Avoiding the Flu

The flu is in the news and on our minds as our children start school. Go to flu.gov for sound advice from the CDC - some specifically provided for early childhood centers and parents of young children. As always, it will be up to us (parents & teachers) to minimize the spread of the flu. (Little children aren’t capable of that on their own.) Following are things we can do together to protect our children and families. Please join us!

Parents:

• Get vaccinated – adults and children – for the seasonal and the H1N1 varieties. The seasonal flu vaccine is available now. The H1N1 vaccine will likely consist of two injections for children and should be available in October. (Lucky us – only one injection for adults.)
• Teach (and remind) your child to wash his/her hands frequently and thoroughly - at school we wash while we sing the ABC's.
• Follow this link to a video from Virginia's Department of Health. You and your child will enjoy the lesson on "sneezing into your sleeve." http://www.vdh.virginia.gov/news/Alerts/SwineFlu/Video/PSAs/Sneezing101.htm
• Keep children home and call your doctor if your child has the following symptoms: fever over 100^o, lethargy, lack of appetite and coughing.
• Call the school (703-494-3090) if your child will be absent. Tell us if your child is experiencing flu-like symptoms or has a confirmed case of the flu.
• Keep affected children home until they are fever free for 24 hours – without the use of fever reducing medication. (Children may remain contagious for a longer period of time. Consult your pediatrician.)
• If the alert level is raised in our area, you will be asked to keep a child home that has come into close contact with a flu sufferer and keep a child home longer than the usual 24 fever-free hours if he/she has contracted the flu.

  School:

• We will continue our routine of a Daily Health Check as the children arrive and give each child a “squirt” of hand sanitizer as part of the arrival routine.
• Children who are sick will be separated from the rest of the class until a parent or emergency contact person can take them home.
• Children will continue to be taught and coached in thorough hand washing after using the bathroom and before snack. (Be sure to send in an appropriate wet wipe for use before snack.)
• Critical “surfaces” will be disinfected through the day.
• Parents will be notified as we learn of confirmed cases of the flu that occur in their child’s class.
• Teachers are encouraged to be vaccinated for both strains of the flu.
• Teachers who are sick will stay home until they have been fever free for 24 hours.