At What Fever Do You Keep Your Preschooler Home from School

Hi Jilly, I keep any of my kids home when they start showing ANY signs of fever b/c I always worry that it could spike up and I wanna be there if it does.

I base it more on how she is feeling, and err on the side of caution. She shouldn't have to 'get sent home' and go through all that drama. Its just preschool, not like she's missing an exam or something.

It's not as simple as what degree of temperature a child has. You need to take into consideration how the child is feeling. If the child is unwell, i.e. lethargic, unable to eat, but has a normal temp they should be kept at home. Sometimes the fever arrives hours after the symptoms.

You can check with the preschool about what degree of temperature they consider to be the cut off point for accepting a child at their school.

If your child is well, not having any symptoms, the school will not even check their temperature. I suggest the key is not so much their temperature but whether or not they're ill.

100.4......that is the temp that will get you sent home in most preschools.

Our preschool has a policy that tells parents to keep students home for 24 hours following a fever of 100 or higher.

I think any fever warrants keeping a child home from school, they're fighting something off.

I am of the mind that for ANY fever we stay home. I once had my daughter in a school that didn't consider it a "fever" unless they had hit 100.5. I thougt that was hogwash. I think a child can feel equally crappy at 99.7 as they do at 100.5.

I'm surprised by these answers, I'd say Any fever,
If you bother to take a child's temp its for a reason, yes? No one takes their kid's fever every morning. You take their temp because they are not feeling well. and kids are most contagious before the disease has really kicked in so I'd hope my kid's classmates are staying home for any fever.

We always went to school and I always send my kids to school no matter what. When the nurse calls, I pick them up. While it may not be the school of thought in some circles it has gone on to foster a very strong work ethic in my family.

Also my boss knows that when I am out sick, I'm really sick not just slacking.

Only you can determine what is best for your kid.

I think it depends on the kid and how serious fevers are AND how the kid is acting. I can't say a certain number for any of my kids.

Definitely over 100, but I'd probably keep 99.5 at home too. 99 even is hardly a fever, so I think if my child was completely fine otherwise, I'd send him at 99. but no higher.

The school calls us if it's 100 or more.. So, I follow that :)

My default is about 100 degrees, or if they're just seeming unusually low-energy. I figure that preschool is work for kids, so if their body is trying to fight off a bug, giving them a chance to rest when they need to is important. (as well as limiting their exposure to others' viruses and germs, and vice versa).

I've often seen that when we let our son rest at home before he gets completely sick, his body is able to get better that much faster. When he gets too tired, he gets sicker and takes longer to recover.

for our school district, it used to be 101. Now it's 100....which can be bogus. Sometimes allergies can cause fluid build-up in the ears.....not an infection!.....& a fever can go along with it. I suffer from periodic fevers w/ my ear issues. It sucks! I'm not sick, simply suffering from issues due to allergies.

Sooo, for me, it would be based on actual symptoms + the temp.

Oklahoma child care regulations say a fever is 101.0 degrees taken by mouth. If it is less they can attend school that day. If it is 101.0 or higher by mouth they must leave the property as soon as physically possible. They must be segregated from the other people and children until a parent or designated person arrives to take them.

All kinds of things can cause a fever. Teething, constipation, a tummy ache, you name it, there are so many times a child will just have a low grade temp. They are not always going to get sick but it can be a sign something is starting.

Here is a copy of the state regulations that determine if a child can attend or be sent home in Oklahoma. Your state may have different regulations. Pre-schools in Oklahoma, especially programs like Head Start, are under the child care regulations due to the children's ages. If it is a part time program that is only open a few hours per week then they may not fall under any jurisdiction at all. Our Mother's Day Out program is only open 15 hours per week so they do not need any type of license or inspections to operate.

Once kids start kindergarten programs they are under the local school admin jurisdiction.

"APPENDIX L-6
CHILD CARE CENTER EXCLUSION CRITERIA
FOR CHILDREN WHO ARE ILL
Recommended exclusion criteria for centers serving only well
children
Children with the following signs or symptoms of illness are excluded from a
center caring for well children.
1. Fever, defined as axillary (armpit) temperature of 100 degrees or higher,
or oral temperature of 101 degrees or higher
2. Diarrhea, defined as runny or watery stools with increased frequency of
loose stools
3. Vomiting two or more times in a 24-hour period
4. Undiagnosed body rash, except diaper rash
5. Sore throat with fever and swollen glands
6. Eye discharge, defined as thick mucus or pus draining from the eye, or
pink eye
7. Yellowish skin or eyes
8. Severe coughing, where a child gets red or blue in the face or makes a
high-pitched whooping sound after coughing
9. Signs or symptoms of possible illness, such as lethargy, irritability,
persistent crying, or any other unusual signs until a medical evaluation
allows inclusion "

Page 65:
http://www.okdhs.org/NR/rdonlyres/C###-###-####-C005-45D1...

at my sons preschool anything over 100 needs to stay home. If they come down with a fever at school and it's 100 or higher, I will get a call to come and get him.

Every preschool has their own rules about this. I think most of them are 100.5 unmedicated. So you can't slam tylenol in them to bring the temp down and then send them. I also look at the symptoms along with the temp. Usually a temp of 100.5 will become higher later in the day and from experience, my child will become much sicker for longer if I don't let her rest it out for a day or two. 99 to me isn't a real temp, so unless they have a lot of symptoms, I won't keep them home for that.

look on your local health departments web site.

I keep mine home with 100.