Child Development Lab

Health Policies

REPORTING ILLNESS OR A KNOWN CLOSE CONTACT (COVID-19)

Any individual affiliated with the CDL must immediately report illness, communicable diseases, and/or a positive COVID test result or known close contact to the CDL by:

  1. Texting or calling the CDL Scheduler cell phone at (608) 516-0402 to report the illness
  2. Emailing CDL Admin at childdevelopmentlab@sohe.wisc.edu

Illness and Exclusion Policies

  1. Illness and exclusion policies at the Child Development Lab are designed to protect the health and safety of all participants. A child must be kept home if there is any indication he/she is too ill to comfortably carry out the day’s routine (including outside playtime) or has other symptoms of illness.
  2. Each child, upon arrival at the center, must be observed by a staff person for symptoms of illness and sent back home if ill. Staff will record the health check on the daily sign in sheet.
  3. Signs of Illness that will result in a child being sent home until they are symptom-free for 24 hours:
    1. Fever of 99.8 degrees or higher (for children under 6 months of age) and 100.4 degrees or higher (for children over 6 months of age). Children should be fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medications before returning to school
    2. Strep Throat
    3. Diarrhea (three or more diarrhea stools within a 8-hour period)
    4. Vomiting (that is more than “spitting up” or mild digestive disturbances)
    5. The presence of nits
  4. Signs of Illness that may result in a child being sent home:
    1. Significant changes in the child’s activity level
    2. Excessive irritability
    3. Complaints of sore throat or stomach ache
    4. Inflammation of the eyes
    5. Rash
    6. Persistent coughing, discolored runny nose, and fatigue

Respiratory Illnesses

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) lists Common Respiratory Viruses:

Respiratory Virus Guidance

Respiratory Virus Guidance Chart from the CDC, depicting prevention strategies

The CDC recommends masking, physical distancing, and testing if an individual is presenting with symptoms commonly associated with Respiratory Illness.

The following symptoms may result in a child being sent home per the CDL’s Illness and Exclusion Policy, to prevent the spread of viruses and illness. Please monitor for symptoms such as fever, chills, fatigue, cough, runny nose, decrease in appetite, sore throat, vomiting, new loss of taste or smell, headache, muscle or body aches, diarrhea, and weakness.

Furthermore, the American Academy of Pediatrics offer guidance to help families distinguish between RSV, Flu, and COVID-19. 

COVID-19

If a child, family member, or staff member tests positive for COVID, they can return to the CDL once they are symptom-free for 24 hours. They will be required to mask for 5 days from the date of the positive test, when they return the CDL. For infant classrooms, universal masking will be in place for adults in the classroom, as children under 2 cannot mask.

 

Health Requirements for Children: 

Unless exempt based on religious beliefs, requirements for children are as follows:

  1. Each child under 2 years of age has an initial health exam not more than 6 months prior to nor later than 3 months after bring admitted to the school, and a follow-up health exam at least once every 6 months after admission.
  2. Except for a school-age child, each child 2 years of age and older shall have an initial health exam not more than 1 year prior to nor later than 3 months after being admitted to the school, and a follow-up health exam at least once every 2 years after admission.
  3. Families provide the child’s health history on the required “Health History and Emergency Care Plan” enrollment form, which is kept on file at the school.
  4. Families provide a record of the child’s immunization history, which is kept on file at the school. All children must be current in their immunizations.

Health Requirements for Staff: 

Unless exempt based on religious beliefs, requirements for staff are as follows:

  1. All staff and volunteers that work directly with children, shall have a health examination within 12 months prior to beginning work. The Health provider signed report indicates that the staff is free from any communicable disease which presents a safety or health risk to children, including tuberculosis, and that the person is physically able to work with young children. Staff and volunteers will update these records every 2 years. Staff will submit a copy of their current level of immunization records.

For any questions or concerns regarding illness or CDL Health policies, please contact (608) 263-4579 or email CDL Admin at childdevelopmentlab@sohe.wisc.edu.