child falls ill with a bad cold is certainly worth everyone’s while.

Here at Growing Sprouts, we do our part to keep all of the children and staff healthy by allowing time for hand washing 2-3 times a day and by washing, rotating and sanitizing toys, ride-ons, instruments, costumes, markers, crayons, paint brushes, puzzles, rails, doorknobs/handles, soap/purell dispensers, changing tables, sinks, toilets, tabletops, chairs, carpets and other surfaces on a regular basis.

Mild colds with clear nasal drainage and congestion are one thing, but bad colds with green or yellow heavy mucous, wet or dry persistent cough, persistent sneezing, lethargy, etc. are another thing. We encourage parents to keep children home on “day one” of a fresh cold that appears to be less than 24 hours old, wherein the child is presenting symptoms that have been categorized above as those characteristic of a “bad cold”. Despite our ongoing efforts here, it is extremely hard to prevent the remainder of the children from getting sick when an ill child is sent to Growing Sprouts with a fresh “bad cold”. Furthermore, with the space that we have here at Growing Sprouts, we do not have the means to provide a child who is sick with a bad cold with the TLC that they deserve. So, as a courtesy to our other children, their parents and family (who often get sick, too, as a result of exposure) and our staff and their children, please do not send your child to Growing Sprouts within the first 24 hours or more after presenting the symptoms listed in bold above or any of the symptoms listed below. Thanks for doing your part in helping us keep everyone at Growing Sprouts happy, safe and healthy!

Coughs and Colds Colds are a common occurrence. However, there are some symptoms that warrant keeping a child home. These include, but are not limited to: bad cold with hacking or persistent cough, green or yellow nasal drainage, productive cough with green or yellow phlegm being coughed up. These symptoms may be present with or without a fever. If your child has just a cold, please notify us. We encourage extra fluids and proper hand washing. If there are cold medicines you know will make your child more comfortable, we will administer them with your written permission. Please do not expect a teacher to keep a child with a cold indoors. If your child cannot participate in the ordinary daily routine, he/she is probably too sick to be in childcare. Fresh air with proper attire is always healthy.

Fever Fevers are common in young children and are often a signal that something is wrong. If your child has a fever of 100.0 F or higher, please keep him or her home. If your child develops a fever of 100.0 F or higher while at the center, you will be called to pick him/her up. If your child's fever is less than 100.0 F, you will be notified and you may express your wishes to the staff at that time. Our policy is that your child must remain free of fever for at least 24 hours without the aid of fever reducing medications before returning to Growing Sprouts, and area pediatricians agree with this policy. This means that if your child is picked up at 3:00 p.m., but still has a fever at 6:00 p.m. or later, he/she cannot return to Growing Sprouts the next day. The 24 hours begins when your child's fever has broken and consistently remains in a normal range.

Diarrhea and Vomiting Diarrhea due to illness is highly contagious. If your child has diarrhea, please keep him/her home. If your child has 1 or more diarrhea episodes, or any uncontained diarrhea while at childcare, you will be called to pick him/her up. Please understand that germs from diarrhea can be spread through carpets, toys, swings and direct contact. It is very difficult to keep from spreading these germs to other children. If your child vomits while at childcare, you will be called immediately to pick him/her up. Please keep your child at home until 24 hours after the vomiting/diarrhea has ceased. When children return too soon, there is a much higher rate of recurrence and contagiousness.