Ask the Expert

Q: My son sniffles a lot due to allergies. A mother at daycare told me to keep my child home when he's sick. When is it necessary to keep a child home from daycare?

A: First of all, it's not up to another mother to determine when your child can and can't come to daycare. The center should have given you a written policy when your child enrolled, stating when kids should be kept home. If they didn't, here are some generally accepted guidelines: Keep him home if he has a temperature of 100 or higher; if he has had vomiting or diarrhea in the past 24 hours; or if he has a contagious condition such as lice, chicken pox, cold or flu. Also find out if your center has a rule on how soon children can return after an illness.

If another mother does confront you, reply by saying something along the lines of "I've spoken to [the name of the caregiver] and we are taking care of this situation." And make sure that is true. Talk to the caregiver -- perhaps your child is suffering from an allergy to something at the day care facility. For instance, if your child is allergic to strong perfumes, they should make sure the bathrooms do not contain perfumed soaps and that the staff avoids wearing perfumes to work.

Patricia Hearron, PhD, professor of child development and early childhood education in the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina, has been involved in childcare and early education for over 30 years.