Illness
We realize that parents are faced with a difficult problem when their child is ill. This Illness Policy is designed to be flexible yet maintain a standard of health in the school environment. Basically, if your child is getting sick, please don’t bring the child to school, as we are likely to have to ask you to pick your child up early. If your child is in the recovery phase, please make sure that we can reach you during the day in case of relapse.
Children with the following health problems need to stay home:
• Diarrhea
• Earache
• Excessive Mucus Flow
• Vomiting
• Sore Throat
• Unidentified Rash
• Lice
• Pin worms
• Fever
• Unusual lethargy accompanied by physical complaints
Common Illnesses and When a Child Can Return to School:
Chicken Pox: sores scabbed over
Conjunctivitis (Pink Eye): free of symptoms
Fever: free of fever for 24 hours
Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease: completely free of all symptoms
Impetigo: no running sores
Lice: free of lice and nits. School personnel must check child’s hair before he/she returns to school. If a child leaves school because of lice, they cannot return in the same day even if they have been treated for lice. Additional guidelines may apply depending on the impact the outbreak is having on our daily program.
Measles: free of rash Mumps: free of swelling
Ringworm: after anti-fungal treatment begins
Stomach Flu: free of symptoms for 24 hours
Strep Throat: after 24 hours of antibiotics or until free of symptoms
Conditions requiring antibiotic treatment: 24 hours of treatment before returning to school
Teachers will use their judgement regarding runny noses, coughs, sneezing, and other symptoms, based on child’s ability to participate in the program and staff ability to address the needs of the child and the needs of other children. If we call you to pick up your child because of illness, please be prepared to pick them up within a half-hour of our call.
Emotional Emergencies
At Play Mountain Place we understand that children can sometimes have what we call emotional emergencies. The seriousness of a medical emergency is clear, whereas it may be difficult to perceive the seriousness of a less tangible emotional problem.
Often teachers can help children find the support and comfort they need at school, however, when a child’s emotional needs require more focused one-on-one attention than we are able to provide, we ask that the child go home to be with a parent.
When children are that upset, it seems to have a calming effect and tends to lessen the misery and hurt when children can be in an environment away from school and with a special loved one: mother, father, grandparent, or close friend.
Please understand that this is not a punishment, but instead a positive way to help children to deal with their emotions as well as to enhance their self-esteem by being able to receive non-judgmental support in working through a most difficult emotional time for them.
If a call to pick up your child from school triggers strong feelings for you, we suggest you take the time to process your own feelings before you come to pick up your child so you can meet your child with positive support for their feelings. Because of your child’s immediate need for support, there will not be time to check in with the teacher until the school day is over or in the evening.
If we call you to pick up your child because of and emotional emergency, please be prepared to pick them up within a half-hour of our call.
Medication at School
If your child needs medications during school hours, please keep the following in mind:
- All medication should be brought to the school by an adult and handed to an administrator in the office.
- All medication should be brought to school in the original labeled container.
- All medication must be held in the office during school hours.
- All prescription and nonprescription medications (including vitamins, remedies, etc.) given in school settings require written authorization in the form of parent written consent.
- A completed “Parent Consent For Administration of Medications and Medication Chart” must be filled out by the parent. This form is available in the office or online.
- For medicines requiring refrigeration, there is a small refrigerator in the office.
- It is parent’s responsibility to make certain that they or the person picking up the child picks up the medicine each day from the office. (Upon request, most pharmacies will provide a fully-labeled second container if you let them know that you need one for school/day care and one for home use.)
- We request that you limit medications brought to school. If a medication needs to be given only 3 times per day, we ask that parents give it to their child in the morning before school, in the afternoon after school, and then at bedtime, and do not bring it to school.
Doctor Visits
A visit to the doctor can be a frightening experience for a child, especially when there are shots involved. There can also be physical discomfort as well. The teachers request that you let them know in advance when these doctor visits will happen. On the day of the visit, if you still plan on your child attending school, please check in with the teachers about the timing of your arrival back at school.
Immunization Policy
Play Mountain Place complies with all California vaccination and reporting laws. California School Immunization Law requires that all children entering school for the first time submit evidence of their completed immunizations. The law also requires that schools submit annual immunization reports to the state. Requirements vary depending on the age and grade of the entering student.
Required immunizations usually include: Polio, DTP or DtaP (diptheria, tetanus, pertusis), MMR (measles, mumps, rubella), Hib, Hep B and Varicella (Chicken Pox).
A schedule of required immunizations for each point of entry into school is available from your child’s doctor or at shotsforschool.org (where you can also find more information about immunization law). In the case of an outbreak, children who are not fully immunized may be temporarily excluded from attending school.
Disaster Plans
We have comprehensive disaster plans in place and are prepared should an earthquake or other disaster strike during school hours. We routinely practice earthquake and fire drills with the children.
We have earthquake supplies here at the school. If we must evacuate, we walk by way of Hargis to La Cienega Avenue to Syd Kronenthal Park. If you would like a more detailed look at our plans, please check in with the office, and we can show you our detailed Emergency Plans.
Car Seats
Storage
When leaving your child’s car seat or booster seat at school, please put your child’s name on it and leave in the storage area in the House Group bathroom.
Loaner Booster Seats
Extra booster seats are sometimes available for emergencies and will be located in the House Group bathroom (next to the office) and clearly marked “PMP”. Please feel free to use them as needed. As a courtesy, please return these car seats within two days.