Important Guidelines for a Safe, Happy Experience

If your child is sick and you have questions about their participation in school, when unsure, please check our Parent Handbook for guidance which is listed below. 

Sick or Ill Children

Due to licensing supervision requirements, students must be healthy enough to participate in all aspects of the class day including outside time. Remember – the best place for a sick child is at home in bed. Please do not send a sick child to school and risk infecting other children and staff. 

Please notify us at (703) 689-3104 if your child becomes ill and will not be attending that day. 

If a child arrives with symptoms of illness, the child will not be permitted to stay. If a child develops symptoms after arriving, they will be excluded from contact with the other children; re-located in the hallway until the parents can arrive for pick-up. A child is not permitted to attend preschool when he or she has had a fever, vomited, or had diarrhea during the previous 24 hours. 

A sick child can have any of the following symptoms and for the well-being of all our preschoolers and staff, please keep your child home if he/she: 

•  Has taken fever reducing medication within the last 24 hours 
•  Is running a fever 
•  Has a runny nose, coughing and sneezing (not belonging to a chronic condition like allergies) 
•  Has red, crusty, or runny eyes
•  Experienced vomiting and/or diarrhea within the last 24 hours or 
•  Has an undiagnosed skin rash. 

Children should be kept home and must be symptom-free for 24 hours without medication after the last episode of fever, vomiting, and/or diarrhea. This 24-hour period must start after the last fever reducing or other medication has expired.

Common symptoms that are being reported as symptoms of positive COVID cases are similar to a bad cold or a case of the flu. 

• Sore throat, 
• Body aches, 
• Headaches, 
• New sinus pressure, 
• New runny nose, 
• Fatigue and 
• A fever that goes away fairly quickly

If your child tests positive for COVID,they must stay home for 5 days to quarantine but then can return to school with a well-fitting mask for another 5 days.

Below is the Inclement Weather Policy For the 2025 – 2026 schoolyear.  We follow Fairfax County Public Schools operating status, which can be found using this link.  Preschool closings or delayed openings will also be posted on our website typically by 7:30 AM on the days in question.

If Fairfax County Public Schools are closed:

• All Katydid Preschool classes are cancelled

If Fairfax County Public Schools have a delayed opening:

• All Katydid Preschool classes will have a delayed opening.  See the table below for our delayed operating class schedule.

If Fairfax County Public Schools close early:

• Katydid Preschool morning classes will end at the normal time
• All afternoon classes are canceled.

The preschool does not participate in FCPS’ pre-planned early release days. The preschool operates on its normal schedule on those days.

If Fairfax County Public Schools are delayed:

• All Katydid Tiny Tots classes will continue to meet at the regular scheduled times and will not be delayed.

If Fairfax County Public Schools are closed:

• All Katydid Tiny Tots classes are canceled

If Fairfax County Public Schools close early:

• All Katydid Tiny Tots Classes take place as scheduled.