Roll it out this week
Four days: write it, send it, teach it to staff, post it at the door.
Free template · Built for directors
Daycare sick policy template, written in 2 minutes
Set your center’s fever, pickup and return rules once. Get your full sick policy, the letter to families, a text message and a front door sign, ready to download and send before cold and flu season hits your rooms.
10-page kit you can type into · Parent handout
Free to useYour numbers, your center’s nameBuilt on national health guidance
The short version: what a daycare sick policy covers
- When a child stays home or goes home: a fever with a change in behavior, vomiting 2 or more times in 24 hours, diarrhea that can’t be held in a diaper, a rash with fever, or a child too unwell to take part.
- Your fever number: many centers use 100.4°F; national guidance uses above 101°F with a behavior change. Babies under 2 months: 100.4°F means a call home and to the doctor.
- The pickup window: how fast a family must come after your call, and who you call next.
- When a child comes back: for example 24 hours fever-free without fever medicine.
- Medicine, tuition on sick days and staff: written down once, applied to every family the same way.
Free tool · 2 minutes
Write your daycare sick policy in 2 minutes
Set your center’s rules once. Your full policy, the letter to families, a text message and the front door sign are written for you, ready to download and send.
1Your center
2Your rules
Nothing you type here is saved or sent. Check every number against your state’s licensing rules.
Updates as you type
Next: get it signed. Upload this policy to My Kid Reports Paperwork and send families one link. They e-sign on their phone and every signed copy files itself to the child’s record. Start free →
General guidance, not medical or legal advice. Your state’s licensing rules and local health department come first.
What’s inside the kit
Everything for sick days at your center, in one kit
Ten printable pages for the director and the front desk. Type into them on screen, or print and fill in by hand.
Your sick policy, 2 pages
Every number in a box is yours to set, with a parent signature line.
Letter to families
Ready to send with the policy, plus a short text version.
Front door sign
“Is your child well enough for care today?” for your entrance.
The pickup call, word for word
Five calm steps your staff say every time, and what to say when a parent pushes back.
Send-home and symptom log
What staff saw, when you called, when the child came back.
Staff daily health check
The 30-second drop-off check, handwashing and cleaning basics.
Back-to-care chart
Common illnesses, when a child stays home and when they come back.
Parent handout
A one-page “keep your child home if…” for every family.
Free · 1 page
“Keep your child home if…” parent handout
Fill in your numbers, print it for the front door, and send it to every family with the policy.
Download the parent handoutBack-to-care chart
When can a child come back to daycare?
A quick guide based on national guidance. Your state or local health department may be stricter, and their rule comes first.
| Illness or symptom | Stays home? | Can come back when |
|---|---|---|
| Fever (over 2 months) | With a change in behavior or other signs | Fever-free for 24 hours without medicine (many centers) |
| Vomiting | 2 or more times in 24 hours | No vomiting for 12 to 24 hours, eating and drinking |
| Diarrhea | Not held in a diaper, accidents, blood or mucus | Stools held in a diaper, or no accidents |
| Flu | Yes | Fever-free for 24 hours without medicine |
| Strep throat | Yes | At least 12 hours after antibiotics start |
| Impetigo | Yes | After treatment starts (many states: 12 to 24 hours) |
| Chickenpox | Yes | All spots dried and crusted |
| Head lice | At the end of the day | After the first treatment |
| Mouth sores with drooling | Yes | When a doctor says it is not contagious |
| Pink eye | Usually no without fever (AAP); some states are stricter | Follow your state or local health department |
| COVID-19 | Follow current guidance | Follow current CDC and state guidance |
When a child usually does not need to go home
American Academy of Pediatrics guidance says these children can usually stay if they feel well enough to take part:
- A cough or cold without fever or other signs of illness
- A runny nose, whatever the color
- Eye discharge or pink eye without fever
- A rash without fever or behavior change
- Hand, foot and mouth disease, unless there are mouth sores with constant drooling or a fever
Writing this into your policy stops needless calls home. Your state or local health department may be stricter, and their rule comes first.
Built on Caring for Our Children (the national health and safety standards for early care and education), the American Academy of Pediatrics (Managing Infectious Diseases in Child Care and Schools, and HealthyChildren.org), and state health department child care exclusion guides. General guidance, not medical or legal advice.
My Kid Reports Paperwork
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
Get every family’s signature without chasing paper
Printing the policy is the easy part. Getting it back signed from every family is where it stalls. In My Kid Reports it takes three steps:
Upload your policy
Upload the PDF. Auto-detect finds every blank and signature line for you.
Send one link
Families sign on any phone. Smart link fills in the child’s name, guardian and allergies from the child’s profile.
It files itself
Every signed copy goes to the right child’s record with a timestamped e-signature and an audit trail.
On sick days too: optional health questions at the check-in kiosk, before the parent leaves, and expiry alerts for immunizations and physicals.
FAQ
Questions directors ask
What temperature should a daycare send a child home with?
It depends on your state and your policy. National guidance from the American Academy of Pediatrics uses a fever above 101°F with a change in behavior for children over 2 months old. Many states and centers use 100.4°F. For babies under 2 months, a temperature of 100.4°F or higher means a call home and a call to the doctor right away. Use your state's number if it has one.
How long does a child need to be fever-free before returning to daycare?
Many centers ask for 24 hours fever-free without fever-reducing medicine, and some states or local health departments set their own rule. Pick one number, write it in your policy, and apply it the same way to every family.
When should a child stay home from daycare for vomiting or diarrhea?
Common national guidance is to send a child home after vomiting 2 or more times in 24 hours, and for diarrhea that can't be held in a diaper, causes accidents in a toilet-trained child, or has blood or mucus in it. Your policy then says how long the child stays home, for example 12 or 24 hours with no vomiting.
Can a daycare give a child Tylenol or ibuprofen?
Only with a signed medicine permission form, in the original labeled container, following the label or the doctor's written directions. A good policy also says that staff will not give fever-reducing medicine so a sick child can stay at the center.
How quickly should parents pick up a sick child?
Your policy should name a time, such as 30 or 60 minutes after your call, and say who you call next if you can't reach the parent. Ask every family for at least one backup pickup person before cold and flu season starts.
Should a daycare charge tuition on sick days?
That is your decision, and it belongs in the policy so there are no surprises. Many centers charge as usual because the spot and the staffing stay the same. Whatever you choose, write it down and apply it to everyone.
Should a child with a runny nose or a cough stay home from daycare?
Usually not. American Academy of Pediatrics guidance says children with a cough or cold without fever, or a runny nose of any color, can usually stay if they feel well enough to take part. A cough, runny nose or sore throat with a fever is different: the child stays home until fever-free for 24 hours without fever-reducing medicine.
What is the rule for pink eye and COVID-19 at daycare?
American Academy of Pediatrics guidance says eye discharge without fever usually does not need exclusion, but some states and local health departments are stricter, so follow their rule. For COVID-19, follow current CDC and state health department guidance, which has changed over time.
Is this sick policy template free?
Yes. The builder and the 10-page kit are free. Use the wording on your own letterhead. It is general guidance, not medical or legal advice, so always check it against your state's licensing rules.
More on writing your policy: How to craft a daycare sick policy · Medication form and log · Allergy action plan · Incident report
For the whole center
A clear rule, a calmer winter
Write your policy, send it to every family this week, and pass this page on to another director who could use it.
Made by the team at MyKidReports, childcare software for centers. See what we make