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Child Care

Monitoring and Reporting Illness

Young children are more likely to become ill as their immune systems are still developing, they may not have received all their routine childhood vaccinations yet, and they are still learning about general hygiene, such as handwashing, and respiratory etiquette. Some illnesses are quite contagious and can easily spread amongst children and staff at child care centres.

There are many illnesses that are common amongst children. SMDHU recommends referring to the Common Childhood Illness Brochure for signs and symptoms of various illnesses and recommendations for exclusion from the centre during illness.

Parents or centre operators can also refer to resources available through the Canadian Pediatric Society for common childhood illnesses.

Monitoring for Illness

Monitoring for illness is also known as surveillance. Monitoring includes watching children and staff for signs and symptoms of disease and keeping a record that monitoring has been completed. Monitoring is important because if illness is caught early, it can help prevent spread to other people at the centre.

The daily health check is the daily monitoring for signs and symptoms of illness in children and staff, along with maintaining a record indicating monitoring is being completed. An illness tracking form or record gathers information on one page making it easier to see trends.  This helps the centre know when to take steps to prevent the spread of further illness. Daily health checks are a requirement under the Child Care and Early Years Act. The daily health check can be updated throughout the day as applicable. The record should include information on the following: 

  • Attendance and absence of children and staff.
  • Symptoms of illness noted.
  • Dates and times that the symptoms started (onset).
  • Time that the ill child was picked up from the centre or the ill staff member went home.
  • Date and time that the child returned to the child care centre.

Respiratory illness includes symptoms involving the respiratory tract. Symptoms to monitor for may include: 

  • Fever
  • Cough
  • Runny nose
  • Nasal congestion
  • Sore throat
  • Chills
  • Muscle aches
  • Fatigue 
  • Poor appetite
  • Children may occasionally also experience diarrhea

Enteric illness includes symptoms involving the gastrointestinal tract. Symptoms to monitor for may include:

  • Nausea 
  • Stomach aches/ abdominal cramps
  • Fever
  • Loss of appetite 
  • More than 1 episode of vomiting and/ or diarrhea that is not attributed to another cause (i.e. medication or change in diet)

If a child or staff member begins experiencing symptoms of illness while at the centre the following should be considered: 

  • Refer to the centre’s policy regarding illness
  • Isolate the child away from other children and staff. The child must be supervised and cared for while awaiting pick up.
  • Parents/ guardians should be called to pick up their child as soon as possible. Remind parents of exclusion period based on symptoms. Any child who has a fever or is unwell and unable to participate in activities should be kept at home until they are feeling better. 
  • Keep the child comfortable, provide disposable tissues and encourage hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette (covering coughs and sneezes).
  • Increase ventilation (e.g. open the windows) if it can be done safely.
  • Appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) must be available to staff providing care to the sick child. Once the child leaves the centre, the PPE can be removed and disposed of. Remember to practice hand hygiene after taking off PPE.
  • Clean and disinfect the isolation area.

Biting incidents at a child care centre can be a very emotional experience for children, parents and the child care staff involved due to the very small risk of transmitting blood borne diseases such as Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and other skin infections.  These infections are rare in children.

Before a Bite Happens

  1. Ensure your facility has written policies for managing child and staff exposures to blood and bodily fluids, including bites.
  2. Ensure staff have received training for proper care of bite wounds.
  3. Ensure first aid equipment is readily available.
  4. Ensure staff are immunized against Hepatitis B.

The following are the recommended steps that should be taken after a biting incident occurs at your facility:

  1. Provide the appropriate first aid
    a) Wash the bite thoroughly with soap and water. If the wound is bleeding, gloves should be
        used.
    b) Try to rinse the mouth of the biter

  2. Seek the appropriate medical attention if necessary.
  3. Contact the parents/guardians of those involved in the incident as soon as possible (preferably within two hours of the incident). Enquire if their child is currently infected with Hepatitis B, C or HIV.  Remember to keep information confidential within each child/family. 
  4. If either child has Hepatitis B, C or HIV, report the incident to the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit immediately for further direction.
    a) Clinical Services, Sexual Health Program at 705-721-7520 ext. 8376

 

Please ensure you have the following information available prior to calling the health unit: 

  • The names, addresses and phone numbers of the individuals in the incident
  • Contact information for the parent/guardian
  • Date of the incident
  • Location on the body where the bite took place

Reporting Diseases of Public Health Significance

Some illnesses are reportable to the health unit under the Health Protection and Promotion Act. If a child or staff member has been diagnosed with an illness, the centre should refer to the Diseases of Public Health Significance list to determine if the illness is reportable to the health unit. If the diagnosed illness IS listed, the centre must do the following:

  • Complete the DPHS Notification Form and submit to SMDHU via one of the following confidential methods: 
    • Fax to 705-733-7738
  • Contact the Infectous Diseases Team to verbally report the diagnoses:
    • During regular business hours: 705-721-7520 ext. 8809
    • After hours emergency on-call : 1-888-225-7851

If the diagnosed illness is not on the list, reporting is not required.  If you have any questions regarding a reportable or non-reportable disease, please contact the Infectious Diseases Team during regular business hours at 705-721-7520 ext. 8809.

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