POLICY CONTENT

Children come into contact with many other children and adults in the early childhood environment increasing their exposure to others who may be sick or carrying an infectious illness. The National Quality Standard requires early childhood education and care services to implement specific strategies to minimise the spread of infectious illness and maintain a healthy environment for all children, educators and families. We acknowledge the difficulty of keeping children at home or away from childcare when they are sick and the pressures this causes for parents, however our School aims to minimise the transmission of infectious diseases by adhering to regulations and policies protecting the health of all children, staff, families and visitors.  

Akidamy Protocol 

NATIONAL QUALITY STANDARD (NQS) 

QUALITY AREA 2: Children's Health and Safety

2.1	Health	Each child’s health and physical activity is supported and promoted.
2.1.1	Wellbeing and comfort	Each child’s wellbeing and comfort is provided for, including appropriate opportunities to meet each child’s needs for sleep, rest and relaxation.
2.1.2	Health practices and procedures	Effective illness and injury management and hygiene practices are promoted and implemented.

 

PURPOSE 

We aim to maintain the health and wellbeing of all children, staff, and their families, ensuring a healthy environment and minimising cross contamination and the spread of infectious illnesses by implementing best practice and high standards of personal hygiene within our School. 
 

SCOPE 

This policy applies to children, families, staff, management, and visitors of the School. 
 

IMPLEMENTATION 

Our School has adopted the staying healthy: Preventing infectious diseases in early childhood education and care services (Fifth Edition) publication recommendations developed by the Australian Government National Health and Medical Research Council to guide our practices to help limit the spread of illness and disease.  We aim to provide families with up to date information regarding specific illnesses and ways to minimise the spread of infection within the School and at home.  

We are guided by decisions regarding exclusion periods and notification of infectious diseases by the Australian Government- Department of Health and local public health units in our jurisdiction as per the Public Health Act. 

This policy must be read in conjunction with our other Quality Area 2 policies: 

• Control of Infectious Diseases Policy 
• Immunisation Policy 
• Incident, Injury, Trauma and Illness Policy  
• Medical Conditions Policy and  
• Handwashing Policy 

Staying Healthy: Preventing infectious diseases in early childhood education and care services (2013) explains how infections are spread as ‘The Chain of Infection’. 

There are three steps in the chain: 

• The germ has a source 
• The germ spreads from the source 
• The germ infects another person

 
The chain of infection can be broken at any stage to help prevent and control the spread of diseases. 

 

GERM HAS A SOURCE

Germs can be picked up directly from an infected person or from the environment. It is important to understand that an infected person may not show any signs or symptoms of illness.  

 

GERM SPREADS FROM THE SOURCE 

Germs can spread in several ways, including through the air by droplets, through contact with faeces and then contact with mouths, through direct contact with skin, and through contact with other body secretions (such as urine, saliva, discharges or blood).  
 
Some germs can spread directly from person to person, others can spread from the infected person to the environment. Many germs can survive on hands and on objects such as toys, door handles and bench tops. The length of time a germ can survive on a surface (including the skin) depends on the germ itself, the type of surface it has contaminated and how often the surface is cleaned. Washing hands and surfaces regularly with detergent and water is a very effective way of removing germs and preventing them spreading through the environment.   
(Source: Staying healthy: Preventing infectious diseases in early childhood education and care services, 5th Edition, 2013 p: 7) 
 

GERM INFECTS ANOTHER PERSON  

When the germ has reached the next person, it may enter the body through the mouth, respiratory tract, eyes, genitals, or broken or abraded skin. Whether a person becomes ill after the germ has entered the body depends on both the germ and the person’s immunity.  
 
Illness can be prevented at this stage by stopping the germ from entering the body (for example, by making sure that all toys that children put in their mouths are clean, by washing children’s hands, by covering wounds), and by prior immunisation against the germ.  
Source: Staying healthy: Preventing infectious diseases in early childhood education and care services, 5th Edition, 2013 p: 7) 
 

MININISING THE SPREAD OF INFECTIONS AND DISEASES IN EARLY EDUCATION AND CHILD SERVICES

We understand that it can be difficult for families to know when their child is sick. Families may experience problems taking time off work or study to care for their child at home. Obtaining leave from work or study can contribute to negative attitudes in the workplace which can cause stress on families. Families may also experience guilt when they send their child to care who is not well.  
 
However, it is imperative that families maintain a focus not only on the well-being of their own child but also upon the well-being of other children and the early childhood professionals at the School. To protect the health of children and staff within the School, it is important that children and staff who are ill are kept away from the School for the recommended period.  
 
At times, an outbreak of a new or ‘novel’ virus or infection, such as COVID-19, may require exclusion from the School that is not specified in general exclusion periods for common infectious illnesses. Information, education and recommendations regarding any ‘novel’ virus will be provided by the Australian Government Department of Health and/or local public health unit.  
 
The need for exclusion and the length of time a person is excluded depends on: 

• how easily the infection can spread 
• how long the person is likely to be infectious and 
• the severity of the infectious disease or illness.  

 
Our educators and staff are not medical practitioners and are not able to diagnose whether or not a child has an infectious illness. However, if an infectious illness is suspected, our School may ask the family to collect their child from care as soon as possible or not bring the child to care.  
 
Management and educators may request families seek medical advice and provide a medical certificate stating that the child is no longer infectious prior to returning to care. Please note: it is not always possible to obtain a doctor’s certificate or clearance for suspected cases of an illness. The decision to approve a child’s return is up to the School Director.
 
To help minimise the spread of illness and infectious diseases our School implements rigorous hygiene and infection control procedures and cleaning routines including: 

• effective hand washing hygiene 
• cough and sneeze etiquette 
• appropriate use of protective gloves 
• exclusion of children, educators or staff when they are unwell or displaying symptoms of an infectious disease or virus 
• effective environmental cleaning including toys and resources and bedding 
• requesting parents and visitors to wash their hands with soap and water or hand sanitizer upon arrival and departure at the School 
• physical distancing (when recommended by Australian Health Protection Principal Committee [AHPPC] and/or Safe Work Australia)

 

CHILDREN ARRIVING AT THE  SCHOOL WHO ARE UNWELL

Management will not accept a child into care if they:   

• have a contagious illness or infectious disease  
• have a temperature above 37.5°C when assessed prior to entry to the School (effective during a pandemic or outbreak of an infectious disease)  
• are unwell and unable to participate in normal activities or require additional attention  
• have had a temperature, vomiting in the last 24 hours- as reported by a parent 
• have had diarrhoea in the last 24 hours 
• have started a course of anti-biotics in the last 24 hours  
• have been given medication for a temperature prior to arriving at the School (for example: Panadol)

It is our policy that:

• If a child in care has been noted to have a temperature and the family has been contacted to take the child home/to the doctor then the child must be excluded from care for a minimum of 24 hours (unless a doctor’s clearance to return to care is provided)
• If a child has had 2 incidents of diarrhoea whilst in care, the family will be contacted to take the child home/to the doctor. The child will then be excluded from care for a minimum of 24 hours or for 24 hours from the last episode of diarrhoea (unless a doctor’s clearance to return to care is provided)
• If a child has vomited whilst in care, the family will be contacted to take the child home/to the doctor. The child will then be excluded from care for a minimum of 24 hours or for 24 hours from the last episode of vomiting (unless a doctor’s clearance to return to care is provided)

We have Panadol available at the School for a single administration ONLY (as per the verbal and written authorisation of the appropriate family member).
There may be exceptions to these policies at the director’s discretion. For example, it is often common for children to experience diarrhoea and a mild temperature whilst teething, so the director may allow a child who is known to be teething and is not experiencing any other symptoms to return to care (without a doctor’s clearance).
Educators are to read and be familiar with the contents of “Staying Healthy in child care” 5th Edition – this is located in the reception area
 

CHILDREN WHO BECOME ILL  AT SCHOOL

Children may become unwell throughout the day, in which case management and educators will respond to children’s individual symptoms of illness and provide immediate comfort and care. 

• Educators will closely monitor and document the child’s symptoms on the Incident, Injury, Trauma and Illness Record 
• Children who are unwell at the School will be able to rest in a supervised area away from other children until parents or the emergency contact person is able to collect them 
• A child who has passed two runny stools/vomited whilst at the School will be sent home and may only return once a certificate from a General Practitioner has been produced 
• Educators will take the child’s temperature. If the child’s temperature is 37.8°C or higher, Room Leaders/management will contact the child’s parents/guardian/emergency contacts with a courtesy call to inform the guardians of a rising temperature 
• Educators will continue to monitor by taking the child's temperature. If the child's temperature reaches 38°C parents/guardian/emergency contacts will be called and asked to collect the child ASAP
• For infants under three months old with a temperature/fever over 37.5°C, parents will be immediately notified and will be asked to collect ASAP
• Educators will monitor the child closely and be alerted to vomiting, coughing or convulsions 
• Educators will attempt to lower the child’s temperature by:  
  • removing excessive clothing (shoes, socks, jumper, pants)  
  • encouraging the child to take small sips of water 
  • moving the child to a quiet area where they can rest whilst being supervised
• Educators will check that written parental permission to administer paracetamol or ibuprofen has been provided during enrolment on SmartCentral and filed in the child’s individual record 
• Educators will check the medical history of the child to ensure there are no allergies before administering Panadol or Nurofen 
• Accurate records will be kept of the child’s temperature, time taken, medication administered, dosage, staff member’s full name and name of staff member who witnessed the administration of medication (if relevant) 
• Educators will continue to document any progressing symptoms  
• Educators will complete the Incident, Injury, Trauma or Illness Record, ensuring the form has been completed correctly and signed by the parent/guardian/emergency contact upon collection of their child 
• Educators will thoroughly clean and disinfect any toys, resources or equipment that may be contaminated by a sick child.  

 

COMMON COLDS AND FLU

The common cold or flu (viral upper respiratory tract infections) are very common in children occurring 6-10 times a year on average with the highest number usually being during the first 2 years in childcare, kindergarten or School. Symptoms may include coughing, runny nose and a slight temperature.  

In circumstances where a child appears to have cold or flu symptoms, management will determine if the child is well enough to continue at the School or if the child requires parental care.  

Our School aims to support the family’s need for childcare however, families should understand that a child who is unwell will need one-on-one attention which places additional pressure on staff ratios and the needs of other children. 

Children who are generally healthy, will recover from a common cold in a few days. Keeping a child home and away from childcare, helps to prevent the spread of germs. 

Influenza is a highly contagious illness and can spread to others for 24 hours before symptoms start. To prevent the spread of influenza our school encourages staff and children to be vaccinated once a year. 
 

REPORTING OUTBREAKS TO PUBLIC HEALTH UNIT

The School Director (Nominated Supervisor) is required to notify the Education and Care Regulatory Unit (ECRU) electronically as soon as possible after they are made aware that a child enrolled at the School is suffering from one of the following vaccine preventable diseases, any confirmed case of COVID-19 or outbreak of gastroenteritis.  
 

• Diphtheria 
• Mumps 
• Poliomyelitis 
• Haemophilus influenzae Type b (Hib) 
• Meningococcal disease 
• Rubella (‘German measles’) 
• Measles  
• Pertussis (‘whooping cough’) 
• Tetanus  
• An outbreak of 2 or more people with gastrointestinal or respiratory illness.  

Management will closely monitor health alerts and guidelines from Public Health Units and the Australian Government- Department of Health for any advice and emergency health management in the event of a contagious illness outbreak such as coronavirus- COVID-19. 

EXCLUDING CHILDREN FROM THE SCHOOL 

When a child has been diagnosed with an illness or infectious disease, the School will refer to information about recommended exclusion periods from the Public Health Unit (PHU) and Staying healthy: Preventing infectious diseases in early childhood education and care services. 

Recommended exclusion periods- Poster   Staying Healthy: Preventing Infectious diseases in early childhood education and care services 

• When an infectious disease has been diagnosed, the School will display appropriate documentation and alerts for families including information on the illness/disease, symptoms, infectious period and the exclusion period. (This information can be obtained from Staying healthy: Preventing infectious diseases in early childhood education and care and Public Health Unit, or Department of Health). 
• If a vaccine preventable disease occurs in the School, children who have not been fully immunised will be excluded from care 
• Management will check all children’s Immunisation records and alert parents as required via SmartCentral
•  A medical clearance from the child’s General Practitioner stating that the child is cleared to return to the childcare setting will also be required before the child returns to care 
• Children that have had diarrhoea and vomiting will be asked to stay away from the School for 24 hours after symptoms have ceased to reduce infection transmission 
• Children who have a suspected case of COVID-19 and meet the criteria for testing (fever, cough, sore throat, shortness of breath) are required to contact their GP, take a home RAT test or be tested at a COVID-19 testing clinic. Exclusion periods will apply if they have a confirmed case.

 

NOTIIFYING FAMILIES AND EMERGENCY CONTACT  

• It is a requirement of the School that all emergency contacts are able to pick up an ill child within a 30-minute timeframe (or as close to)
• In the event that the ill child is not collected in a timely manner, or should parents refuse to collect the child, a formal email will be sent to the families outlining School policies and requirements.

 Management and educators will ensure:  

• effective hygiene policies and procedures are adhered to at all times to prevent the spread of illnesses 
• they promote effective hand hygiene and cough etiquette 
• effective environmental cleaning policies and procedures are adhered to all times  
• all families are provided access to relevant policies upon enrolment which will be explained by management including: Control of Infectious Diseases Policy, Sick Children Policy, Incident, Injury, Trauma and Illness Policy, Handwashing Policy and Medical Conditions Policy. 
• families are provided with relevant information from a trusted source about preventing the spread of illnesses  
• that any child who registers a temperature of 38°C or above is collected from the School and excluded for 24 hours after the last elevated temperature or until the School receives a doctor’s clearance letter stating that the child is cleared of any infection and able to return to childcare  
• a child who has not been immunised will be excluded from the School if a vaccine preventable disease is reported within the School community and that child is deemed to be in danger of contracting the illness. Please refer to our Control of Infectious Diseases Policy. 
• families of a child with complex and chronic medical conditions will be notified in the event of an outbreak of an illness or infectious disease that could compromise their health 
• families are notified to collect their child if they have vomited or had two loose bowel movements whilst at the School.  

 The Approved Provider or Supervisor will ensure:

• notification is made to the Regulatory Authorities within 24 hours of any incident involving serious injury or trauma to, or illness of, a child while being educated and cared for by an Education and Care Services, which: 
  • (i) a reasonable person would consider required urgent medical attention from a registered medical practitioner or 
  • (ii) for which the child attended, or ought reasonably to have attended, a hospital. For example: whooping cough, broken limb and anaphylaxis reaction 
• any incident or emergency where the attendance of emergency services at the Education and Care Service premises was sought, or ought reasonably to have been sought (eg: severe asthma attack, seizure or anaphylaxis)  
• parents or guardians are notified as soon as practicable and no later than 24 hours of the illness, accident, or trauma occurring. 
• notification is made to the Public Health Unit on 1800 020 080 of any confirmed cases of COVID-19 
• notification is made to the Regulatory Authority within 24 hours of any confirmed cases of COVID-19.

 

PARENT/FAMILY RESPONSIBILITY  

In order to prevent the spread of disease, families are required to monitor their child’s health and not allow them to attend childcare if they have an infectious illness or display symptoms of an illness.  

For children who have ongoing medical needs such as asthma or anaphylaxis, parents should regularly review their child’s health care action plans to ensure educators and other staff are able to manage their individual needs as required.  

Families should implement effective hygiene routines at home such as regular handwashing and sneeze and cough routines (use of tissues, covering their mouth with coughing, sneezing into a tissue or elbow). 

Families should notify the School if their child has been unwell in the past 24 hours or someone in the family is/has been sick. This is particularly critical during a pandemic such as COVID-19. 

Signs of illness in young children may include: 

• runny, green nasal discharge 
• high temperature  
• diarrhoea 
• red, swollen or discharging eyes (bacterial conjunctivitis) 
• vomiting 
• rashes (red/purple) 
• irritability, unusually tired or lethargic 
• drowsiness  
• poor circulation  
• poor feeding  
• poor urine output  
• a stiff neck or sensitivity to light  
• pain  
• mouth sores that cause drooling 
• impetigo

 
Parents should seek medical attention should their child (or other family members) develop symptoms such as: 

• high fever 
• uncontrolled coughing or breathing difficulties

 
Families are required to keep up to date with their child’s immunisation, providing a copy of the updated AIR Immunisation History Statement to the School following each immunisation on the National Immunisation Schedule. 
 

RETURNING TO CARE AFTER SURGERY  

Children who have undergone any type of surgery will need to take advice from their doctor/surgeon as to when it is appropriate and safe to return to childcare.  
 
A medical clearance statement will be required to ensure the child is fit and able to return to the School and participate in daily activities.  

RESOURCES

Posters for Temperature Screening 
Poster for service entrance (pdf - 42.94kb) 
Poster for staff (pdf - 79.86kb) 
Poster for families (pdf - 54.42kb) 
NSW Health. COVID-19 symptoms and testing. (reference re: fever and temperature) 
health.nsw.gov.au/Infectious/covid-19/Pages/pos... 
NSW Health Gastro Pack NSW Health 
Queensland Government Time Out Brochure Why do I need to keep my child at home 
 

SOURCE 

Australian Children’s Education & Care Quality Authority. (2014).  
Australian Government Department of Education, Skills and Employment Belonging, Being and Becoming: The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia. (2009).  
Australian Government- Department of Health health.gov.au/ 
Australian Government Department of Health Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC)  
Education and Care Services National Law Act 2010. (Amended 2018). 
Education and Care Services National Regulations. (2011).      
Guide to the National Quality Standard. (2020) 
National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC): nhmrc.gov.au/ 
National Health and Medical Research Council. (2012) (updated June 2013). Staying healthy: Preventing infectious diseases in early childhood education and care services.  
NSW Public Health Unit: health.nsw.gov.au/Infectious/pages/phus.aspx 
NSW Health Symptoms and testing COVID-19 nsw.gov.au/covid-19/symptoms-and-testing 
Public Health Act 2010  
Raising Children Network: raisingchildren.net.au/guides/a-z-health-reference/f... 
Revised National Quality Standard. (2018). 
The Sydney Children’s Hospitals network (2020). schn.health.nsw.gov.au/search/site?query=fever 
Safe Work Australia 
Victoria Department of Education and Training (2020).  
coronavirus.vic.gov.au/early-childhood-education-and...