Covid Related Information

Unwell children

Information taken from the latest Covid Safe Settings guidelines for all Early Childhood Education Settings:

1. Management of an unwell child or staff member 

Children who have any symptoms, however mild, will need to stay at home, even if they are not a positive case or a close contact.  

It is important that any child (or staff member) who becomes unwell with COVID-19 symptoms while at service returns home and gets tested unless those symptoms are known to be caused by an underlying health condition or medication.

The symptoms to watch out for are: 

• fever 
• chills or sweats 
• cough 
• sore throat 
• shortness of breath 
• runny nose 
• loss or change in sense of smell or taste 

Some people may also experience headache, muscle soreness, stuffy nose, nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea. 

Staff or children experiencing COVID-19 symptoms should be advised to follow the requirements set out in the Testing Requirements for Contacts and Exposed Persons and, where applicable, follow the COVID-19 rapid antigen test procedure. See Managing illness in schools and early childhood services during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Health care plans, where relevant, should be updated to provide additional advice on monitoring and identification of the unwell student in the context of COVID-19.

Staff and children do not need to present a medical certificate stating they are fit to return to an education setting after a period of illness, but they should not return until they no longer have symptoms. 

Please speak to your child's teacher if your child has seasonal allergies such as hayfever that may present as virus symptoms.

Covid Positive Case or Close Contact

If your child tests positive for Covid please notify us if they been onsite 48 hours prior to symptom onset, or test collection date for asymptomatic cases.  We will then notify the affected group via email outlining the days they attended the service in this period. 

Your child will then need to quarantine for seven days, which is also the case for a household close contact. Please refer to Checklist for COVID contacts | Coronavirus Victoriawhere you will find information on the quarantine requirements.

If a child has tested positive and a household contact becomes positive during their quarantine period, the 7 days does not start again. They will automatically be released after 7 days. It is important to note that the household contact who is quarantining would not be able to drop off/collect the child from the service.

Anyone who has recovered from COVID-19 is exempt from testing and quarantine requirements if they are re-exposed to a case within 30 days of testing positive.