Daily Health
Check

Introduction | Requirement

California Department of Social Services Community Care Licensing requires all licensed child care facilities to conduct daily health checks. The check includes ensuring that children with obvious symptoms including, but not limited to, fever or vomiting, are not accepted into care.

Additional attention shall be paid to children who:

• Have been absent because of illness.

• Have been exposed to a contagious disease.

Centers must implement a written inspection procedure that includes:

• No child shall be accepted without contact between center staff and the person bringing the child to the center

• Require that the person bringing the child to the center remain until the child is accepted

After the child has been determined to be without obvious signs of illness and has been accepted, the center shall require that the person sign the child in.

Regulations/Reference

Title 22: Section 101226.1 - Daily Inspection for Illness

CDSS Community Care Licensing Division. When is a Child too Sick to Attend Care? [Video]. Embedded July 9, 2024 from ccld.childcarevideos.org

Daily Health Check

When to Conduct a Health Check

Conduct health checks EVERYDAY in a relaxed and comfortable manner as each child enters the program and before the parent/guardian has left the building.

Health checks are usually done near the door or sign-in sheet. This allows for the health check and acceptance of the child to happen BEFORE the parent signs-in their child.

Also, do a health check whenever you notice a change in the child’s behavior or appearance during the day. Children who become ill during the day must be isolated from other children & made comfortable.

The child’s parent/caretaker or other authorized adult must be notified to pick the child up immediately.

How to Complete a Health Check

Greet the child at his or her level and ask the parent/guardian these questions: How is your child feeling today? How did your child sleep last night and how is their appetite? Listen to what the parent/guardian says as you observe the child. Use your senses to determine if the child is healthy and can participate fully in the day.

Look for signs and symptoms of illness: 

• Breathing: Is the child coughing, wheezing, breathing fast or having difficulty breathing? 

• Skin: Does the child look pale or flushed? Do you see any rashes, sores, swelling or bruising? Is the child scratching their scalp? Do you notice any new bruises or unexplained cuts? 

• Ears, Nose, and Mouth: Does the child have red, crusty, or watery eyes? Is the child sneezing or pulling at their ears? 

• Listen for complaints: Is the child complaining about not feeling well or being in pain?  

• Feel for fever: Is the child’s skin warm or clammy? Is the child sweaty or having chills? 

• Smell for unusual odors: Is the child’s breath fruity or does it smell bad? Do you notice any other foul smells? 

Discuss your findings with the child’s parent/guardian. If the child is not feeling well, or you see signs and symptoms of illness or injury, the child may need to be excluded from care, based on your program’s inclusion and exclusion policy for illness.  

Unsure whether or not to accept the Child?

Put yourself in the shoes of another parent. If you would not want YOUR child to be in the classroom with the child you have concerns about, then the child should NOT be accepted.

Document your Findings

Document your findings by using a daily log, handwritten notes, electronic communication, sign-in sheets, or daily health checklist. Remember to keep all daily health documentation confidential and save the records.

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