Daycare and Cold Sores

At my daughters pre school they would just cover it with a small band aid and ask the child be at home on the "wet" days.

I do not have a lot of advice to offer regarding day care and the laws, but my sister and best friend all growing up both had HS1 and I never contracted it. This seems completely overboard. I think the rule was "don't touch it" and that seemed to suffice. There was no quarantining necessary, at school, preschool or in the house. I don't see why a bandage isn't sufficient. I can see how someone can contract this by making out with her boyfriend, but that's generally not the case in daycare :o)

What a crock.
I understand taking precautions, but I think she's over-doing it.
I too began getting cold sores, Herpes simplex, when I was just a very little kid. Not one other person in my family ever got it. I've been married and had two children of my own....still not one single other person in my life has ever gotten a cold sore. You can't get much closer than 24 hour contact with a family member. For heaven's sakes, I was intimate with my husband....(didn't kiss him with a raging cold sore), but he never got one. I did daycare for years, none of the kids got it. I've even had shingles, which is REALLY bad, and no one else was infected.
You asked for an unbiased opinion and I guess mine is somewhat biased as someone who's had these issues all my life.
Banning a child from daycare if they've ever gotten cold sores seems ridiculous to me, especially for something that only occurs once or twice a year.
I might look around for a different daycare. You've already agreed to take your child out while she has a cold sore so I don't understand her need to rub it in that she's changing her policy from now on. I would have been a little offended too.

Anyway, I hope this makes you (and others) feel a little better about the likelihood of transmission of the herpes virus from cold sores.

Best wishes.

I have NEVER heard of a child being denied daycare because of a cold sore. They are nothing but a simple virus symptom just like a mild runny nose or stuffy head. Schools do not send kids home because of cold sores.

Really curious how she got so paranoid about this. I would be concerned that she is paranoid about many other things. If she hasn't been able to be pursuaded by information and logic, I'd probably start looking for a new daycare provider.

Good Morning C.,
I would personally be offend by her tone or body language that I'm sure she is using. Call your doctor, local DCFS office, and Health Department and get their opinions in writing. If you are within their guidelines then I would hand them to the provider. If their are going to just make policy changes whenever they feel like it I would start looking for some where else!
Best Wishes!

Well, according to the Dept of Education, Exclusion is not necessary for Herpes Simplex 1. I would think that daycares would not legally be able to exclude children who are affected by HS1.

http://www.education.tas.gov.au/school/health/watersafety...

I would ask the provider what reliable/reputable source she got her information from, because IMO, she can't possible have gotten it from ANY reputable source.

Wow, sorry to hear you're going thru this. It sounds like the provider is overreacting a little. HSV1 is pretty common in the general population so maybe you can do some research for her and let her know the facts so she won't be unnecessarily turning people away if they happen to have cold sores. Education can help remove the fear.

Is this an in-home place? If so, pull her out and find someone who has a clue. She's overreacting and completely out of line. Does she ban a kid who scraped his knee and has an open wound?!?

I wouldn't pull my kid from a daycare that had a child with cold sores as cold sores are very common. It is estimated that probably 75% of our population has cold sores! I work in a high school and can't imagine a school sending kids home for a cold sore - the kids would be faking them left and right haha!

This is one of the craziest things I've ever heard.

I think she is overracting! I think that saying your daughter cannot come while it's inflammed (if that's the right word?) is fine. I admit if I brought my child in and saw your daughter with a broken out cold sore I might think EEEK!!! in my head but not to accept a child at all b/c of that is not right. I would also worry that she will be treated differently there.

my first thought was do you know where your child caught it from? could it be from this same daycare? daycare is where most children catch herpes from. she may be panicking because it is highly contagious and if spread to the eyes can be dangerous. most people freak when they hear herpes. if i saw a child at daycare with a open sore, yes, i would take my child out until the other child heals and ask about their sanitation procedures. how often do they clean the toys?herpes is nothing to mess around with. it can be spread to anywhere on the body and again if spread to the eyes can be a major problem. in a daycare setting it can spread like wildfire as bottles and pacifiers get "shared" and toys are gummed then shared. I dont think its such a issue in grade school as the "sharing" becomes less.

Dear C.,
If you are happy otherwise, your daughter is happy, I would leaver her there. Accept, that she doesn't want your daughter there during an outbreak and do the next best thing, enjoy your time with her during that hopefully rare times.
Once she gets older the problem will be easier to deal with because kids don't share things like they do when they are small.
She may not accept new children, but that's not your problem. Preschool is such a short time and I think you can do more fun things with your daughter, than looking for a new preschool. The one where everything is perfect doesn't exist. Good luck, A.

I would pull her and pull her fast!! She's obviously not very versed in this type of thing and how common it is in children. Children put their mouths on EVERYTHING so the fact that it's your daughter is just the unlucky draw...it could have been ANY of those kids.
For her to make such a big deal about it, and to continue to talk about it and than to make a policy change....makes me think that she's going to treat your daughter differently and while the essential daily care might be there...that it will always be in her mind and therefor your daughter may be treated differently.
I would also check with the state to see if it's even legal for her to do that?? I Looked into daycare as a profession once and I believe you are actually not allowed to turn away children based on something silly like that.

I'm sorry that this is happening, I hate it when I feel helpless in regards to my children, especially when it comes to care I have to put them in.

good luck
K.

Hello C., You have recieved many great responses but I will add my 2 cents as well. I believe that the only way you can discriminate about a child with health issues is to say that you are not trained and able to provide care for a special needs situation. It makes you the responsible party and not a blight on the child or te parents. It is a business decision. I have many children in my home all the time, some little ones I watch and several grandchildren. I feel that when tey have a cold, runny nose or a sore that they have a specail place to play and be which is seperated from the other children with toys and things that they only get to play with that I can sterilize easy enough. The parents and the children do not have a problem with it. I have one child that was a low platelett count so would bleed easy and everyone was taught how to inform us and to be open about it.
I would consider having your child else where. I can't even begin to guess how she found the time to call so many people about the situation and how she went to somany becasue she either didn't lke the 1st 2 answers or wanted them reinforced. She sounds a bit off to me on this one, but I do understand her getting answers to how safe it is for the other children so there is not an outbreak and the health department would hold her accountable.
I would also ask yourself is the cost of this care also in range of the cost of a nanny to come into your home and have her in library,gymnastics and other things in your area the nanny can take her to for interaction ans social skills with children. Good Luck. You can also generate a letter to all the other parents which I am sure she has told == that your child is healthy and you followed the request when there was a outbreak. What does she do for pink eye which is a much more common problem? Good Luck

Okay, so being an in home provider myself I feel that your provider IS overreacting to the situation. While I agree that the child should stay home during the "wet" period, I feel that the child should be allowed back with a band-aid to cover the affected area. I agree that children do share toys after putting them in their mouths as well as pacifiers, etc... no matter how hard you try to prevent it, and herpes is a very contagious infection. It is our (the providers) responsibility to keep the children in our care safe and free of infection to the best of our ability.
Being an in home provider we make our own policies and rules and we CAN change them at any time. I thought I'd mention that since one of the people who responded mentioned they didn't think the provider could legally keep the child away. You have to remember that this is our home and if we feel that something is too risky, we have every right to turn a child away. This includes children whose parents don't believe in immunizations as well. If we don't want to accept those children in our childcare, we don't have to. I'm not saying that it's right or wrong of a provider to do that... I'm just saying that legally, that is our choice.
If you feel like your child is being discriminated against, then by all means... find a new provider. Maybe you want to look into centers that aren't as strict. (Although, depending on the provider.. centers may be more strict) Just look around until you find something that works for you.
Good Luck!

I am appalled at the responders who minimize herpes infection, likening it in one remark to a common cold. (!) Herpes is forever; one never gets over it, unlike a cold, which lasts a few days only. Regardless of the fact that herpes is common, it's very contagious, especially by contact with infected bodily fluids, and the virus can live on objects which are then touched by other children.

Just because it's common is NO excuse to spread it. I contracted herpes thirty years ago from a man who honestly believed it was hereditary. He had herpes as long as he could remember, and so did his parents. So he always believed it was hereditary, and I believed him, and kissed him when he had a sore. Thirty years ago. I've had simplex sores ever since, and I'm still "sore" about it. As the child's mother, it's your responsibility to make sure your child does NOT spread herpes to other innocent, non-infected, unsuspecting children.

Don't be offended, don't be in denial. Just do the right thing, and bring your daughter up to also do the right thing. Make sure she knows herpes is NOT hereditary; it IS infectious, and easily spread. The fact that it's quite common is not permission to be irresponsible, but rather proof that it's highly infectious and easily spread.

I am not sure what to tell on how to handle this, but a sufferer of cold sores myself and I work in a cancer institute where we have immune suppresed patient so I am not allowed at work when I get one and during spring and fall I get them back to back, I pop the blisters and put alcohol on it , it is dry by morning and shortens the "wet " Period to 1 day. It hurts but I have been doing it forever. If popping it is not an option placing a soaked alcohol cotton ball over the blister and letting it soak, air dry soak air dry over and over again also drys it up.

I cannot believe that they are allowed to discriminate like this. Cold sores are all over the place SO many people get them, what they all should stay home and never come out!! BULL!!

If she is telling you that she is turning kids away because of their medical history that is discrimination. Personally I wouldn't want my child some place where they were going to treat her different.

As a daycare provider, I find her reaction a bit overboard. It sounds to me like she may be new to childcare and is 'feeling' out what she really needs to be doing. Now, to be fair to her, when people are licensed the licensing agency tends to go overboard in telling us what to do too.
One the one hand, we do need to protect the other children from infection. On the other hand, as you mentioned, often by the time a problem shows up, the other children have already been exposed. Yes, someone else mentioned that herpes is a lifetime problem. But if your provider is diligent in watching the children and doing her preventive measures in the home (I'm assuming this is a home daycare provider rather than a center) it shouldn't be too difficult to prevent spreading this infection. You could also cover the cold sore with a bandaid or vaseline to help with this problem.
My policy is that if a child has a fever, is vomiting, or simply needs to be home for his or her own benefit, then definitely keep them home. Otherwise I weigh the options with the parent, and make a decision regarding whether it's too risky to have the child here for the sake of the other children. In most cases, the exposure has already happened, and we go with having the child here unless they are too ill to be comfortable and need the comfort of home and Mom.
You need to understand that my situation may be quite different from your provider however. We have a small group of chidren whose families all agree with my policy. She may have more children and families that would be more upset with her having your child there with a cold sore. That could determine a more aggresive policy on her part too.

I have not heard of this but just experienced my 1 year old getting a cold sore and seeing my Dr. today. He is also in day care and was not turned away when he had one. My sense is that it depends on the day care and individual running it.

If it were my child, based upon my educational background and professional experiences in the pharmaceutical industry the past decade, I'd not be happy at the burden because the likelihood of transmission to another child is relatively minimal.

Earlier this year, the American Academy of Pediatrics called for head lice policies to be abandoned because they don't spread disease and are usually diagnosed 3-6 weeks after original infestation. Parents tend to get extremely emotional and anxious over the concern of their children acquiring things at day care and school.

I'm not sure if you're over-reacting - I'm actually leaning more towards her over-reacting in this situation. Is it a private day care or a facility? If this isn't the first time you've had to deal with a situation like this, I'd almost recommend looking into another facility that's not so stringent with common childhood illnesses.

We're fortunate that our day care is OK letting the kids back in with a doctor's note saying they're OK.

No That is just rediculous!!!! If anything I would rethink leaving your child with a Daycare provider with such close minded thinking.

I am not biased at all but I know that if a child is highly contagious at a young age that I wouldn't my child to catch this virus from another child. Just like when a child is throwing up and has a fever which most likely means that they have something that could be highly contagious, they are sent home as to not get other kids sick. Cold sores are very contagious and a child at a young age is probably touching it and spreading it.

I understand your position, but as a mother of 4 and a nanny, I understand your providers position. I personally side with your provider, but also hope, as you do, that your child is not treated soo differently as others. I don't think it can be avoided though. Cold sores are contagious, and I think if you had a child at the daycare that did not have them, you would not desire it upon them. They are painful, and pop up for the rest of your life at the most in-opportune time. As your child gets older and has the ability to care for them and take precautions to not spread them, it seems it wouldn't be as big of a deal. But a preschooler doesn't have that capability, so falls upon the adult who is supervising them. Just another added task in a daycare setting.

My kids are young and do not have cold sores. I have been to birthday parties and heard conversations about the kids who have herpes on their mouth. In public school (Carmel River School) the kids are allowed to be at school with cold sore/ herpes. Some of the parents choose to take their healthy kids homes until the infected child looks fine to them. They wish the parent with the infected child would keep her/him home and complain to the school. I think it was a kindergarten age student. I am guessing at an older age the parents could expect the non-infected child to avoid contact with the sore.

I would be offended, but I am not saying the provider is wrong to send her home. She should have asked how your daughter is doing and happy to see she is well enough to be back at daycare. My son used to be in daycare (in preschool now) and he had pink eye so I took him to the doctor and kept him home for a few days. The center put a note on the front door letting other parents know a child had pink eye and DID NOT disclose the name. I would look for a different provider who is more understanding.
:) S.