Can my child go to daycare with impetigo?
Yes, in Texas, as long as the sores can be kept covered with a clean, dry bandage. A child with impetigo doesn’t need to leave in the middle of the day; the American Academy of Pediatrics and California’s health department say to start treatment before going back the next day.
Updated Oct 16, 2026. State rules and national guidance, not medical advice: if you’re unsure, call your child’s doctor.
Return to daycare: Texas, national (AAP) and California rules
| Texas centers | National standard (AAP) | California centers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stay home? | Only if the sores can’t be kept covered with a clean, dry bandage. | Not right away: wash and cover the sores and see a doctor at the end of the day. | Up to the center. State guidance says a child may go back once treatment starts; stay home only if an oozing sore can’t be covered. UCSF’s child care program says 24 hours after treatment starts and no discharge. |
| Back when | Once the sores can be kept covered. | Once treatment (antibiotic cream or medicine) has started, with the sores covered. | When the center’s policy allows. |
| Doctor’s note | Not by the rule. A child a doctor diagnosed needs documentation that they’re no longer contagious. | No. | Only if the center’s policy asks for one. |
Texas: 25 TAC §97.7(a)(12) (skin infections), applied to centers by §746.3603; DSHS chart (rev. 2024). National: AAP quick-reference sheet. California: CDPH symptom guidance (2023); UCSF CCHP (Dec 2025). A Texas child sent home sick may also come back after 24 hours without symptoms or with a health professional’s statement (§746.3606). California leaves illness rules to each center’s written policy; its column is the state health department’s guidance.
How it spreads and how long it’s contagious
- Impetigo is a skin infection most common in children 2 to 5 years old. It causes red, itchy sores that break open, leak and then crust over.
- It spreads through close contact. Children are contagious until treatment starts or the crusts are gone; the CDC says they can go back once antibiotics have started and the sores are covered.
- Keeping nails short and the sores covered helps stop it spreading to other parts of the body and to other children.
Sources: CDC: impetigo; CDC: clinical guidance; AAP.
When to call the doctor
- Redness or tenderness that spreads quickly
- A dark red or purple rash that spreads
Sources: CDPH. Call 911 if your child is struggling to breathe, turns blue or is hard to wake.
What the center has to do
Both states have general rules on sending sick children home and on telling Licensing and parents about outbreaks, and a center’s own written illness policy can be stricter: ask for it at enrollment. The Texas and California rules →
What the state records show
Since February 2021, California has investigated 1 complaint whose allegations mention impetigo; it wasn’t substantiated.
From Texas and California inspection, complaint and investigation records for centers licensed today; Texas counts are citations under the sick-child and parent-notice rules whose inspector notes name impetigo. See all sick-child citations in the sick-day guide.
Common questions
When can a child with impetigo go back to daycare?
In Texas, right away, if the sores can be kept covered with a clean, dry bandage. Under the AAP’s national guidance, once treatment has started; the child doesn’t need to be sent home mid-day.
How long after antibiotics is impetigo contagious?
Children stop being considered contagious once treatment starts (AAP). The CDC’s guidance for doctors says at least 12 hours after starting antibiotics; some programs, such as UCSF’s child care program, use 24 hours.
Does impetigo have to be covered at daycare?
Yes. Texas makes covering the sores the condition for attending, and the AAP and CDC say to keep them covered.