Health and Safety Policies

We are very concerned about the health of your child as well as that of the other children in our care.  The California State Department of Health and Welfare requires a physical examination and verification of immunizations upon initial enrollment.

Immunizations  

The State law requires that all children under the age of eighteen be immunized against certain diseases. Following is a list of the immunizations your child will need:

• Polio, 3 doses required

• DTP, 4 doses required
• MMR (after first birthday), 1 dose required
• HIB (after first birthday), 1 dose required
• HEP B, 3 doses required
• Varicella, 1 dose required

A child may be exempt from the immunization requirements when:

• Their physician recommends against the immunization for medical reasons.
• The parents sign a waiver based on their religious or personal beliefs.

If your child is exempt and there is a diseases outbreak, the Health Department may order us to temporarily exclude your child for his/her own protection.

Illness 

When your child has contagious symptoms such as a fever, runny nose, sore throat, or bad cough, he/she should stay home. A child may be sent home if he/she appears to have symptoms of illness. In such a case, the child will be isolated from the other children, accompanied by a staff member, and a parent will be contacted to come and pick up the child. If a parent cannot be reached another adult on the child’s Emergency Form will be contacted. See the attached list of additional symptoms present in your child that will warrant staying home.

Printable health policy and list of symptoms (PDF)

Emergency Medical Care 

PCP is required to have a signed and dated consent form for medical treatment in the child’s file, or a written statement (signed and dated) stating such treatment is contrary to the parents’ personal rights or religious beliefs. In the case of a serious illness or accident, the following steps will be followed and include, but are not limited to:

• Attempt to contact a parent or guardian
• Attempt to contact the child’s physician
• Attempt to contact a parent or guardian through any of the persons listed on the form

If attempts to contact a parent, guardian, or the child’s physician cannot be done, the following procedures will be followed:

• Emergency medical services will be called;

• If there is a need to transport the child, a staff member will be in attendance.  Any expense associated with this action will be the responsibility of the child’s family.

Minor injuries sustained on the campus will be handled by the staff with sterile adhesives, ice packs, washing with water and soap and tender loving care. All of our staff is trained in CPR and American Red Cross First Aid. Parents will be notified by an incident report.

Medication  

It is PCP’s policy to NOT administer medication at school. EXCEPTIONS to this policy include a child with an ongoing medical problem or medical alert that requires medication on a continuous basis or in an emergency, i.e., asthma, cystic fibrosis, allergic reaction to bee stings or food products. If medication is required, it must be a prescription by a medical doctor and must be in a child-proof container. Medication is kept in the preschool office and the child’s classroom as needed.

Fire and Emergency Drills 

Fire drills will be held once a month to train the children in evacuation procedures. Disaster drills will be held to alert students and teachers to seek protective, designated areas within the preschool grounds. As responsible Californians dedicated to the basic health and safety of each child in our care, earthquake preparedness has been planned. This plan includes educating staff, parents, and children, gathering provisions and assuring necessary structural maintenance.