Official Child Care and School Exclusion Lists of Contagious or Communicable Diseases
In an effort to help protect well children from unnecessary exposure to contagious or infectious diseases, South Carolina Regulation 61-20 was passed in July 2002. It requires children and staff with certain diseases and conditions to stay home from school or daycare while contagious.
DHEC is required to publish lists of these diseases and conditions, and to update them each year. These lists are called Exclusion Lists. Exclusion Lists explain how long an ill child or childcare employee should stay out of school or childcare, and what is needed before the child or employee is permitted to return.
There are two Exclusion Lists:
- The School Exclusion List applies to children in 1st through 12th grades who have not been identified as medically fragile.
- The Childcare Exclusion List
applies to
- Children in out-of-home childcare, including after-school care,
- Children in 3-, 4-, or 5-year-old kindergarten,
- Students in grades 1-12 who have been identified by their schools as “medically fragile”, and to
- Employees working in out-of-home childcare.
The School and Childcare Exclusion Lists are different because infants, young children, and children with certain chronic conditions may have more difficulty fighting infections. These children require care that involves close staff contact, and they often engage in close play with other children. This puts them at greater risks for getting and spreading communicable diseases than older children.
The School and Childcare Exclusion Lists have been extensively revised for 2009-2010 based on updated guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatrics, and with input from school nurses and infectious disease professionals.
We hope that your child never has to miss school or stay out of childcare because of illness or disease. The best protection from disease is prevention. You can help prevent many illnesses by making sure your child receives immunizations on time, and by teaching your child to wash his or her hands often.
If you have any questions about the School or Childcare Exclusion Lists or about ways to help children stay healthy, please call your child’s childcare provider, school or your local health department.