Health and Sick Policy

Health and Sick Policy

Each family is responsible for informing the school of any allergies, disabilities, or phobias their child might have. A child who is not in good health (by decision of a teacher or the principal) must return home. In general, a child who is not able to participate in all school activities is not well enough to be in school.

When a child becomes ill during the day, the school will contact the parents. It is then the family’s responsibility to pick the child up within an hour.

Futuraskolan’s sick policy has been created in order to help parents determine when their child should stay at home or is well enough to attend pre-school. In order for a child to come to school, he or she should be well enough to participate in all activities and eat the regular food provided. When your child is sick, we would like for you to call before 8:30 on that day. If no one is able to answer you can leave a message. When the child is ready to come back to school after a sick-period, we would like for you to call on the day before and let us know that your child will be attending the next day.

General Sick Routines

If a child gets sick at the pre-school, the staff makes sure that he or she can lie down in a calm area to rest under adult supervision. The child’s guardian(s) or other emergency contact people will be called, and the child should then be picked up as soon as possible. In uncertain cases, the staff will contact the guardian(s) and together with them decide if the child should be picked up or not. The guardian(s) are responsible for researching, looking up and determining what a child’s illness or rash could be.

Good hygiene is the foundation in fighting illnesses. Continual hand washing is the most important measure for both children and staff in preventing the spread of disease. In the pre-school the staff has to make sure that the children wash their hands after using the bathroom, after outside play, after blowing their nose, after sneezing or coughing into their hand, and before and after eating.

Common Illnesses

Fever

Children with a fever should stay home. They can return to the pre-school after a fever-free period of 24 hours.

Colds (most often viral)

The common cold is mostly contagious right before it breaks out as well as during the first few days when eyes and nose are runny. After a couple of days of staying home, and when the general health allows it, the child can return even with some symptoms of a cold and/or cough.

Ear Infection (Not contagious)

The child should stay at home until the fever and pain is gone, usually two to three days if antibiotics are prescribed.

Strep Throat (Streptococcus Infection)

Strep throat is generally non-contagious after the first 48 hours of treatment with penicillin. The child should stay home until his or her general health is back to normal, usually three days.

Chicken Pox (Vattkoppor)

Chicken pox has a 10-26 day incubation period (most commonly 10-16). It is very contagious from the day before the blisters appear until all of the blisters are dried up, which usually takes about a week. The child is allowed to be in the pre-school with a couple of dried scabs but should NOT have fresh blisters.

Stomach Bugs, diarrhea and/or vomiting

With diarrhea and vomiting, the child should stay at home until he or she can digest food regularly again. The child’s stool should be normal for at least 24 hours. Generally if a child’s first symptoms of diarrhea show in school, the parents will be called after the second bowel movement.

Eye Infection

This is very contagious. Child should be 100% well. No crust or puss should be found in the eyes at all.

Pin Worms (Enterobius vermicularis, Springmask)

The parasitic worm is spread by contaminated hands and objects. The child can come back to school after having been medicated.

Head lice

The child can return to pre-school after treatment with any of the anti-head lice products found at the pharmacy (Apoteket).

Scabies

The child can return to pre-school after “Tenutex” treatment.

Herpes

Children with constantly returning herpes blisters (cold sores) can be at the pre-school unless their general health is affected.

Impetigo (Svinkoppor)

Blisters should be all gone before the child returns to the pre-school. They are partially brown and partially honey colored sores and scabs and are usually caused by the same streptococcus strain that causes strep throat, "Streptococcus pyogenes”. It may also be caused by “Staphylococcus aureus”. If a child has sores and scabs on their face, one might suspect Impetigo. It usually appears together with a cold. Impetigo should be treated with liquid soap and water. Wash many times daily so that the scabs fall off. If the infection is wide-spread, antibiotics will be prescribed. Sores should be completely healed before the child returns to pre-school.

Molluscum (a wart-like viral infection)

Molluscum are only contagious by direct contact with those infected. Once infected, it can be spread to various parts of the body by scratching the infected area and then scratching other parts of the body. Therefore, children who have molluscum should wear clothes on the infected areas to prevent the spreading of them. The child can still come to pre-school.

The Winter Stomach Bug (caused by the “Calici Virus”, vinterkräksjukan)

The winter stomach bug is VERY contagious. To minimize the spreading of it, children and adults must stay home 48 hours after the last symptoms. Good hygiene is very important to prevent the spreading of the stomach bug. If a child or adult gets sick while at school, they must wash their hands, forearms, and face with soap. They should also change their clothes. Any staff that assisted is required to change and/or wash any clothes or areas that may have come in contact with the vomit.

Unexplained Rash

It is the guardian’s duty to make sure that a child’s rash is non-contagious and of no harm to the child or others around him or her. If in doubt, the child should be taken to a physician before being taken to school.

Unspecific Signs of Illnesses

Some illnesses may cause the child to look and act differently. There may be unusual paleness, irritability, unusual tiredness or lack of interest. If the child requires more attention and care than our adult/child ratios allow and/or needs assessment by a physician, he or she should not be in school.

If your child contracts any communicable disease or condition, please notify the principal or your child’s teacher of the doctor’s diagnosis. A notice will be posted (without using name) so that teachers and other families can be on the lookout for symptoms.

Medication

In general we will not be administering any form of medication to the children. If a child is on any form of antibiotics or other short-term medication, it should be administered at home before and/or after school.