When to keep your child home? Fever, runny nose, cough and kindergarten rules

Keep your child home from kindergarten when they have a fever (38 °C or more), are vomiting or have diarrhoea, have a rash you don’t recognise, are clearly unwell, or can’t manage an ordinary day in a group. They can go back when they have had no fever for at least 24 hours, even without fever-reducing medicine. After vomiting or diarrhoea, 48 hours must pass since the last episode. With a mild runny nose and no fever, it depends on the rules of your kindergarten, which you will find in its school rules (školský poriadok). At Sovička, a child with a runny nose stays at home.

It is seven in the morning, your child is sniffling and you have a meeting at nine. You are not sure whether it is “still fine”, and you need to decide quickly. That is why we start with a clear table. After it, we explain each situation, the rules in Slovak kindergartens and how to go back after an illness without unnecessary stress. At the end you will find the morning situations where parents hesitate most, and advice on what to do when the kindergarten calls you.

At a glance: when to keep your child at home

The table is based on guidance from the UK’s NHS and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). If your kindergarten has stricter rules, those come first. If in doubt, always talk to your paediatrician.

Fever

According to the NHS, a fever in children is a temperature of 38 °C or more. It is the body’s way of fighting an illness. A child with a fever doesn’t belong at kindergarten, even if you give them medicine in the morning and the temperature drops. The medicine wears off during the day. Your child will then feel unwell and pass the virus on to the other children.

They can go back when they have had no fever for at least 24 hours, even without fever-reducing medicine. For example: your child had a fever on Tuesday evening and was fine all day Wednesday without it and without medicine. The earliest they can go back to the group is Thursday morning, if they are lively.

When to see a doctor about a fever

• your child is under 3 months old and has a temperature of 38 °C or more (straight away, according to the NHS),
• they are unusually drowsy, impossible to settle or confused,
• they are not drinking, passing little urine or have a dry mouth,
• they have difficulty breathing,
• they have a rash that doesn’t fade when you press a glass against it,
• the fever lasts longer than five days or is getting worse,
• you feel something isn’t right.

Runny nose and cough

A runny nose is the most common situation at kindergarten, and the one parents disagree about most. The NHS says that with an ordinary cold and no fever, a child can go to school if they feel well. Slovak kindergartens often have stricter rules. Small children can’t yet wipe their own noses, mucus spreads quickly via toys and hands, and a runny nose can also be strep. That is why at Sovička a child with a runny nose stays at home. Why this matters for your own child too is explained below, in the section on the illness relay.

Three questions help you decide:

1. Does your child have a fever, or have they had one in the last 24 hours? If so, they stay at home.
2. Can they manage an ordinary day, including time outdoors and playing with other children? If not, they stay at home.
3. What do your kindergarten’s school rules say? If children with obvious symptoms aren’t accepted, respect that. The rule protects your child from infection too.

A cough can last for several weeks after an illness, even when your child is already well. If your child has no fever, is lively and the cough is easing, talk to your paediatrician and the kindergarten. If your child has a severe, choking or barking cough, wheezes, or is breathing fast, take them to a doctor.

Vomiting and diarrhoea

Stomach bugs spread very quickly in a group. That is why the NHS and the AAP both advise keeping your child at home for 48 hours after the last episode of vomiting or diarrhoea, even if they already seem fine. While your child is ill, drinking matters most: often, in small sips. If your child isn’t drinking, is passing little urine or is drowsy, call a doctor straight away.

Rashes, eyes and head lice

A rash can be harmless or serious. If a rash appears with a fever, your child is listless, or the rash doesn’t fade under a glass, see a doctor immediately. With chickenpox, your child stays at home until all the spots have crusted over. The doctor will tell you exactly when they can go back.

Rules on conjunctivitis differ between kindergartens, so ask both your paediatrician and the kindergarten. Head lice are not an illness, but they need treating as soon as you find them. Let the kindergarten know too, so they can tell the other parents.

What the kindergarten can ask of parents

The Slovak Education Act (Act No. 245/2008 Coll.) and the school rules of each kindergarten set out how to excuse a child’s absence and when a doctor’s note is needed. The deadlines differ from one kindergarten to another, so look them up in the school rules or ask the head teacher. After a longer illness, kindergartens often ask for a doctor’s note confirming that your child is well and can go back to the group.

At morning drop-off, the teacher may decline to take in a child with obvious signs of illness. She does it for the sake of the other children and of your child, who would find a day in the group hard going. If your child falls ill during the day, the kindergarten will keep them apart from the other children and call you to pick them up as soon as possible.

A five-step morning checklist

1. Take their temperature before breakfast. At 38 °C or more, your child stays at home.
2. Look at how they are behaving. Is your child tired, tearful, not wanting to eat or play? That is a reason to stay at home even if the thermometer shows a normal temperature.
3. Think back to the night. Were they sick, did they have diarrhoea or a fever? The times in the table apply.
4. Check the kindergarten’s rules. With a runny nose and no fever, the school rules decide. At Sovička, a child with a runny nose stays at home so the illness doesn’t spread through the class.
5. If your child is staying at home, let the kindergarten know as soon as you can, ideally before the kindergarten day starts. This also cancels their meals.

It helps to have a plan B ready in advance: who can stay with your child, how carer’s benefit (ošetrovanie člena rodiny, OČR) from the Social Insurance Agency (Sociálna poisťovňa) works, and whether you can work from home. How to get through a winter of frequent illness is covered in our article Child always sick after starting kindergarten.

Five morning situations and how to decide

“He had 38.3 °C last night and 36.8 °C this morning.”

Your child stays at home. A normal temperature in the morning after a feverish evening often just means a pause between waves. They can go back to the group only after 24 hours without fever and without medicine.

“She’s sniffling, but jumping on the bed and asking for breakfast.”

The kindergarten’s rules decide. At Sovička, even a child like this stays at home, because nobody at the door in the morning can tell what is behind the runny nose, and the illness could spread to the whole class. If their nose is running and they are sneezing, many other kindergartens won’t accept them either. Never give fever medicine “just in case” to hide the symptoms.

“He was sick once in the night, but he’s fine this morning.”

Your child stays at home for 48 hours. Stomach bugs often come back, and they spread very quickly in a group.

“She’s been coughing for two weeks, but has no fever.”

A lingering cough after a viral infection is common. If your child is lively, eating and sleeping and the cough is easing, ask your paediatrician and the kindergarten whether they can attend. If the cough is getting worse or choking, or your child is breathing fast, see a doctor.

“No temperature, but he’s not himself at all: tearful, pale, doesn’t want anything.”

Keep him at home and watch him. A change in behaviour is often the first sign of an illness that shows itself a day later. If things get worse or you are worried, call your paediatrician.

Looking after your child at home

• Drinks come before food. Offer water, tea or diluted juice in small sips. If your child doesn’t want to eat, that is fine as long as they drink.
• Rest at your child’s pace. They don’t need to lie in bed all day. Quiet play, books and sleep as needed are enough.
• Light clothes. With a fever, don’t pile on duvets, because the body needs to lose heat.
• Airing the room and washing hands help stop brothers, sisters and parents getting ill.
• Write down temperatures and medicines with the time you gave them. It will come in handy when you call the doctor or when your child goes back to kindergarten.

How to talk to your child about being ill and going back

A child who has spent a week at home with a parent sometimes doesn’t want to go back to kindergarten. That is natural. The day before, tell them calmly what is going to happen: “Tomorrow you’re well again and you’re going to kindergarten. Your teacher and your friends are looking forward to seeing you. I’ll come and get you after lunch.” Remind them of something they like at kindergarten. In the morning, say goodbye the way you did before, briefly and calmly.

When the kindergarten calls you

If the kindergarten calls and asks you to collect your child, don’t panic. The teacher calls when your child has a fever, is vomiting, has diarrhoea or is clearly unwell. Until you arrive, an adult stays with them away from the other children. If you can’t come within an hour, send an authorised person you have registered with the kindergarten. It is a good idea to choose that person in advance, even if you only need them once a year.

How to go back to kindergarten after an illness

• Your child has had no fever for at least 24 hours, even without fever-reducing medicine. After vomiting and diarrhoea, 48 hours have passed since the last episode.
• They are eating and drinking almost as usual and can manage a whole day.
• If the kindergarten requires a doctor’s note, you have it with you.
• Tell the teacher what your child has had and whether they are still taking medicine. The rules on giving medicine at kindergarten are set out in the school rules.
• Your child may be more tired on the first day after an illness. If you can, pick them up earlier.

A home medicine box for a kindergarten child

Put it together before you need it. Go through medicines and doses with your paediatrician or pharmacist.

• a thermometer,
• fever-reducing medicine suitable for your child’s age and weight,
• saline or seawater nose spray and a nasal aspirator,
• oral rehydration solution for diarrhoea and vomiting,
• plasters and antiseptic,
• the phone numbers of your paediatrician and the out-of-hours medical service (pohotovosť).

Medicines and kindergarten

If your child needs antibiotics or another medicine, it usually means they are still ill and belong at home. The exception is long-term medication, for example for allergies or asthma, which your child takes even when they are well. Agree with the head teacher in advance whether and how the kindergarten will give it. The rules on giving medicine are set by the school rules. The kindergarten may also ask for a written note from the doctor with the dose.

Never give your child fever-reducing medicine in the morning just so the teacher will take them in. The fever will come back during the day while you are at work, and your child will suffer for nothing.

How to prepare for the illness season in advance

• save your paediatrician’s number and the out-of-hours service in your phone,
• register at least two people with the kindergarten who can collect your child,
• agree at home who stays with your child on the first day and who on the second,
• check the conditions for carer’s benefit (OČR) on the Social Insurance Agency’s website,
• restock your home medicine box before October arrives.

The illness relay: why a sick child doesn’t belong at kindergarten, even with “just a runny nose”

Rules about sick children can feel harsh when you are rushing to work in the morning. We understand that. Most parents can’t take time off at a moment’s notice, and a child with a runny nose often looks perfectly fine.

A runny nose is usually caused by a virus. But at the door in the morning, nobody knows whether your child is also carrying bacteria, such as strep. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), group A streptococci are very contagious. They spread through droplets and direct contact, and some people carry them with no obvious symptoms.

The illness then travels round the class like a relay. Your child infects their friends, and the teacher often catches it from them too. When the teacher is off, the children get cover staff and different teachers take turns with them, so the days are harder for the children. Meanwhile the children keep passing the illness on. Your child comes back after being ill to a class where other children’s illnesses are still going round, and a few days later is sick again. The class also includes children with weaker immunity, and children whose parents need to work too.

So we say it clearly: bringing a sick child to kindergarten, even with a runny nose that could be strep, is irresponsible. It puts all the children and the staff at risk. But in the end your own child pays the highest price, because they don’t get the chance to recover and fall ill again.

If your paediatrician confirms strep throat, your child can go back to the group only when they have no fever and have been taking antibiotics for at least 12 to 24 hours. That is the CDC’s recommendation. The American Academy of Pediatrics adds that the child must also look well. Your doctor has the final word.

It pays to prepare for sick days before they arrive. Ask grandparents or friends whether they could step in if needed. At work, find out in advance whether you can work from home, and at home decide who stays with your child on the first day and who on the second. At Sovička the rule is: a sick child stays at home, you report the illness in the parent app, and the teacher won’t take in a child showing signs of illness. It protects your child too.

How we do it at Sovička

If your child falls ill in the morning, keep them at home until they have recovered. Otherwise the illness would spread through the class to other children and the teachers, and your child would meet it again when they came back. Just report the illness in the parent app, where you also cancel their meals. If your child shows signs of illness at morning drop-off, the teacher won’t take them in, because she is protecting the whole class, your child included. If your child feels unwell during the day, we will look after them and call you straight away.

If you can’t get away from work, you can set up in the app the people who are allowed to collect your child instead of you. You can find out more about the app on the Parent app page, more answers in our FAQ and forms in Documents.

On a visit we will be happy to explain how morning drop-off works and how we look after your child if they feel unwell during the day. Book a visit at a quiet time, when the kindergarten isn’t busy.