Daycare Fever Rules: When Your Child Has to Stay Home

Most daycares send a child home, or ask parents to keep them home, when the child has a fever with other signs of illness. The child can usually come back once they have been fever-free for 24 hours without fever-reducing medicine like acetaminophen or ibuprofen.

The exact temperature cutoff varies by center. Many follow American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) guidance, and some set a lower number. Here is what the guidance says, why the 24-hour rule exists, and how to plan for fever days when you work full-time. Checked against the AAP's HealthyChildren.org guidance in November 2026.

What temperature counts as a fever at daycare?

The AAP's child care guidance, published on HealthyChildren.org, uses these thresholds:

• Babies younger than 2 months: a temperature above 100.4°F (38°C) needs urgent medical advice, whether or not the baby seems sick. Call the doctor right away.
• Babies 2 to 4 months: the guidance gives no separate number. Many centers and pediatricians treat any fever at this age as a reason to call the doctor, so ask yours.
• Children older than 4 months: a temperature above 101°F (38.3°C) together with a change in behavior or other symptoms such as a sore throat, rash, vomiting or diarrhea. A fever alone, in a child who is acting normally, is not an AAP reason to stay home.
• Fever with a cough, runny nose or sore throat: the child should stay home and return after at least 24 hours without fever, without fever-reducing medicine.

Many centers use a stricter rule, such as sending children home at 100.4°F regardless of other symptoms. That is the center's choice, and it is allowed. Ask for your center's exact number before your child starts, and keep a copy of the sick policy at home.

The 24-hour fever-free rule

Nearly every daycare uses some version of this rule. Your child can return once they have been without a fever for 24 hours, and that 24 hours has to happen without any fever-reducing medicine.

Why so strict? Medicine can bring a temperature down for four to six hours while the child is still sick and contagious. A child who had a fever Tuesday afternoon and gets Tylenol Wednesday morning may seem fine at drop-off, then spike again before lunch. That puts other children at risk and means another call to come pick up.

A simple way to count: if the fever breaks overnight Tuesday, and your child stays fever-free all day Wednesday without medicine, they can usually return Thursday morning.

Fever is not the only reason to stay home

The AAP lists other symptoms that keep a child out of child care, even without a fever:

• Vomiting two or more times in the past 24 hours
• Diarrhea that leaks out of the diaper, accidents in a toilet-trained child, or more than two extra stools in 24 hours
• More than a drop of blood or mucus in the stool
• A rash with a fever or a change in behavior, until a doctor says it is not contagious
• Mouth sores with drooling the child cannot control
• Being too sick or tired to join normal activities

A cough or runny nose without fever is usually fine if your child feels well enough to play. Some illnesses have their own return rules. Strep throat, for example, means staying home until at least 12 hours after antibiotics start. For specific illnesses, see our guides to stomach bugs, hand, foot and mouth disease and pink eye.

How to take your child's temperature

• Under 3 months: a rectal reading is the most accurate.
• Toddlers and preschoolers: a temporal (forehead) or ear thermometer is easy and quick. An armpit reading works too, but tends to run lower.
• Wait 15 to 30 minutes after a bath, outdoor play or a hot drink.
• Write down the time, the reading and any medicine you gave. Your daycare and your doctor may ask.

When a fever needs a doctor

Call your child's doctor right away, or seek urgent care, if:

• Your baby is younger than 2 months and has a temperature of 100.4°F or higher
• Your child seems very sleepy, is hard to wake or will not respond normally
• Your child is having trouble breathing
• There are signs of dehydration, such as very few wet diapers, no tears or a dry mouth
• The fever lasts more than two to three days
• Your child has a stiff neck or a seizure

Call 911 for a rash that spreads quickly and looks like bruises or tiny blood spots. Trust your instincts. You know your child best, and a doctor would rather hear from you early.

What happens when a fever starts at daycare

Most centers follow a similar process:

1. A teacher notices your child is not acting like themselves and takes their temperature.
2. The center calls you or the emergency contact on file to come pick up.
3. Your child rests away from the group, with an adult nearby, until you arrive.
4. Some centers can give fever medicine while you are on the way, but only with your written permission and a labeled bottle.

Ask how quickly you need to arrive after a call. Many centers expect pickup within an hour.

Planning for fever days when you work

Children in group care get sick more often in their first year, so it is worth planning before the first fever.

• Agree with your partner on who stays home, or split the day.
• Keep a list of backup caregivers who can take a sick child, such as a grandparent or a sitter.
• Ask your employer about remote work or sick time for caregiving. Illinois' Paid Leave for All Workers Act gives most workers up to 40 hours of paid leave a year that they can use for any reason, and Chicago and Cook County have their own paid leave rules.
• Keep a fever kit at home: thermometer, fever medicine dosed for your child's weight, fluids and easy foods.

Frequently asked questions

Can my child go to daycare with a 100 degree fever?

It depends on the center. Under AAP guidance, 100°F without other symptoms is not a reason to keep home a child older than 4 months. Many centers set their own cutoff at 100.4°F, so check your policy. For babies under 2 months, call the doctor.

Can I give Tylenol and send my child to daycare?

No. Giving medicine to hide a fever is against almost every daycare's rules. It can also make your child sicker and expose other children.

How long does my child have to be fever-free?

Usually 24 hours, without fever-reducing medicine.

Does teething cause a fever?

Teething can cause a slight rise in temperature, but not a true fever above 100.4°F. If your baby has a real fever, look for another cause.

How Children's Land handles sick days

If a child becomes sick at a Children's Land center, our director calls the adult listed on your Emergency Information Form so the child can be picked up as soon as possible. While waiting, your child rests away from the other children with an adult nearby. Our FAQ covers more health and safety questions, and each location can walk you through the full sick policy before you enroll.

Related reading: How Often Do Daycare Kids Get Sick in the First Year?