OTB Sick Policy
OTB has a very strict Sick Policy. If the teacher is not 100% well, he/she is not allowed to teach. If the teacher has a child that is sick, they are not allowed to teach. Some may find this inconvenient, as it sometimes requires us to cancel classes, but we feel this is important to ensure that children and parents are not exposed to possible illness. This applies to Center classes and Field/Satellite classes.
It is difficult to know when not to bring your child to class when they are sick if you see no symptoms, and we understand this. Most illnesses have an incubation period, and symptoms of illness is not apparent until the child is already sick, and having already been contagious. With that being said, all we can do is hope that if you notice symptoms of illness that you not come to class. It also helps us to know if your child is sick so we can alert the rest of the group. Most influenza viruses and RSV is airborne, so your child could basically contract it walking through the grocery store parking lot – and even worse, they are both highly contagious!
RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus) is a very vicious illness and one that moves quickly. It mimics a persistent cold, and often by the time it is identified the children are already very, very ill and some even requiring ER visits. Keep an eye on this, and if you see your child with cold-like symptoms that don’t clear up, make sure you bring this up to your Pediatrician. For more information on RSV, visit http://www.cdc.gov/rsv/index.html.
The Scoop About Mucous
Many people say many different things when it comes to how to decipher when your child is sick by judging the color of their mucous. It is always best to consult with your doctor, however, at OTB we are aware that a “runny nose” is not always a sign of illness. We see a clear runny nose with allergies, teething, weather changes, and at the end of an illness when the child is no longer contagious and the body is “filtering”. Here is a simple guideline for us:
- Yellow Mucous – Don’t bring your child to class
- Brown Mucous – Don’t bring your child to class
- Green Mucous – Don’t bring your child to class
- Cloudy Mucous – Don’t bring your child to class
- Clear Mucous – See if there are other symptoms, check child’s behavior/demeanor, and make a judgment off the “bigger picture”.
If you are unsure, call the front desk and they can help you navigate.
When you child looks “unwell”, and is showing signs of being lethargic – do not bring them to class. Let them heal.
We cannot control illness, all we can do is be conscious of it, and be proactive once we know it is present. We at OTB are very diligent about washing and sanitizing our toys and tools for class. All the teachers are rigorously trained to clean their tools after every class without exception or give them to our designated “cleaner”. The cleaning solutions we use are non-chemical, safe and natural. Even if we don’t pass out wipes in, after or before class, and even if you don’t actually “see” us wash our tools – please know that we do! We have an entire position (employee) who does nothing but clean and disinfect our class tools. This is just one of the ways we are committed to keeping your babies safe and healthy!
If you have any questions, or would like clarification whether you should bring your child to class or not, feel free to e-mail octavia@otbee.com or call (818) 645-4692.
Thank you for supporting our program!!