37.95.139 CHILD CARE FACILITIES: HEALTH CARE REQUIREMENTS

(1) The parents of each child admitted to the day care facility shall provide the name of the physician or health care facility the parent wishes to have called in case of an emergency.

(2) If, while in care, a child becomes ill or is suspected of having a communicable disease reportable to the health department while in care, the parent shall be notified by the provider. The parent is responsible for arranging to have the child taken home.

(3) The director, owner, manager, or person in charge of the day care facility must designate a staff member to check daily the health status of each child immediately upon that child's entry into the day care facility, and to exclude any child showing symptoms of illness, under the following guidelines:

(a) Children must be without fever of 101ƒµF or greater for 24 hours before they return to the day care facility, except that children with immunization-related fevers need not be excluded if they are able to participate in the routine of the day care facility;

(b) Children must be without vomiting and diarrhea for 24 hours before they return to the day care facility. Vomiting includes two or more episodes in the previous 24 hours. Diarrhea is defined as an increased number of stools, increased water in the stool, and/or decreased form to the stool that cannot be contained by a diaper or clothing;

(c) Children with any of the bacterial infections listed below must be treated with antibiotics for 24 hours before they return to the day care center:

(i) strep throat;

(ii) scarlet fever;

(iii) impetigo;

(iv) bacterial conjunctivitis (pinkeye); and

(v) skin infections such as draining burn or infected wounds or hangnails;

(d) Generalized rashes, including those covering multiple parts of the body, must be evaluated by a health care provider to determine their cause before the child can return to the day care facility;

(e) Children with chickenpox may not be admitted to the day care facility until their sores dry up, which usually takes five to seven days. Day care providers must not purposefully expose susceptible children to chickenpox, even with the permission of the susceptible child's parents;

(f) Children who are jaundiced must be excluded until a health care provider evaluates the cause and authorizes the child to return to the day care facility;

(g) Children with symptoms of severe illness, such as uncontrolled coughing, breathing difficulty or wheezing, stiff neck, irritability, poor food or fluid intake, or a seizure, must be evaluated by a health care provider before they may return to the day care facility;

(h) A child need not be excluded for a discharge from the nose which is not accompanied by a fever.

(4) If a child develops symptoms of illness while at the day care facility and after the parent or guardian has left, the day care facility must do the following:

(a) isolate the child immediately from other children in a room or area segregated for that purpose;

(b) contact and inform the parent or guardian as soon as possible about the illness and request the parent or guardian to pick up the child;

(c) report each case of suspected communicable disease the same day by telephone to the local health authority, or as soon as possible thereafter if no contact can be made the same day.

(5) When a child is absent, the day care provider shall obtain the reasons so the interest of the other children may be properly protected. If a reportable communicable disease is suspected, the provider shall inform a health officer. No child shall be readmitted after an absence until the reason for the absence is known and there is assurance that the child's return will not harm that child or the other children. Disease charts that identify the reportable diseases are available from the department.

(6) The day care facility may readmit a child excluded for illness whenever, in its discretion:

(a) the child either shows no symptoms of illness;

(b) the child has been free of fever, vomiting, or diarrhea for 24 hours; or

(7) The parent or guardian may also provide the day care facility with a signed certification of health from a licensed physician, except that the following restrictions must be followed:

(a) If a child is excluded for shigellosis or salmonella, the child may not be readmitted until the child has no diarrhea or fever, the child's parent or guardian produces documentation that two stools, taken at least 24 hours apart, are negative for shigellosis or salmonella, and the local health authority has given written approval for the child to be readmitted to the day care facility;

(b) If a child is excluded for hepatitis A virus infection, the child shall remain excluded until either one week after onset of illness or jaundice, if the symptoms are mild, or until immune globulin has been administered to appropriate children and staff in the day care facility as directed by the local health authority.

(8) The facility must have a plan for preventing and responding to emergencies due to food and allergic reactions.

History: 52-2-704, 52-2-735, MCA; IMP, 52-2-704, 52-2-723, 52-2-731, 52-2-735, MCA; NEW, 2000 MAR p. 2415, Eff. 9/8/00; AMD, 2002 MAR p. 2231, Eff. 8/16/02; AMD, 2006 MAR p. 1424, Eff. 6/2/06; AMD, 2018 MAR p. 308, Eff. 2/10/18.