Essential illness documents for child care

Welcome to the Illness Documents page, your go-to resource for critical forms and guidelines to ensure health and safety in child care. Here, you will find important documents designed to support child care providers in managing illness effectively and maintaining a healthy environment for children.

Access key illness forms

Document 1: Daily Health Check / Illness Log / Outbreak Line List
Daily health check/illness log/outbreak line list: A document that lists all child or staff illnesses. When an outbreak
occurs, the line list is used by TPH to track cases.
The Outbreak Line List includes the following information: Child’s/Staff’s Initials or Name as found in center’s
documentation, Date of Birth if required by center’s documentation, Room the Child is assigned to, Description of
Symptoms, Date Child first started showing symptoms, Date Child last attended the center, Parent’s Contact
Information, Time child is picked up by parent, Staff Member’s Initials, Information regarding Exclusion and Re-
admission, and the Outbreak Number as designated by the local TPH if an outbreak occurs.
The Daily Health Check / Illness Log / Outbreak Line List form is used by educators to record information about a
child’s illnesses and track symptoms of common childhood diseases such as diarrhea and vomiting. The form helps to
notify parents about an illness that has occurred at the center, track an increase in illness above the center’s normal
daycare baseline, and helps TPH track key information for potential outbreaks including illness, symptoms,
attendance and absence of children and staff (City of Toronto, 2026b).

Cleaning & Disinfection / Toy Cleaning Log

A cleaning log or checklist of all surfaces and materials to be cleaned and disinfected. Examples of items in infant
rooms that could be included on this log are all of the toys that are cleaned with water and a non-ammonia-based
cleaner.
The log or checklist for cleaning surfaces is used to record information on the area or item that was cleaned, the date
and time of cleaning, the cleaning product that was used, the concentration of the solution and how long the solution
is in contact with the surface. This is where staff members would also write their initials and note any follow-up that
may be required, such as removing a broken toy from the program.
Function / Purpose: To prevent the spread of infection through the shared use of materials. Written documentation
of cleaning and disinfecting practices must include the surfaces that are cleaned and disinfected on a regular basis, as
well as the methods and materials used for cleaning and disinfecting, and how long cleaning and disinfecting solutions
are left on surfaces (City of Toronto, 2026c).

Ensuring a healthy environment

At Working in Child Care: Health, Safety & Nutrition, we are dedicated to supporting child care providers in creating the safest and healthiest spaces for children. These documents are part of our commitment to providing the resources you need to excel in our vital role.