Daycare keeps sending DD home- are we being negligent or are they over-reacting?

[rin]

As a bit of background, DD has been going to a 3x week, 6 hrs/day nursery school since she was 12 months old. In that time she's been in 3 different classrooms, since this particular center groups all the kids by 6 month age brackets, so all the 12-18 month olds are together, all the 18-24 month olds, etc. She just transitioned to her most recent classroom 3 weeks ago.

Since moving into her new classroom, she's been sent home twice for illness. Once for a runny nose (she had 1 sort of crusty booger when I picked her up, and for the rest of the day all I saw was a very small amount of clear snot, like I had to blow her nose 3 times from 11am to bedtime) and most recently for a "low-grade fever". Her teacher wouldn't tell us what her temperature was (I guess for some sort of liability reason), but DH was not able to get the thermometer to register anything above 99. The school handbook says anything over 100 gets a child sent home (and they won't dose with Tylenol to try to bring it down), but DH couldn't replicate that at home. I was out of town all day that day for a meeting, so I didn't see her at all, but he didn't think she seemed sick.

We absolutely have kept her home in the past due to illness (fever, runny nose, etc), but on these two days she just genuinely didn't seem sick to us at all, either before dropping her off or once we got called to pick her up. In our past year at this center, we've never been called to come get her once, and I can't help but wonder if this is related to her new teacher having different standards than in her previous classes.

I'm wondering what other families would do in this case. I don't want to start any kind of trouble with her teacher (who DD just adores), but I'm honestly just kind of confused about what to me seem like instances of DD getting sent home for illness that I see no signs of. At this point we're thinking we'll wait and see if there's another instance, and then maybe drive straight over to her pediatrician to ask what they think, but I'm wondering if anyone else has run into something like this, or has any other advice? We really, really want to be able to have DD stay in this classroom right now, since the new baby is coming sometime in the next 3 weeks and I'd rather have as much stability as possible for DD, plus she loves her teacher and her class.

[Giantbear]

my daycare only sends home with stomach or over 101, otherwise, they recognize that kids will have colds

[TwoBees]

I'd be annoyed, and I would ask for clarification of the rules and regulations. As a FT WOHM with a FT working husband, it is not easy for us to come and pick up DD if she isn't actually sick. A runny nose with clear snot does not constitute "sick" in my book. When DD was teething (all the way up until 2 years old), she almost constantly had a clear, runny nose Toddlers have runny noses all the time for various reasons.

[cvanbrunt]

They are over-reacting. A runny nose could be allergies, do they exclude children with allergies from their program? "Low grade fever" is bull sh!t. Normal body temperature is 98-100.

[lizzywednesday]

I'd be annoyed, and I would ask for clarification of the rules and regulations. As a FT WOHM with a FT working husband, it is not easy for us to come and pick up DD if she isn't actually sick. A runny nose with clear snot does not constitute "sick" in my book. When DD was teething (all the way up until 2 years old), she almost constantly had a clear, runny nose Toddlers have runny noses all the time for various reasons.

Minus the out-of-the-home - I'm home most of the week, but I work FT. Despite a flexible schedule, I can't come pick DD up if she's not exhibiting signs of being sick other than a runny nose, which she seems to get daily from other kids, or a fever that doesn't go above 99. And, WTH is up with them not telling you your DD's temp? That doesn't violate HIPAA; you're her parent and she's a minor. You absolutely should know - what if you had to call the pedi?

The last two calls to pick up that we got were when DD threw up just before naptime a month or 2 ago and when she fell & cut her head 3 weeks ago.

[twowhat?]

I would be SUPER annoyed. Everyone has a runny nose...they call it the daycare drip for a reason. If my kids got sent home for runny noses and "low-grade fevers" I'd never be able to work. FWIW our daycare defines a fever as 100.4 and our kids often have temperatures registering at 99 depending on how active they've been, how warm it it outside, if they've just woken from a nap, etc.

Same thing for coughs. I don't want my kids being sent home for coughing unless they have a real fever to go along with it. Coughs can last for WEEKS.

[mommylamb]

What are their written policies? I would make sure they have them and that you know what they are so you know when she really needs to come home. I've never heard of a center sending a child home for a runny nose on its own or not telling the parent what the temperature of a fever was. That sounds really strange to me. If kids came home for every runny nose, they'd never be in school. They need to have policies in writing and follow those policies.

[Philly Mom]

My DD has had a runny nose for more than a month and now has an ear infection. We diagnosed the ear infection on Friday but she hasn't missed a day and her nose continues to run even with the antibiotics. Her daycare sends her home if her fever is over 100 or stomach issues. They are overreacting and I would be annoyed.

[lhafer]

They are over-reacting. A runny nose could be allergies, do they exclude children with allergies from their program? "Low grade fever" is bull sh!t. Normal body temperature is 98-100.

These are very common for children in day cares centers to have. Slightly runny nose could be allergies.

And not telling you the temp? They absolutely need to tell you the ACTUAL number! You as the parent need to know this information.

I would be looking for a new center personally.

[div_0305]

A friend told me her once super-loved daycare did this to her on many occasions to keep their ratios in line on days they were understaffed! She had NO IDEA until a friend she referred to the same daycare had the same issues. Here's their MO: Child sent home because daycare said he had a temp of 101. She picks him up, and is worried what new illness is about to start. His temp is normal when she brings him home and stays that way, but she can't bring him back to daycare for a whole 24 hours after the daycare said it was at 101. They did this for over 1 1/2 years to her until she caught on, and it was only because the exact same thing was done to her friend. So cruel! As a first time mom, she had enough doubts and worries about her baby, and to realize the daycare was screwing her over like this to pinch pennies and not have enough staff was a terrible realization. Very, very connaiving of the daycare.