Febrile seizures and fever, and what happens if it happens at daycare

A febrile seizure is frightening to watch and, in nearly every case, not dangerous. It is a seizure set off by a fever, most often in a child between 6 months and 5 years old, and HealthLinkBC's own figures say it happens to somewhere between 2 and 5 children in every 100 at some point in childhood. This is what the actual guidance says, and what a licensed BC centre does if it happens here.

What a febrile seizure actually is

A febrile seizure is a seizure caused by a fever. HealthLinkBC states it can happen with any illness that raises body temperature, including a common cold, the flu, an ear infection or roseola, and that it is tied to a fever of 38 degrees Celsius or higher. It often shows up early in an illness, sometimes before a parent has even noticed the child feels warm, because it is frequently the speed of the temperature rise that matters rather than only the final number on the thermometer.

Most last a short time. HealthLinkBC says a febrile seizure usually runs from 30 seconds to 2 minutes, though some are over in a few seconds and a smaller number go on for more than 15 minutes. During one, a child's body may stiffen or jerk, their eyes may roll back, and they will not respond to their name. It stops on its own in almost every case.

The most important fact for a worried parent is the one HealthLinkBC states outright: a febrile seizure does not mean a child has epilepsy or is developing a seizure disorder. Most cause no lasting harm. About 1 in 3 children who have one will have a second febrile seizure at some point, and a family history (a parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle or sibling who had one) raises the odds of a first or repeat seizure. None of that changes the outlook. It is a reaction to a fever, not a diagnosis of anything more.

HealthLinkBC is also direct that febrile seizures generally cannot be prevented. Giving a fever-reducing medication such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen can make a feverish child more comfortable, but it has not been shown to stop a febrile seizure from happening. Decisions about medicating your child belong with your own doctor or with a call to 8-1-1, not with a childcare centre, and this post does not offer guidance beyond what HealthLinkBC itself says.

What actually triggers exclusion, before any seizure is involved

Fever on its own does not automatically mean a child stays home. British Columbia's own guidance for child care settings, published by the Community Care Facilities Branch, lists the specific combination that does: a fever of 100 degrees Fahrenheit, 38.3 degrees Celsius, or higher, together with general symptoms such as listlessness or sluggishness. The guidance notes that combination may be an early sign of an illness needing a doctor's attention.

That is a narrower test than "any fever." A child with a raised temperature who is eating, playing and acting like themselves is a different case from a child with the same number on the thermometer who is quiet, flat and does not want to join in. The same guidance sets a broader test that covers both: a child should be kept home, or collected, when they cannot take part in the centre's regular programs and activities. If your child could not do a normal day here, whatever the exact number reads, the answer is to keep them home.

Returning after a fever follows the same logic rather than a fixed waiting period. The guidance ties return to being free from symptoms and well enough to take part in the day's activities, and to no longer being infectious. In practice that means normal temperature and energy held for a real stretch of time, not the first hour a thermometer happens to read normal. Our post on when to keep your child home sick from daycare walks through the fuller symptom list this guidance covers, including colds, vomiting and diarrhea, which follow different return rules than fever does.

When a fever becomes an emergency

Two separate pieces of guidance matter here, and it is worth knowing both because they cover different situations.

Fraser Health's own guidance on fever says to go to the nearest Emergency Department if a fever lasts more than 48 hours, reaches 40 degrees Celsius or higher, or comes with trouble breathing, a seizure, or a stiff and sore neck. None of those require a seizure to already be happening. A high, sustained fever on its own is a reason to seek care.

HealthLinkBC's specific guidance on febrile seizures sets out when to call 911 rather than go to Emergency yourself. Call 911 if a seizure lasts longer than 3 minutes, if the child is younger than 6 months old, if the child has trouble breathing or their face turns blue, or if they have a second seizure within 24 hours. Those thresholds exist because they mark the point where a seizure is behaving outside the pattern of a typical, brief febrile seizure.

Situation	What HealthLinkBC or Fraser Health says to do
Seizure lasting longer than 3 minutes	Call 911
Child under 6 months having a febrile seizure	Call 911
Trouble breathing or blue colouring around the face	Call 911
A second seizure within 24 hours	Call 911
Fever of 40 degrees Celsius or higher	Go to the nearest Emergency Department
Fever lasting more than 48 hours	Go to the nearest Emergency Department
Fever with a stiff, sore neck	Go to the nearest Emergency Department

As of 13 September 2026, those are the figures published on the two pages cited above. Fever guidance changes as health authorities update it, so it is worth checking the current pages directly if you are reading this some time after it was written.

The first few minutes, if it happens

HealthLinkBC's first aid guidance for a seizure at home applies here too, because it is written for exactly this situation: a caregiver, alone with a child, watching a seizure happen.

Note the time it starts. This is the single most useful thing a bystander can do, because the 3 minute threshold for calling 911 cannot be judged by feel. A minute spent watching a seizure feels far longer than a minute on a clock.

Clear anything hard or sharp out of the way and lay the child on their side on a flat surface, so nothing can be inhaled if they vomit or produce extra saliva. Do not hold the child down or try to stop the movement. Do not put anything in the child's mouth. Wait it out, on their side, and let them wake gradually once it has passed rather than crowding them the second the seizure ends.

If the seizure crosses 3 minutes, if the child is under 6 months old, if breathing looks affected, or if a second seizure starts within a day, that is when HealthLinkBC's own guidance calls for 911.

What a licensed centre is actually equipped to do

This is where the regulation gets specific, rather than relying on a general promise that "staff are trained."

Section 23 of the Child Care Licensing Regulation requires that children in a licensed BC centre have immediate access at all times to an employee holding a valid first aid and CPR certificate, from a course meeting the requirements set out in Schedule C. Schedule C then lists exactly what that course has to examine, and it names convulsions specifically, alongside diabetes, epilepsy and allergic reactions, as a medical condition every certified educator has been tested on. Our post on first aid and safety training at a licensed daycare sets out the hours, the renewal cycle and every skill the course covers in full.

That certificate requirement is also why the regulation asks a certified employee to be knowledgeable about each child's medical conditions and capable of communicating clearly with emergency personnel. A history of a previous febrile seizure, or a known seizure trigger, is exactly the kind of detail that belongs in a child's file rather than only in a parent's memory, for precisely this reason.

Section 55 of the regulation sets the notification duty, and it applies here without exception. A licensee must immediately notify a parent or emergency contact if a child becomes ill or is injured while in care. A febrile seizure or a high fever falls under both words. You get a call while it is happening, from an educator who is already trained in what to do, not a note handed to you at the door hours later.

Groups here typically run with a designated educator, and generally four to five educators are present across the centre each day, always meeting the staff-to-child ratios licensing requires. That matters in an emergency for a plain reason: one educator can stay with the child while another calls you and, if 911's criteria are met, calls for help, rather than one person trying to do everything at once.

What happens after

Once a seizure or a fever has passed and 911 has been called if it needed to be, the same rules that apply to any illness during the day take over. The centre keeps a child comfortable and supervised in a quiet area until a parent arrives, and section 56 of the regulation requires a written log of the event, even when it did not need emergency care. That record is useful to you later: if your own doctor asks what happened and how long it lasted, there is a note rather than a memory reconstructed under stress.

If your child does need emergency care or a hospital transfer for any reason, that triggers a separate set of reportable-incident rules the centre must follow with the medical health officer, on top of calling you. That reporting duty, and the full list of what counts as reportable, is covered in the first aid post linked above.

None of this replaces your own doctor. A febrile seizure, or a fever that meets Fraser Health's Emergency Department criteria, is a medical event, and the right next step is your child's physician, an emergency department, or a call to 8-1-1 for guidance from a registered nurse. What the centre can tell you is what the rules require it to do while you are on your way, and that a febrile seizure, however alarming it looks, is something HealthLinkBC's own guidance treats as generally short, generally harmless, and rarely a first sign of anything more.

Frequently asked questions

What exactly is a febrile seizure?

A seizure caused by a fever, most often in children between 6 months and 5 years old. HealthLinkBC states that about 2 to 5 percent of children have one at some point, usually as the body temperature rises quickly early in an illness such as a cold, the flu, an ear infection or roseola. It is a reaction to the fever, not a sign of epilepsy or a seizure disorder.

Does a febrile seizure mean my child has epilepsy?

No. HealthLinkBC is explicit that most febrile seizures stop on their own, cause no lasting harm, and do not mean the child has or will develop epilepsy. About 1 in 3 children who have one febrile seizure will have another at some point, and a child is more likely to have one if a parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle or sibling has had one.

How long does a febrile seizure usually last?

HealthLinkBC says most last from 30 seconds to 2 minutes, though some are as short as a few seconds and a smaller number last longer than 15 minutes. The length matters for what happens next. A seizure lasting longer than 3 minutes is one of HealthLinkBC's own reasons to call 911.

What temperature triggers a febrile seizure?

HealthLinkBC's guidance defines a febrile seizure as one occurring with a fever of 38 degrees Celsius or higher. How fast the temperature climbs plays a part alongside the final number, which is why a seizure can be the first sign anyone notices that a child is unwell.

What would an educator do if my child had a seizure here?

Follow the same first aid steps HealthLinkBC gives any caregiver: note the time it started, move anything hard or sharp out of the way, lay the child on their side on a flat surface to protect their airway, and never put anything in their mouth or try to hold them still. Every educator at a licensed BC centre holds a first aid certificate that specifically covers convulsions, under Schedule C of the Child Care Licensing Regulation. You would be called immediately, and 911 would be called if the seizure met HealthLinkBC's emergency criteria.

When does a fever mean my child has to be called 911 on, or taken to Emergency?

HealthLinkBC's own criteria for calling 911 during or after a febrile seizure are a seizure lasting longer than 3 minutes, a child younger than 6 months, trouble breathing, blue colouring around the face, or a second seizure within 24 hours. Separately, Fraser Health's guidance on fever says to go to the nearest Emergency Department if a fever lasts more than 48 hours, reaches 40 degrees Celsius or higher, or comes with trouble breathing, a seizure, or a stiff and sore neck.

At what fever does the centre have to send my child home or ask me to keep them home?

The Province's own guidance for child care settings lists a fever of 38.3 degrees Celsius or more, together with general symptoms such as listlessness or sluggishness, as one of the conditions that means a child should stay home or be sent home. A temperature alone, with a child who is otherwise well enough to join in the day's activities, is treated differently from a fever paired with those general symptoms.

Can my child come back the day after the fever breaks?

The Province's guidance ties return to whether the child is free from symptoms and well enough to take part in the centre's regular programs and activities, rather than to a fixed number of hours. In practice that usually means normal temperature, energy and appetite for a full stretch of time, not the first hour the thermometer reads normal.

Will I be called the moment my child has a fever or a seizure, or does it wait until pick-up?

Immediately, not at pick-up. Section 55 of the Child Care Licensing Regulation requires a licensed centre to notify a parent or emergency contact right away if a child becomes ill or is injured while in care. A febrile seizure or a high fever falls squarely under that duty.

Does a febrile seizure need to be reported to a health authority?

A febrile seizure itself is a medical event, not a facility failure, and it is handled through the parent notification duty in section 55 and the centre's own incident records under section 56. If a child needs emergency care or hospital transfer for any reason, including after a seizure, that triggers the separate reportable incident rules our post on first aid and safety training explains in full.

Can I give my child fever medicine to prevent another febrile seizure?

HealthLinkBC states plainly that febrile seizures generally cannot be prevented, and that giving fever-reducing medication such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen has not been shown to prevent them, even though those medications can make a feverish child more comfortable. Any medication decision for your child is one to make with your own doctor or through 8-1-1, not with the centre.

Before you visit

If your child has had a febrile seizure before, or you simply want to know how a room here handles a sick or unwell child during the day, that is a good question to bring to a tour. Tours run about thirty minutes by appointment, best outside drop-off, pick-up, outdoor time and nap. Contact us to arrange one, and bring the questions that are actually on your mind. They are the ones worth asking.