Looking for okay preschool on short notice... (Penn: pharmacy, law)

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by CaptainPittsburgh

I don't know a thing about daycare, but sorry to hear about that experience. I was in the same boat as your daughter when I was her age, and it can be a really huge deal. I hated having to have a nebulizer around when I was a tyke, but, it definitely, definitely saved the day on a few occasions.

Katiana, it may sound odd, but daycares/preschools do have staff administer nebulizer treatments. It's actually a simple machine to use.

Yes, nebulizer machines are quite simple to use. It's hard to set them up incorrectly, and there's usually just a plug and an "on-off" switch. Anyone can do it. Long gone are the days when only "the doctor" was considered skilled enough to use a sphygnomanometer to take a blood pressure. However, the ability to determine if the child needs a treatment, and assessing her response afterward, does take some skill/knowledge. Both of my kids have worked in child care, one in a day care center and one in summer day camps. One was actually medication certified. I never heard of her giving a neb. I never heard of any nebs given at the day care, either. In the years I have worked in a doctors' office, I have never filled out a form for a neb to be given at day care/school. There are lots of rules about giving meds in these places. This link doesn't tell you much, but gives an idea of all the regulations:

Pennsylvania Code

[CaptainPittsburgh]

Maybe I was unclear in my earlier post, but I had nebulizer treatments administered at that age, and that was twenty some years ago. I also had them administered in kindergarten and early grade school. I had pretty bad lungs.

Maybe it's rare, I don't know, but it definitely happens. At least now you can say that you've heard it.

[Katarina Witt]

Point taken!

[heartchya]

Originally Posted by Katiana

To tell you the truth, I am surprised any day care would be willing or legally allowed to give a nebulizer treatment. My daughter worked in a day care, was "leader" certified or some such, and she wouldn't have the faintest idea of how to do that. I have never heard of a day care doing that in my area. If the kid is that sick, they call the parents to come and get the child.

My daughter's daycare has to give nebulizer treatments to many kids. It doesn't take any special medical training. The kid wears a mask and breaths in the medicine. Nothing too complicated. When my daughter was younger she had to use one for a few months as she had some congestion in her chest that wasn't going away. It doesn't mean the kid is sick or contagious necessarily. Some kids just need to use them from time to time.

[heartchya]

Originally Posted by ferrarisnowday

It flabbergasts me how much people trust and are willing to pay for their children to be watched by people who typically have little to no official training and are only making $9 - $11 an hour. I don't mean that as a criticism to you specifically eschaton, it's just a comment on our society where dual incomes and day cares are considered the norm rather than the exception. These day care and pre-school places are making hand over fist compared to what they pay out to their employees. I mean the weekly wages of a typical employee are usually equivalent to what a parent pays for 2 kids to go there, but they are watching 8 - 15 kids. I know they also usually have a high turnover rate because the employees leave for something higher paying, which can stress out the kids sometimes.



I think this is more typical, it's ridiculous that they wouldn't call the parents (or even an ambulance!) if a child is having trouble breathing of all things.

I agree that the cost of daycare is outrageous. I know what I am paying for one 3 year old and it is unreal. Keep in mind that using daycare is not always a choice, sometimes even couples need both incomes to cover the bills. I as a single parent obviously have no choice. If I had a choice I would love to stay at home with my daughter. I actually don't think I will have another child unless I am in a situation to stay at home until the child is school aged. It's tough.

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by heartchya

My daughter's daycare has to give nebulizer treatments to many kids. It doesn't take any special medical training. The kid wears a mask and breaths in the medicine. Nothing too complicated. When my daughter was younger she had to use one for a few months as she had some congestion in her chest that wasn't going away. It doesn't mean the kid is sick or contagious necessarily. Some kids just need to use them from time to time.

Please look at the side effects of these commonly nebulized medications:

Albuterol:
Side Effects of Albuterol Sulfate (Albuterol Sulfate Inhalation Solution) Drug Center - RxList

Xopenex:
Xopenex Side Effects

Pulmicort:
Pulmicort Side Effects

Now tell me you want an untrained person giving these meds. Needing a nebulizer most assuredly means the child is sick, though I agree, not necessarily contagious.

[ctkalino]

Originally Posted by Katiana

Now tell me you want an untrained person giving these meds. Needing a nebulizer most assuredly means the child is sick, though I agree, not necessarily contagious.

I'm sorry, that is just ridiculous. These are medications that are used in an urgent situation when someone cannot breathe well. Older kids and adults with asthma are trained to self-administer them using an inhaler...that is part of having asthma. It is not too much to ask that an adult caregiver is willing and able to help a child who cannot self-administer the meds. These drugs can literally save your life in the time you are waiting for medical care and/or the parents to arrive, and in less emergent situations, avoid the need to see a doctor.

There are other options to a nebulizer, too. My daughter has used a spacer with a mask to administer her albuterol (and preventive flovent) since she was 2 years old. She or a caregiver holds the mask to her face, the caregiver inserts the inhaler into the other end of the spacer and puffs, she breathes normally 6 times, and then they repeat. Much less fuss than a nebulizer and it has always worked very well. We have always kept an extra mask+spacer and rescue inhaler at her daycares, filled out the medication form, and no one has ever questioned it. In fact, they have *required* it when they see on her health form that she has an asthma diagnosis. My daughter thankfully has never had to use her rescue inhaler in a childcare or school setting (knock on wood), but if they did, they would administer the inhaler and then call me immediately. Now that she is in kindergarten, the school required us to fill out an "asthma action plan" that specified exactly what to do if she has trouble breathing and it is the same procedure (school nurse or teacher helps her with the inhaler, and then they call me...and/or 911 if her symptoms don't resolve. This is par for the course in managing asthma.

[Hopes]

You might not need a pre-school.

You might simply need to find a daycare that administers medication and instructs you on how to properly accomplish it.

Also, most schools won't administer medication without a note from a doctor, not just a release form from a parent.

I needed to get my doctor to write a note for the public school to give an over the counter medication once.

This requirement exists in schools that have registered nurse too.

My word wasn't good enough. Your word isn't good enough. That's the way it is.

I suspsect the most important thing is that it sounds like you dropped it off without the actual prescription attached.

That would be a very valid reason for the daycare, school, or health professional to not administer the medication.

You can't just drop off prescription medication without the prescription attached and sign a release form.

(Of course, they should have informed you or called you to let you know they weren't doing it.)

You'll be amazed at how this is all very complicated. The legalities and liabilities are too great for schools.

You have to learn the specific way to accomplish this if you want your daughter to receive the treatments.

[heartchya]

Originally Posted by Katiana

Please look at the side effects of these commonly nebulized medications:

Albuterol:
Side Effects of Albuterol Sulfate (Albuterol Sulfate Inhalation Solution) Drug Center - RxList

Xopenex:
Xopenex Side Effects

Pulmicort:
Pulmicort Side Effects

Now tell me you want an untrained person giving these meds. Needing a nebulizer most assuredly means the child is sick, though I agree, not necessarily contagious.

Do you have a child? Just curious. Nebulizers are pretty common and the parents who use them aren't "trained" on how to do it. In fact here is what my "training" consisted of--put the medicine in here, turn on, hold mask up, turn off. I am quite sure they teachers at my daughter's daycare have much more experience with nebulizers than me and I had no problems with it.

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by heartchya

Do you have a child? Just curious.

She's not only a mother, she's a pediatric nurse too.