The Coordinator or Site Supervisor must report all communicable diseases to the Local Medical Officer of Health under the Ontario Health Protection and Promotion Act. A full list of this reportable illness can be found on the Family Bulletin board. We ask all families to inform the daycare if your child has been diagnosed with a communicable disease. The information will be held in the strictest confidence.
procedure for outbreaks of infection
If 3-5 children within the same program show the same symptoms, this may be considered an “outbreak of an infection”. The Site Supervisor will then follow the Outbreak Procedures. In the case of a communicable disease, the Public Health Department is informed, and depending on the severity the Medical Officer of Health will be informed. Unless the public health officials give other instructions, the staff will:
- Isolate all ill children.
- Notify parents to pick up ill children as soon as possible.
- Record all the symptoms and the date and time that the children/staff became ill.
- Contact Toronto Public Health Regional Office to report the outbreak.
- Step-up the sanitizing procedures – increase frequency of cleaning and disinfecting.
- Stop all water and sensory play.
- Reinforce the importance of good hand washing.
- Public Health may request stool samples from affected children. Samples are only collected with parental permission.
Please note that the Public Health Department directs the length of time that the child must remain at home. Please also note that the daycare may ask for a doctor’s note to return the child to the daycare.
