As parents with a sick child, you face a dilemma. Do I bring my child to childcare or keep him at home?
For us, the child’s wellbeing comes first and here the following questions are important:
– Is the child not feeling well?
– Is it crying more than usual?
– Doesn’t want to eat or sleep?
– Does it need more attention than we can give it at the time?
Then we think it is better that the child is collected.
Fever is not always a good indicator. It may happen that a child has a temperature but otherwise feels fine. In that case, the child could stay. Whereas a child without a fever may feel very unwell and be better collected.
If we notice that a child is unwell, we will call the parent(s). Depending on how the child is doing, we agree with the parent(s) that we will wait it out or that it is better that they pick up their child immediately because he or she is really too sick. When we think it is justified to let the child stay, we keep in touch with the parent(s) during the day. If things are better, the child can stay, but sometimes we ask the parent(s) to still collect their child.
As a starting point, we act according to “Information on Illnesses for/Preschool and Extracurricular Care” April 2018 from the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment.
