We will inform you of any contagious disease or condition occurring in your child’s group, with a printed notice next to the sign-in sheet. As part of the enrollment process, parents are required to sign a Medical Emergencies Consent Slip, which provides the Center with information concerning the child’s physician, drug and medication allergies as well as a medical release. Parents must notify the Center immediately of changes in emergency and identification information, including a change of physician.

Sick Child Policy:  When in doubt about your child’s health, keep him/her home. Please remember that the teachers and other children may catch the illness that an ill child may bring to school. Keep your child home if s/he:

• is in the first three days of a cold
• has a sore throat
• has had a temperature greater than 100°, with or without other symptoms, in the past 24 hours
• has lice
• has been vomiting in the past 24 hours
• has had diarrhea in the past 24 hours
• has impetigo (strep or staph infection on the skin)
• has an untreated conjunctivitis (“pink eye”)
• has any unidentified rash
• or any other contagious disease or condition

Please notify your child’s teacher if your child has not been feeling well, or is acting “out of sorts.” Additionally, a green nasal discharge may indicate an infection requiring treatment by a physician. Please notify your child’s teacher or the office if your child has contracted any of the above-mentioned conditions.

If your child becomes ill while at school, you will be contacted to discuss the symptoms and you may be asked to take the child home within one hour. Your child may return to class after s/he is free of the above symptoms for 24 hours and can fully participate in the classroom’s daily activities. If your child has a fever, s/he may not return to the Center until s/he has been fever-free without the aid of fever reducing medicine for 24 hours.

Medication:  We understand that children will occasionally need to take medicine at school. Your child’s Teacher will administer the medicine; however, you are required to complete a Parent Consent for Administration of Medications and Medication Chart, and only medication in its original bottle will be dispensed. Blank forms can be found on the website as well as in each classroom. Center staff will administer medication only once per day. If a child needs to receive medication more than once in 6-8 hours, the child must be kept home.

Some medications, such as eye drops, might be challenging or inappropriate for staff to administer to younger children for safety reasons. CCC staff reserve the right to request parents or guardians to administer medications that may require some sort of restraint in order to ensure safety and reduce the risk of injury (emotional or physical) to any child in our program.

No over the counter medication will be given to any child unless directed and approved by the physician with clear instructions for administration. The physician should prescribe specific amounts and intervals for a specific condition before any medication is administered. If your child has a chronic medical condition, you will need to have a Parent Consent for Administration of Medications and Medication Chart on file with the Center.

MEDICATION REMINDER: Please do not send medication of any kind in your child’s lunch. Medication in its original bottle, labeled with your child’s name and dosage, should be given to your child’s Teacher, who will place it in a locked box, either on or inside the refrigerator.

Sunscreen Policy: Many families are concerned about the level of sun exposure their children have during the day. The CCC strives to create areas of shade for children to play and to monitor levels of sun and heat, especially during the summer months. We take care to avoid going outside during the hottest times of the day when the UVB/UVA rays are the strongest, and observe children carefully to prevent overheating, burning, and prolonged exposure to the sun.

The CCC encourages families to bring hats, sunglasses, and consider protective clothing (long sleeves/pants) as an alternative or in addition to sunscreen application. We suggest that parents consider the benefits and risks for their individual child’s needs when choosing protection from the sun.

If families wish for their children to wear sunscreen as an additional preventive measure, it must be applied by the parent before school. Sunscreen will only be applied to children by the CCC staff after water play, with signed consent from the parent/guardian, and using a sunscreen brought from home.

Parents requesting regular re-application of sunscreen in the afternoons will need to provide a signed note from their pediatrician with specific instructions for application.

IMS Plan (Incidental Medical Services)

The Children’s Center at Caltech (CCC) will be as inclusive as possible, including integrating children with various on-going medical conditions into our daily routine. The following plan outlines what our procedures are for the four conditions we currently accommodate.

1. We can accommodate children with anaphylaxis (severe, potentially life threatening allergies), asthma (chronic lung disease that impairs breathing), febrile seizures (seizure associated with a high body temperature) and eczema (inflammation of the skin).
2. Personal plan of care procedures will be kept for each child with one of the above conditions provided by doctor or parent using the LIC 9221 form and instructions for when and how to administer medication (simple forms to provide instructions for asthma and food allergies can be found on our website).
3. Epi-pens, inhalers, nebulizers, and doctor prescribed medications are kept in the emergency lock box on top of the refrigerator in each classroom with a copy of instructions for administration. Expired medications will not be stored.
4. All of our staff is certified in pediatric first aid and CPR. This training includes use of the Epi-pen and the nebulizer. A CPR/First Health Advocate Training Instructor trains all staff.
5. The low ratios as well as high rate of training ensure that adequate trained staff are available in the event that IMS care is needed.
6. We ensure that proper safety precautions are met including the wearing of gloves in the event of exposure to bodily fluids, proper hand cleaning following glove removal, safe disposal of all relevant materials.
7. In case of a disaster that requires us to vacate the facility, we bring the emergency back pack with us. For class trips, the teachers carry the backpack with any needed medical supplies.
8. Following an IMS occurrence, treatment is logged in the medical record book (LIC9221) and parents are notified by phone.
9. Serious incidents will warrant a call to 911, and any change in this plan will be reported to our licensing office and an Unusual Incident Report (LIC624B) will be filed.

Immunizations: The State of California has enacted a new law regarding immunizations, Senate Bill 277, requiring all children enrolled in California schools, public or private, to be immunized according to the California Department of Public Health.

Starting January 1st, 2016, all children attending the CCC must be vaccinated according to the schedule put forth by the California Department of Public Health, or on track to completing this schedule per their most recent immunizations. Personal Belief Exemptions previously received will no longer be valid moving forward from this date. If we do not have a current vaccination record for your child demonstrating the most current immunizations received, it will affect your enrollment at the CCC.

Medical exemptions will be accepted if they meet the following guidelines: a parent or guardian must submit a written statement from a licensed physician (M.D. or D.O.) which states that the physical condition or medical circumstances of the child are such that the required immunization(s) is not indicated, include which vaccines are being exempted, whether the medical exemption is permanent or temporary and the expiration date, if the exemption is temporary. Children with a medical exemption from the recommended immunization schedule may be excluded from care if a vaccine-preventable disease occurs to which children are susceptible.

CCC immunization records must to be kept up to date in each child’s file every quarter. It is the parent’s responsibility to provide CCC with a current record of their child’s immunization. Updates should be provided to the office directly.

Car Seat Law:  We also remind you to use child safety seats (car safety seats or booster seats) for all children up to 8 years of age or under 4’ 10”, and to use safety belts at all times. Children under two must be in a rear facing car seat.