Table of Contents
Children's Garden Health and Wellness Plan
Please keep your child home if they have any of the following:
FEVER – temperature of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. Before returning to school, students need to be fever-free for 24 hours WITHOUT medications to reduce the fever.
SORE THROAT – pain, scratchiness, irritation of the throat, often worsens when the child swallows, accompanied by other cold-like symptoms. A diagnosis of strep throat may return to school after 24 hours of antibiotics.
COUGH – productive, new or worsening cough.
STUFFY/RUNNY NOSE – frequent sniffling with heavy nasal discharge or mouth breathing, accompanied by other cold-like symptoms less than 4 days old.
EYES – eyes crusty, bright red and/or discharging yellow or green fluid.
DIARRHEA – unexplained watery stool. Students should stay home for 24 hours after the last watery stool.
VOMITING – if your student is vomiting, they need to stay home. The student should stay home for 24 hours after the last time they vomited.
RASH – any new rash that has not yet been evaluated by a physician.
INJURY/SURGERY – if students are unable to concentrate due to pain or side effects from medication, they should stay home.
Children will be sent home if they appear to have symptoms of illness during a class session. In such cases, the child will be isolated if possible and a parent will be contacted. If the problem is just fatigue, rest at such times may prevent the development of serious illness.
If your child has been exposed to a communicable disease, notify the school so that families can be informed if there is any risk of potential exposure and the incubation period can be discussed to determine on what date the child can return to school.
The following list includes, but is not limited to, communicable diseases that are public health risks that should be reported to the school.
Bacterial Meningitis
- Haemophilus influenzae invasive disease (excluding Otitis media)
- Meningococcal
Diarrheal diseases due to or suspected to be caused by an infectious agent
- Cryptosporidiosis
- Giardiasis
- Hepatitis A
- Salmonellosis
- Shigellosis
- Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC)
Diseases spread through the air
- Tuberculosis
Vaccine preventable diseases
- Chickenpox (Varicella)
- Diphtheria
- German measles (Rubella)
- Measles (Rubeola)
- Mumps
- Whooping cough (Pertussis
Immunization Policy
At The Children’s Garden, the health and safety of our children, families, and staff are our top priority. We are committed to creating a nurturing, inclusive environment where all children can grow, play, and learn together. To help keep everyone safe, especially our youngest learners, we follow Washington State immunization guidelines for all enrolled students.
Immunization Records
We kindly ask that all families submit one of the following before the first day of school:
- A Certificate of Immunization Status (CIS) showing your child is up to date on all required vaccines,
or - A Certificate of Exemption (COE) for families who have a medical, religious, or personal exemption.
These forms are required by state law and help us keep accurate health records for every child in our care.
About Exemptions
We understand and respect that some families may choose or need to exempt their child from one or more vaccines. If your family submits an exemption form, please know that your child is still warmly welcomed at our preschool!
However, in the event of a local outbreak of a vaccine-preventable disease (like measles or chickenpox), children who are not fully immunized may be temporarily excluded from class to protect their health and the health of others. We’ll work closely with public health authorities to determine when it is safe for exempt students to return.
We know this may be an inconvenience, and we appreciate your understanding and partnership in keeping our community safe and healthy.
Have Questions?
We’re here to help! If you need support accessing your child’s immunization records or completing the required forms, please reach out to our office. We’ll do our best to make the process easy and clear.
The Facts of Lice
Helping Garden Families stay itch-free and informed.
Visit our Facts of Lice page for return to school and King County DOH info.
Air Quality
AQI-Children are typically outside for up to 45 minutes. If the AQI reaches upwards of 150 we will hold class indoors with limited to no outdoor time. Air filters will remain on and classroom and office windows will be closed until AQI is under 100, and the smell of smoke/very visible poor air quality has passed. Parents can choose to mask their child due to the decreased ventilation but masks will not be required.
