Handle a sick day or early pickup

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.

• 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.