It’s 10:45 on a Tuesday. Your phone buzzes, and it’s daycare. Your child has a fever, and you need to come get them.
If this keeps happening, you’re not alone. Almost every parent of a new daycare kid goes through it.
Every center has a daycare sick policy, and in New Jersey each one sits on top of state rules. Knowing those rules helps you plan your week and avoid surprise pickups. It also helps you compare centers on a tour. Here’s what the rules actually say, why the first year feels so rough, and how to plan for it.
Why kids get sick so often at daycare
The first year of group care often brings one cold after another. That’s normal, even if it doesn’t feel that way. Here’s why it happens.
Colds are part of being little
Most children get 6 to 10 colds a year, and kids in daycare often get more, according to Boston Children’s Hospital. Their immune systems are still learning. Group care means more germs to learn from.
The good news for later
The Canadian Paediatric Society notes that kids who went to daycare tend to have fewer colds once they start school. Many of those colds just come earlier. It’s cold comfort in February, but it helps to know.
What New Jersey’s daycare sick policy rules say
Every licensed center in the state follows the Manual of Requirements for Child Care Centers. The illness section, N.J.A.C. 3A:52-7.1, sets the baseline. A center can add stricter rules, but it can’t go below this.
Signs that keep a child home
A child with any of these signs can’t be admitted that day unless a health care provider says in writing that the child isn’t a serious risk. The list includes:
- A temperature of 101.5°F or higher by mouth (or 100.5°F or higher under the arm) along with behavior changes
- Two or more rounds of vomiting in 24 hours
- Diarrhea that’s twice as often as usual and looser, or any bloody diarrhea
- Red eyes with discharge
- A rash with a fever or behavior changes
- Mouth sores with drooling
- Hard, fast breathing or a severe cough
- Unusual tiredness, severe pain, a stiff neck, or yellow skin or eyes
When your child can come back
Once your child has no symptoms, or a provider clears them, they can come back. The rule also lets a center send a child home if they’re too sick to join in comfortably. The same goes if they need more care than staff can give without affecting the other kids.
Illnesses that need a note
Some illnesses are on the state’s list of diseases that must be kept out of child care. For these, your child can come back when one of three things happens:
- Your child’s health care provider writes a note that your child has been diagnosed and isn’t a risk to others.
- The center checks with the state or local health department and is told your child isn’t a risk.
- For chicken pox, you send a note saying all the sores have dried and crusted.
The 24-hour fever rule and midday pickups
You’ll hear about the 24-hour rule a lot. The New Jersey Department of Health’s outbreak guidelines for schools and child care say kids with a fever should stay home until they’ve been fever-free for 24 hours without fever-reducing medicine.
Why fever medicine doesn’t count
A dose of acetaminophen or ibuprofen can hide a fever for a few hours. It doesn’t mean the illness is gone. A child who’s sent in on medicine often gets sent home by lunch, and by then the germs have spread.
If your child gets sick during the day
Kids can go from fine to feverish in an hour. When that happens, staff move your child away from the other children to a separate room or area. Your child stays there, with an adult, until you pick them up.
There’s one other way back to the group. The director can talk with a health care provider by phone. If the provider says your child isn’t a serious risk, your child can rejoin the class.
How to plan for sick days in Paramus
Cold season is easier when the plan is made before the first fever. Start by asking for your center’s daycare sick policy in writing. Then use the questions below and build your backup plan.
Questions to ask about any daycare sick policy
- What temperature counts as a fever here?
- How long does my child need to be fever-free before coming back?
- How quickly do you need me to pick up if my child gets sick?
- Which illnesses need a doctor’s note to return?
- Can you give medicine during the day, and what form do you need?
Build your backup plan
- Add two backup adults to your pickup list who can leave work on short notice.
- Talk with your manager about sick days before you need one.
- Keep your pediatrician’s number and after-hours line in your phone.
- Split sick days with your partner so one person doesn’t cover them all.
How JJ Paramus Day Care handles sick days
We ask families to keep sick children home. If your child will be out sick, please call us to let us know. It keeps other children and our staff healthy.
If your child needs medicine during the day, our staff can give it following state rules. Your child’s health care provider must first fill out a medication authorization form. Learn more on our security and safety page and in our health and safety protocols.
Frequently asked questions
New Jersey Department of Health guidelines say 24 hours without fever-reducing medicine. Your center may add its own rules, so ask for its written policy.
At JJ Paramus Day Care, yes. Our staff can give medicine following state rules once your child’s health care provider fills out a medication authorization form.
Often, yes, if there’s no fever and your child can join in. New Jersey’s rules focus on fever, vomiting, diarrhea, and the other signs listed above. Ask your center how it handles colds.
Staff move your child to a separate area away from the other children. An adult stays with your child until you arrive. The center will call you to pick up.
Under New Jersey’s rules, you send the center a note saying all the sores have dried and crusted. Then your child can return.
Frequent colds are normal in the first year of daycare. New Jersey’s rules keep kids home with a fever, vomiting, diarrhea, and a few other signs. Most kids return after 24 hours fever-free without medicine, and some illnesses need a note first.
Ask your center for its written daycare sick policy, and set up your backup plan now. Have a question about how we handle sick days? Call us at (201) 500-2951, read our parent FAQ, or schedule a tour.
