I’ll always remember the voicemail I received from my daycare provider with the ambulance siren getting louder and louder in the background and then the sound of the EMTs voices. It’s every parent’s nightmare—thankfully it was just a fever-related seizure.
The last thing any parent wants to think about is an emergency room trip for their child, especially if they are being sent to the ER directly from their daycare provider. Knowing some of what to expect in that situation can be empowering.
When does daycare call 911?
A daycare center’s plan likely follows these guidelines:
- Staff is trained to recognize signs and symptoms of conditions that require immediate medical attention.
- Staff calls 911 immediately upon recognizing signs and symptoms that require immediate medical attention.
- Staff calls the child’s parent/guardian immediately after calling 911 to inform them of the child’s symptoms and where they will be transported for medical care.
- Staff provides first aid as trained in an approved First Aid training course until emergency personnel arrive.
- Staff takes the child’s emergency medical information form(s) with them to the hospital and remains with the child until a parent arrives.
- Each daycare should have both the hospital (or other source of health care to be used) and the method of transportation defined in case of an emergency.
For obvious reasons, a home-based daycare with one provider does not allow the provider to accompany the child in the ambulance.
Ask your daycare: what is your protocol if my child needs to go to the hospital? How do you train staff on that protocol? Understanding the protocol also allows you to confirm a preferred hospital, should you have one.
We hope you never need this information.
