Topic Overview

Federal laws protect children with diabetes from discrimination in schools and child care settings. Schools and child care centers must provide reasonable help for the special needs of children with diabetes while disrupting the usual routine as little as possible. In addition, children should be allowed to participate in all school activities.¹

If your child has diabetes, work with your child care center or school to develop a care plan that meets your child's needs and gives specific instructions for how to handle the following:¹

• Blood sugar testing. Include how often and in what situations your child's blood sugar needs testing. For example, your child may need routine testing before lunch and special testing if he or she appears to have low blood sugar.
• Insulin injections, if needed. Include information on how to give an insulin injection, how much medicine to give, and how to store insulin.
• Meals and snacks. Make a list of foods your child can eat, how much, and when. Talk with the staff about what to do when there are parties at the facility.
• Symptoms of and treatment for low blood sugar. Use the information found under Dealing with low blood sugar level (hypoglycemia) emergencies for people taking insulin in the Home Treatment section of this topic. Give the staff copies of this information for later reference, and tell them how your child acts when his or her blood sugar level is low.
• Symptoms of and treatment for high blood sugar. Use the information found under Dealing with high blood sugar level (hyperglycemia) emergencies in the Home Treatment section of this topic. Give the staff copies of the information for later reference, and tell them how your child acts when his or her blood sugar level is high.
• Testing ketones. Include instructions on how to test your child's urine for ketones and what to do if ketones are present.
• Contact persons. Include how to contact both parents or another adult who cares for the child as well as the name and phone number of the child's doctor.

You may hear a care plan called a "504" plan. 504 refers to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1991, and the Americans with Disabilities Act. These are laws that protect people who have disabilities. It means that schools that have federal funding cannot discriminate against children who have disabilities, and that includes children who have diabetes.¹ You can find a Diabetes Medical Management Plan on the American Diabetes Association's website.