We pride ourselves on keeping each of our Kindertown classrooms clean and spotless, however, the spread of icky germs is almost always bound to happen. Beyond our daily and weekly scrub-downs, Kindertown also has a health and wellness policy in place that asks parents to keep children with any type of symptoms at home for at least twenty-four hours.

 Here is a list of some common illnesses and symptoms to help you catch that darn cold before it catches you or your child!

 Chicken Pox

• Begins with a fever, aches and pains

• Children should stay home for at least 5 days after the rash appears

• Contagious from 1 to 2 days before rash appears, and most infectious from 12 to 24 hours before the rash appears

Hand Foot and Mouth

• Begins with a fever, skin rash, mouth ulcers and vomiting/diarrhea

• Spread through contact with an infected persons saliva or stool

• Handwashing is best prevention

• No treatment for this infection, can last between 7 and 10 days

Head Lice

• Head lice do not spread, and does not mean a scalp is unclean

• They spread through direct hair-to-hair contact, possible by sharing hats and hairbrushes

• This usually begins with an itchy scale, but the scalp must be checked periodically to make sure

• There are a variety of ways to treat head lice, consult a doctor for the best solution

Slight colds with nasal secretions

• Begins with runny or stuffed up nose, coughing and fatigue

• Can spread from both direct and indirect contact with infected person or through the air

• Colds usually last about 1 week, but can linger for as long as 2 weeks

Pink-Eye

• Usually begins with a ‘scratchy feeling’, lots of tearing, discharge and a pink eye

• It spreads through direct contact of discharge, or indirect contact with an item that has touched the infected eye

• Cleanliness is imperative to prevent pink eye, but if infected best to consult a doctor for antibiotic eye drops

Slapped Cheek Syndrome

• Begins with mild-cold symptoms and after 1-4 days a red rash on cheeks, torso, arms and rest of body

• It spreads in the same way that a cold virus spreads

• Though highly contagious in the first stages, once the rash appears, it can no longer spread.

• Best prevention are clean hands, there are no vaccine to prevent the illness

Roseola

• Most common between 6 months and 2 years of age, it usually occurs when someone comes into contact with an infected person’s saliva or runny nose. It is also possible to be affected through the air.

• Roseola usually begins as a high fever that last between 3-5 days, once the fever ends, small pinkish red spots develop over your child’s face and body. Though not itchy, it can last up to 2 days.

Diarrhea

• Diarrhea usually lasts less than one week, and no longer than 2

• This spreads from child to child, and usually amongst children whom have yet to learn how to use the toilet

• The most common causes of diarrhea are viral infections, which can be prevented with proper hand washing and safe food handling