--- title: "Handle a sick day or early pickup" description: "When a child needs to go home early — illness, fever, behavioral — here's how to coordinate with the parent and document the handoff." type: guide updated: 2026-04-21 canonical_url: https://help.nestlicare.com/teachers/attendance/handle-a-sick-day-or-early-pickup roles: ["teacher"] platforms: [ios, android] --- Kids get sick. They fall asleep in the nap room and wake up with a fever. They have a rough morning. They need to go home. This article is about the communication flow, not the technical check-out. When you recognize a child needs to go home early, these are the steps. ## 1. Assess If anything looks serious (high fever, difficulty breathing, persistent vomiting, head injury, allergic reaction), **call 911 first**. Then notify your admin. Don't use the app for this. For non-emergency early pickup (mild fever, unhappy, tummy ache): - Temperature-check if your center has a thermometer - Note the child's mood and recent behavior - Consider what the parent would want to know ## 2. Message the parent Open the **Messages** tab → find the parent's thread (or start a new conversation with them). Be factual and warm: > "Hi Melissa — Jackie's had a low-grade fever for about 20 minutes (99.8°F) and is fussier than usual. She's resting on the couch now. I think she needs to go home. Can you or Paul come pick her up, or arrange for someone?" Include: - Symptom + any measurement (temperature if taken) - How long it's been going on - The child's current state - A clear ask: come pick up, or send someone Avoid: - Speculation about what's wrong ("I think it's strep") - Alarming language - Instructions parents should get from their pediatrician, not you ## 3. Log an incident if applicable For anything medical — fever, injury, possible exposure — **file an incident report** alongside the message. See [Report an incident](/teachers/attendance/report-an-incident). - **Type**: Medical (for fever/illness) or Injury (for bumps/scrapes) - **Description**: same facts you messaged the parent, plus anything they should know for the doctor - **Action Taken**: what you did (cold cloth, ice, rest, called parent) This creates a formal record. Parents sign it in the app, which closes the loop. ## 4. Note in the child's activity feed (optional) For non-incident situations ("just tired today, skipped snack"), log a **Note** activity instead of an incident. The Note shows in the feed without the formality of an incident. - Dashboard → Quick Actions → **Note** - Pick the child - Type: "Had a rough morning — tired, clingy. Skipped snack." - Share with Parents: on - Save ## 5. When the parent (or pickup person) arrives Standard check-out: - If they're on the approved list, proceed as normal. - If they're a **family member** picking up on behalf of the parent, they'll have their own pickup code — every family member's code works at the kiosk. - Verify the child goes to the right adult. Quick verbal handoff: - "Jackie had a fever of 99.8°F around 10:45. She's had water and rested for the last 30 minutes." - "We gave her a cold cloth — she was comfortable with that." - "She still seems tired — rest at home is probably good." ## 6. Update the feed after they leave - Log a final **Note**: "Went home with Mom at 11:15 — fever still mild. Hope she feels better!" - This signals to your team that the child left, and to the parent that you care. ## Edge cases ### Parent can't come, no backup - Call the daycare director or admin. They make the judgment call. - If the parent is reachable but delayed, comfort the child in a quiet area until arrival. - For genuine emergencies, call 911. Don't wait. ### Parent is angry it happened Keep it factual. "We sent Jackie home because her temperature was 99.8°F and she wasn't herself." If they challenge the decision, redirect to the admin — don't debate it at the door. The incident report documents what you observed. ### Child recovers quickly Some kids perk up the second a parent walks in. It doesn't mean they weren't sick. Your observation was right at the time. ### You're not sure if they need to go home Err on the side of calling the parent. A parent getting a "hey, just so you know, Jackie's had a low-grade fever" message feels cared-for. A parent not hearing about a fever until pickup feels ignored. ## Fever policy — check yours Most daycares have a written policy: - Send home at 100.4°F (38°C) or above - Must stay home for 24 hours after fever resolves - Vomiting or diarrhea — send home, 24-hour rule Your center's policy wins. If you don't know it, ask your admin. ## What NOT to do - **Don't administer medication** unless it's on the child's authorization list and the parent has pre-approved. Even Tylenol. - **Don't diagnose.** "It looks like pink eye" becomes "Maria said he has pink eye" very quickly. Just report symptoms. - **Don't discuss one child's illness with another parent.** HIPAA-adjacent; your center's insurance cares about this. - **Don't delay.** Call the parent as soon as you suspect the child needs to go home. ## Troubleshooting **Parent didn't respond to my message.** Try a phone call (to the number on the emergency contact form). Messages aren't guaranteed real-time. For anything urgent, phone first. **Pickup person arrived but they're not on the approved list.** Don't release the child. Call a full-access family member to verify. If the person should be a regular helper, the family can add them as a family member in their app, which gives them their own pickup code going forward — but the approved contacts list in the enrollment paperwork is what governs today. **Child refused to go home with the pickup person.** Document it. Call a full-access family member. The safety of the child is the ceiling; if something feels wrong, don't release. **Incident report already filed but parent is now saying "it wasn't like that."** The incident is a record of what you observed. Don't delete it. Let the admin work with the parent on any disagreement.