HEALTH POLICIES

ILLNESS PROCEDURES
I do accept children with mild ailments. Please use your best judgment; do not send your child with a fever or a contagious disease. If you are in doubt, call and together we will make a joint decision. It is important to realize that if a child is unable to participate in the normal routine and activities of the day and/or needs more care than can be provided without neglecting the other children being cared for, that child must NOT attend child care. In consideration of your sick child and the health of the other children, Kids' Kingdom observes the following health policies:

FIRST: Please Contact us if your child is ill and inform us of the signs and symptoms of his or her illness. It is extremely important that we work together to keep our children healthy.
Please DO NOT bring your child if he/she has any of the following:

* Rash, other than mild diaper or heat-related rash.
* Temperature over 101 rectally or 100 orally.
* Diarrhea: More than 2 abnormally loose stools within a 6 hour period, or diarrhea accompanied by gastrointestinal discomfort. After third really loose stool, child must remain at home for 24 hours after last episode
* Infected Sores: sores with crusting, or yellow or green drainage which cannot be covered by clothing or bandages
* Skin Problems: Undiagnosed rashes with or without fever or other signs if illness. Child needs to stay home until gone or may return with a doctor's note stating the child is not contagious
* Eye Drainage/ Conjunctivitis (Pink-Eye): Suspected redness or discharge from one or both eyes. VERY contagious. Your child will need to be on medication for 48 hours or have a doctor's release before returning.
* Nose Drainage: Greenish discharge from the nose may be a sign of infection. Child needs to stay home until it's gone or may return with a doctor's note stating (s)he is not contagious. Clear runny nose or slight congestion may indicate allergies. Child may continue attending, however, medication given before child arrives may help control the symptoms and make your child's day more enjoyable.
* Vomiting: DO NOT bring your child if (s)he has vomited in the previous 24 hours
* Sore Throat: If mild, child may attend. Mediation given before the child arrives in the morning to lessen pain or to dry up sinus drainage may make your child’s day more enjoyable. If child's sore throat is accompanied by swollen tonsils or glands, white spots in throat, a fever, or if child complains of not feeling well or cannot swallow well, (s)he needs to stay home until symptoms are gone or may return with a doctor's note stating the child is not contagious.
* Flu: Displays flu like symptoms--fever, aches and pains, loss of appetite, crankiness, etc., child must remain at home until symptom free or may return with a note from the doctor stating (s)he is not contagious.
* Pediculosis (head lice): Child may return after (s)he has been treated with medicated shampoo AND ALL NITS ARE REMOVED.
* Breathing/Coughing: If the cough is minor, your child may continue attending. However, medication given before your child arrives may help control the symptoms and make your child's day more enjoyable. If the cough is consistent, chronic, deep, or hacking, it may indicate an infection. Your child needs to stay home until gone or may return with a doctor's note stating (s)he is not contagious. If at any time a child experiences difficulty in breathing, (s)he needs to be evaluated by a doctor.
* Contagious Illness: Any child with a contagious illness or who displays the symptoms of a contagious illness must stay home until symptom free or may return with a doctor’s note stating (s)he is not contagious

SECOND: If sent home due to illness, a child needs to be fever free without the aid of any fever reducing medicine such as Tylenol for a minimum of 24 hours AND free of ALL symptoms for 24 hours or accompanied by a doctor’s note to return back.

THIRD: A child that is absent for more than 3 days due to illness may be asked to present a doctor's note upon his/her return attesting to a clean bill of health.

Please notify me if your child comes down with or has been exposed to any contagious illness. This includes, but is not limited too, Strep, measles, head lice, pink eye, mumps, fifth disease, whooping cough, RSV, bronchitis, pneumonia, and chicken pox. Please notify me as soon as possible so that I may alert the other parents to watch for appropriate symptoms in their own children.

DISMISSAL OF ILL CHILDREN
If your child develops any symptoms while in our care, you will be notified and required to pick him/her up immediately. If we unable to reach you within one hour an emergency contact from your child's file will be called. (Please remember to always keep us informed of any changes in your home phone, work phone, cell phone, and emergency contact numbers.) In the meantime, ill children will be isolated and allowed to lie down while being reassured that someone will be coming soon to take them home.

COMMON COLD
Many children have a runny nose and cough during winter months. A child who is congested to the point where (s)he is uncomfortable eating and/or sleeping should not be in a child care setting. Please do not bring your child unless (s)he is feeling energetic and fit.

OUTSIDE PLAY
Weather permitting, the children go outside daily. If your child cannot go out to play due to illness, (s)he should remain at home.

MEDICATIONS
At Kids' Kingdom Family Child care, prescription medication will be administered to a child only upon written request by the parent or guardian. Please fill out our Authorization for Medication form.
* Parent must administer the first dosage each morning at home when possible. Kids’ Kingdom must be supplied with the medication in its original container. The label needs to have the child's name, the child's doctor's name, a current date, the correct dosage, number of times per day and number of days to be administered.
* Non-prescription medications such as Tylenol or cold remedies will be administered ONLY if you have a doctor's note printed on their prescription pad or stationary. We will not administer Tylenol or the like to treat or mask a fever.
Prescription medications must be current and prescribed for your child. Sibling medication can not be administered to other siblings.
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TOPICAL MEDICATIONS
Topical medications, which are not applied to open wounds, rashes, or broken skin, such as Balmex, Desitin, Vaseline, sun screen, etc., will be applied only with a parent/guardian's written request. An authorization for Topical Medication Form must be filled out and will be valid for one year.

NOTE: It is imperative that your child has been exposed to the topical ointment prior to our application to prevent any unknown allergic reactions.

STANDING AUTHORIZATION FOR MEDICATION
A standing authorization for a medication will be issued when accompanied by a doctor's note for a life threatening or chronic illness or ailment. At the beginning of each month, you must sign a new Standing Authorization for Medication form. This form lists all the information on the medicine label plus the exact times and dosages of each administration This form will be kept on file for a period of three years

In the event of an emergency when we need to administer non-prescriptive medicine (e.g., Tylenol for prevention of a febrile seizure) we will make every attempt to contact a parent prior to administering the medication. However, if we are not successful in reaching you, we will administer the medication for the documented diagnosis only.

PROCEDURES FOR EXTRAORDINARY ILLNESSES
If customized or unique procedures are needed to be administered or followed for your child, such as the use of an Epipen or Nebulizer, or any other specific set of instructions needed to prevent the onset of an illness (diabetes for example) instructions must be provided to Kids' Kingdom in writing. Kids' Kingdom reserves the right to refuse treatments determined to be beyond a care taker's responsibility.


ACCIDENTS/INJURIES
You will be notified of any injury or accident requiring first aid treatment through written report and/or telephone call. In case of a serious injury or accident, where the parent/guardians are unreachable, an emergency contact person listed on your child’s enrollment form will be contacted to make the medical decisions for your child.
If it is believed that the situation is life threatening, * 911* will be called to transport your child to the nearest medical facility and parents/guardians will be responsible for all costs incurred.

EMERGENCY PROCEDURES
Kids' Kingdom staff is required by the State of Massachusetts to remain certified in First Aid and CPR, geared to the care of young children. The procedure we follow in case of an emergency is as follows:
1. We take all complaints of illness or injury seriously.
2. We check child's emergency card for physician's name and number, hospital preference of parents, and any special instructions.
3. If it is a serious injury of illness or if the child has stopped breathing, we call 911, then parents, in that order.
4. Emergencies must be taken care of in this order:
     a. Breathing has top priority. Airways are cleared.
     b. Bleeding is stopped and has second priority.
     c. Lastly, after a. and b. have been accomplished, we treat for shock.
5. We do not move child if there is a possible injury to back or neck.
6. The child will continuously be reassured.
7. Ice packs are used and are located in the refrigerator freezer. On field trips, we use Instant Cold Packs.
8. Lastly, incident reports are completed in duplicate. One copy is reviewed and signed by the provider and the parent and kept in your child’s file, the other is sent home.

HEALTH REORDS
For Kids' Kingdom to remain with OFC regulations, written verification of medical examinations are required to be kept and always updated in your child's file. The following are required.

* A physical examination within one year prior to admission to Kids’ Kingdom or one within one month from your child's start date is required. This exam is valid for only one year and needs to be updated annually.

* Children must be screened for lead poisoning once between 9-12months and ANNUALLY thereafter until they are 4 years of age. For children enrolled prior to 12 months of age, documentation must be received before the child turns 13 months. Lead screenings may be obtained by your physician.

* Evidence that your child has been successfully immunized according to the current Department of Health’s recommended schedule is required prior to your child's first day.

* A Parent may not be required to show evidence by a physician statement of a child’s health or immunization record if the child’s physician submits documentation that such a procedure is contraindicated or if the parent objects, in writing, on the grounds that it conflicts with his/her sincerely held beliefs.

* Not withstanding the aforementioned provisions, a parent of a school age child may provide a written statement that the required information on on file with the child’s school.