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 sc6hool 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, and
- 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.
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.
Learn More about the School Exclusion List
- Exclusion from Schools Brochure – for Parents
- Exclusion from Schools – Spanish Brochure for Parents
- A Letter to Parents about the School Exclusion List
- 2007-2008 School Exclusion List
- A letter to School Superintendents and Principals about the School Exclusion List
Learn More about the Childcare Exclusion List
- Exclusion from Out-of-Home Childcare – Brochure for Parents
- Exclusion from Out-of-Home Childcare – Spanish Brochure for Parents
- A Letter to Parents about the Childcare Exclusion List
- 2007-2008 Childcare Exclusion List
Each year, the SC DHEC Bureau of Disease Control revises the School and Childcare Exclusion Lists for the upcoming school year. The revised 2008-2009 School and Childcare Exclusion Lists and Parent brochures, which will be effective July 1, 2008, are available from the links below:
School Exclusion:
- 2008-2009 School Exclusion List
- Exclusion from Schools Brochure – For Parents-- Revised May 2008
- A Letter to Parents about the School Exclusion List
- A letter to School Superintendents and Principals about the School Exclusion List
Childcare Exclusion:
- 2008-2009 Childcare Exclusion List
- Exclusion from Out-of-Home Childcare -- Brochure for Parents
- A Letter to Parents about the Childcare Exclusion List
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.