When to Keep Your Child Home From Daycare: A Sick-Day Guide for Dyer County Parents
It is 5:45 on a weekday morning. Your little one feels a bit warm, has a runny nose, and you have to be at work by seven. Do you take them to daycare or call in? Every working parent in Newbern and Dyersburg has stood in that kitchen. With cold and flu season starting, it helps to know the rules before the first sick morning, not during it.
This guide explains which symptoms mean a day at home, how long to wait before going back, what Tennessee requires of licensed centers, and exactly how our sick policy works at Smarty Tots Too.
Why Daycares Have Sick Policies
Babies and toddlers share everything: toys, teething rings, snacks and, unfortunately, germs. Infants and young toddlers also cannot cover a cough or wash their own hands well. One sick child in a classroom can mean five sick children by Friday, plus sick teachers and short-staffed rooms.
A clear policy protects every family, including yours. It is also why a sick child is usually happier at home. A child with a fever or an upset stomach needs rest, fluids and a parent, not a full day of circle time and playground.
Symptoms That Mean Your Child Should Stay Home
At Smarty Tots Too, we cannot admit a child who has a contagious illness or any of these symptoms:
- Fever of 100 degrees or higher.
- Vomiting.
- Diarrhea that happens more than twice.
- Open sores or mouth sores, including cold sores.
- A rash that is unexplained or could be contagious.
- Severe mucus drainage from the nose.
- Pink eye (conjunctivitis).
- Any other questionable symptom. If you are not sure, call us before you leave the house.
Every center sets its own list, so ask any center you are considering for its written illness policy before you enroll. It belongs on your list of daycare tour questions.
Please do not medicate to make it through drop-off
It is tempting to give a dose of fever reducer at 6 AM so a child seems fine at drop-off. The fever comes back by mid-morning, your child feels miserable, and the classroom has been exposed all morning. Please do not give fever reducers or cough suppressants before bringing your child to daycare. If your child needs them to get through the day, keep them home and check in with your doctor.
When Can My Child Go Back to Daycare?
Our rule is simple: your child must be symptom-free and medication-free for 24 hours before returning.
Here is how that works in real life. If your child runs a fever Tuesday evening and stays fever-free without medicine from then on, the earliest return is usually Thursday morning. Wednesday morning is often too soon, even if your child seems back to normal, because it has not been a full 24 hours without fever medicine. Coming back a day early often means a second call from us and a second trip home.
Some illnesses need a doctor's note before your child can return:
| Illness | Before returning to Smarty Tots Too |
|---|---|
| Hand, foot and mouth disease | Doctor's note, fever-free for 24 hours, and all blisters dried |
| Strep throat | Doctor's note |
| Impetigo | Doctor's note |
| Open sores or mouth sores, including cold sores | Doctor's note and symptom-free for 24 hours |
| Head lice | Proof of treatment, free of lice and nits, and a scalp check by our staff |
We may also ask for a doctor's statement before readmitting a child after other illnesses, and a child should not come back with lingering symptoms without one. When in doubt, call us and ask. A two-minute phone call can save your child a trip back home.
What Happens If Your Child Gets Sick at Daycare
Children often get sick in the middle of the day. Tennessee's licensing rules for child care centers spell out what happens next:
- Daily health checks. Licensed centers must check each child for signs of illness and injury when they arrive every day.
- Care apart from the group. A child who shows signs of illness is cared for apart from the other children, while staff keep supervising everyone, and the parent is contacted to arrange pickup.
- Same-day reporting. Signs of illness must be reported to the parent no later than pickup that day and written in the child's record.
- Outbreak notice. If a diagnosed contagious disease is identified at the center, the parents of every enrolled child must be told right away.
At Smarty Tots Too, if your child shows any of the symptoms above while they are with us, we call you, and your child needs to be picked up within one hour. If we suspect something contagious, we may ask you to come right away. We will also let you know if your child has been exposed to a contagious illness at the center.
Flu Season and Vaccines
Tennessee requires every licensed child care center to give parents information about the benefits of immunizing children against the flu and other contagious diseases each August or September. Parents sign the state's Influenza Information form to show they received it. Talk with your child's pediatrician about the flu shot and other vaccines that make sense for your family.
Tennessee law also requires an up-to-date immunization certificate for every child in a licensed center. At Smarty Tots Too, your child's shot record must be on file when you enroll and kept current. If your child is due for well-child shots this fall, bring us the updated record after the visit.
Plan Your Backup Care Before You Need It
The hardest part of a sick day is usually not the illness. It is finding someone to stay home. A few steps now make that morning much easier:
- Pick a backup person. A grandparent, neighbor or relative in Newbern or Dyersburg who can take a sick child on short notice.
- Talk to your employer early. Find out how sick days, remote work or shift swaps work at your job before you need them.
- Keep a sick-day kit. Thermometer, children's fever reducer for home use, fluids, and your pediatrician's after-hours number on the fridge.
- Remember the one-hour pickup. If you work in Dyersburg or farther away, make sure someone on your pickup list can reach Newbern within an hour.
- Keep your contacts current. Update your emergency contacts and authorized pickup list with us whenever something changes.
Tuition is not credited for sick days at Smarty Tots Too, so planning for a few each winter keeps the surprises small. For the rest of the year, see our holiday childcare schedule guide.
Our Sick Policy at Smarty Tots Too in Newbern
Smarty Tots Too is a family-run, state-licensed child care center on West Main Street in Newbern serving families across Dyer County. Our classrooms run from infant care starting at 6 weeks old through toddlers and preschool for ages 3 to 5, weekdays from 6:00 AM to 5:30 PM.
Every family gets our parent handbook at enrollment, and the full illness policy is in it. We keep the rules the same for everyone, because that is what keeps the whole classroom healthy. We also keep you in the loop all day with electronic daily sheets covering meals, naps, diapers and activities.
Want to see how we keep classrooms clean and healthy? Read our childcare safety checklist, or call (731) 627-4900 to schedule a visit.
Frequently Asked Questions
What temperature is too high for daycare?
At Smarty Tots Too, a fever of 100 degrees or higher means your child stays home for the day. Your child also needs to be fever-free for a full 24 hours without any fever-reducing medicine, such as Tylenol or Motrin, before coming back to the classroom.
How long after a fever can my child go back to daycare?
Our policy is 24 hours symptom-free and medication-free. If your child had a fever on Tuesday evening and stays fever-free without Tylenol or Motrin, the earliest return is usually Thursday morning, not Wednesday. Coming back a day early often means a second trip home.
Can my child go to daycare with a runny nose or cough?
A mild runny nose with no fever is usually fine. Severe mucus drainage, a cough that keeps your child from playing or resting, or any cold that comes with a fever means a day at home. Please do not give cough suppressants or fever reducers to get through drop-off; if your child needs them to make it through the day, they need to stay home.
Can my child go to daycare with pink eye?
No. Conjunctivitis, better known as pink eye, is on our list of symptoms that mean your child stays home. Call your pediatrician, then check with us before your child returns. Your child must be symptom-free for 24 hours, and we may ask for a doctor's note.
What happens if my child gets sick at daycare?
Tennessee requires licensed centers to care for a child who shows signs of illness apart from the other children while still supervising everyone, and to contact the parent to arrange pickup. At Smarty Tots Too, we call you right away, and your child needs to be picked up within one hour of our call.
Will I be told if there is a contagious illness at my child's daycare?
Yes. Tennessee's licensing rules say the parents of every enrolled child must be notified immediately when a diagnosed contagious disease is identified at the center. At Smarty Tots Too, we will also tell you directly if your child has been exposed to a contagious illness in their classroom.
Questions About Our Policy? Just Call
Not sure whether today is a stay-home day? Call us before you leave the house. We would much rather answer a quick question than send a sick child home an hour after drop-off.
You can find us at 625 W Main St C, Newbern, TN 38059, open Monday through Friday from 6:00 AM until 5:30 PM. Call (731) 627-4900 to ask a question or schedule a tour.