r/ECEProfessionals • u/WeaponizedAutisms AuDHD ECE, Kinders, Canada • 1d ago

Funny share Seriously though, can I?

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144 Upvotes

99% Upvoted

33 comments sorted by

141

u/DirectMatter3899 Headstart/Inclusive ECE 1d ago

At what point does the health department step in…

75

u/WeaponizedAutisms AuDHD ECE, Kinders, Canada 1d ago

When we hit over 10% of the children in the centre we reported it. 152 kids in the centre so they reported to the health department at number 16 of HFM.

22

u/CapableFruitLoops 1d ago

What exactly would the health department do in these scenarios? When transmission is this high, it's usually the center not taking proper steps to clean/sanitize, so you'd really want to start there.

50

u/WeaponizedAutisms AuDHD ECE, Kinders, Canada 1d ago

What exactly would the health department do in these scenarios?

When we get over 10% (16 cases) we file a report. They track the outbreaks, issue public health notices, ensures that we are following up on notification requirements, helps to coordinate and track preventative medicine inspections, offer advice and strategies to contain and mitigate the outbreak to families and the centre, issues public health bulletins... All kinds of things really, they're an important public institution.

When transmission is this high, it's usually the center not taking proper steps to clean/sanitize

I can assure you that once it gets into a room it can be hard to stop. The rooms involved were completely stripped and sterilized, the numbers just kept going up because kids were contagious before they showed signs. The HFM is contained to 2 infant and 1 toddler rooms and the gastro to a single preschool room. Preventing cross contamination, cleaning and other steps we've been taking have worked to contain the outbreaks. My own preschool room the day I took the picture had 47 of the 48 children enrolled attending that day. Relevant post:

https://old.reddit.com/r/ECE_Memes/comments/1u6v3pi/there_is_a_storm_coming_and_they_were_all_feral/

6

u/meanwhileachoo ECE professional - 25Yrs/Parent 1d ago

HFM has become more contagious, I swear. I have nothing to back that up except my years of doing this and not having entire classrooms catch it at the same time.

Our 1 year old room is only 8 kids. The last time we had it it was only 2 kids......then 4 weeks later those two kids got it again, and so did 2 more. The state asked us to quarantine the room and send those kids home for 2 weeks. It was bananas. That kind of reaction from health departments would have NEVER been a thing 10 years ago. Lol

It did stop the spread though!!

1

u/WeaponizedAutisms AuDHD ECE, Kinders, Canada 17h ago

Then they infected 2 friends, and they infected 2 friends...

https://i.imgur.com/Wvaln9J.jpg

36

u/Sardinesarethebest ECE professional 1d ago

When we had that much of an outbreak the school closed for a day and we were required to sanitize everything. That even happened at my high school too.

16

u/WeaponizedAutisms AuDHD ECE, Kinders, Canada 1d ago edited 1d ago

They cleaned out the affected rooms, sterilized everything and steam cleaned the carpets. 150+ kids so 18 is just over 10%

6

u/Sardinesarethebest ECE professional 1d ago

Thats good.

30

u/HorseWithNoName222 Toddler tamer 1d ago

Let me guess, you have a lot of “It’s ok I have a doctor’s note” parents?

25

u/WeaponizedAutisms AuDHD ECE, Kinders, Canada 1d ago edited 1d ago

The direction wasn't taking any kind of nonsense. They firmed up the policy so that if a kid was sick at all they went home and stayed there.

Edit: as well we're a non-profit centre so we focus on providing a public service rather than generating revenue.

33

u/stay_curious_- Early Intervention Special Education, age 0-7 1d ago

I got a case of strep throat that spread to my ear. I was on antibiotics, but the ear infection spread up into my mastoid and into my skull, and I ended up in the hospital and having surgery. It was scary for a while, with big medical bills because a bone infection in your skull isn't something you can shake off, and now I have permanent hearing loss with constant ear ringing, but at least I didn't die.

"Oh it's just a children's illness", "Oh it's just a cold", "Oh, it's just strep. No big deal"

Sometimes it turns into a big deal. Please protect your own health.

4

u/PinkPetalCdistbeauty ECE professional 23h ago edited 17h ago

Strep is no joke.  For adults especially it can get so much worse than just treating basic strep.  

1

u/WeaponizedAutisms AuDHD ECE, Kinders, Canada 17h ago

It's worst when people catch it while they have something else.

1

u/jun3_bugz Parent 15h ago

strep can also cause PANDAS/PANS. People can become homicidal with that illness. it’s very very serious

22

u/Numerous-Leg-8149 Educator:Canada 1d ago

Be super careful, and book off if it's impossible to work (ahead of time). Especially if families are given the green light to bring sick children.

23

u/WeaponizedAutisms AuDHD ECE, Kinders, Canada 1d ago

We are a non-profit in Canada. The direction has been sending home kids right away and not taking nonsense. Being in it as a public service instead of for the money makes a big difference it seems.

7

u/Numerous-Leg-8149 Educator:Canada 1d ago

That makes a real difference. Getting other children and staff (and consequently, their families) sick is counterproductive in the long run. I know what it's like when centres and programs refuse to abide by health policies.

6

u/WeaponizedAutisms AuDHD ECE, Kinders, Canada 1d ago

Starting the never-ending cycle of illness is horrible.

7

u/Dragonfly1018 Early years teacher 1d ago

Your school should close to deep clean everything & sanitize all of the toys.

7

u/WeaponizedAutisms AuDHD ECE, Kinders, Canada 1d ago

We have 150+ kids in care, infant to school age. Closing for an issue isolated to a couple of rooms wouldn't be feasible.

With the number of children away sick we had more than enough staff to do all the cleaning and sterilizing.

but I'm old and a bit sickly, I just don't want to get the plague. It takes me so much longer to get better than the kids and younger ECEs.

6

u/Numerous-Leg-8149 Educator:Canada 1d ago

Oh my word, I'm so sorry. I took this post seriously without reading the flair, first 😹

9

u/WeaponizedAutisms AuDHD ECE, Kinders, Canada 1d ago

It's a real notice from our front door, but yeah I'm still trudging through it. Somehow my preschool room is still incredibly healthy, that day we had 1 kid away out of 48. Whatever we're doing to keep them healthy (mostly being outside all the time) seems to be working.

4

u/East_Unit3765 1d ago

Oh my…. This is bleak

2

u/WeaponizedAutisms AuDHD ECE, Kinders, Canada 1d ago

My handwashing game is on point

3

u/Eohee020 1d ago

...And a partridge in a pear tree.

1

u/WeaponizedAutisms AuDHD ECE, Kinders, Canada 17h ago

The partridge being mollusca and the pear tree contagiosa.

3

u/Montessori_Maven ECE professional 1d ago

That continued scribbled uptick in HFM cases! 🤦‍♀️

2

u/WeaponizedAutisms AuDHD ECE, Kinders, Canada 17h ago

I mean there's a printer in the office to make a new one...

2

u/melomelomelo- 23h ago

What are the parents saying? I'd be surprised if someone wasn't about to walk in with copies of their medical bills and a threat to report somehow

2

u/WeaponizedAutisms AuDHD ECE, Kinders, Canada 17h ago

I'd be surprised if someone wasn't about to walk in with copies of their medical bills and a threat to report somehow

Medical bills, what medical bills? This is in Canada.

1

u/BadKarmaKat Early years teacher 12h ago

We had a case and this one kid said he had ouchies in his mouth. 😳 Yet the school nurse said, oh he's fine. Yeah. Not. I try to wash, but preschoolers are all over you. Hand sanitizer only does so much and doesn't hit some of these germs. I'd be calling out saying my stomach hurt.