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Daycare Center and Family Home Forum>Lice Policy in 2018/2019
Pestle 04:52 AM 12-18-2018
Well GUESS WHAT.

So I didn't have a lice policy in place and now I need it. At least this is happening just before the new year so it'll be easy to change directions now and send out an updated handbook for January.

Looking over old threads, everybody who sounded off had the traditional "No Nit" policy. It looks like the current trend for schools is to insist on treatment but permit the kids to return. I assumed that was because treatments are effective enough these days, but reading over the justification for this, it's not actually relevant to eradicating the lice:

These are not good reasons and I'm unimpressed and also kinda insulted on behalf of everybody involved. I told the parent last night, before I'd done the research, that I'd allow the kid back in after treatment with a CDC-recommended chemical and several thorough combings, and they responded with "We were going to use tea tree oil."

Um, no. They switched directions immediately when I said they'd have to be completely louse-free if they went the natural route, and I do trust this family, but I'd had a couple of families in the past who definitely would have lied to me and sent their child in without legitimate treatment. So now I have a reason for a no-nit policy:

I had lice once years ago, mistakenly picked up a homeopathic product from Walgreens (shame on you, Walgreens!) and couldn't figure out why it took three "treatments" to work. Answer: It didn't work; I just finally managed to comb every single nit out.

Also, man, you have to know how much to dilute tea tree oil so you don't burn the skin. That stuff does nothing but smother lice, the same as any other grease you put on your head, but with the added benefit of scorching your flesh. I should know; my grandmother got sucked into the homeopathic internet stuff when she had cancer, and she hit a cut on my arm with undiluted tea tree oil once. Plus I read this horrible news story about a family that applied mayonnaise to their toddler's scalp, tied a plastic bag over the head like a shower cap, and woke up the next morning to find the bag had twisted and the child had asphyxiated during the night. Chemicals that work are so much better than slime that doesn't work, burns, and a dead child.

So my point is: I was going to require parents to use a CDC-recommended pediculicide, but now that the rubber meets the road, I realize I won't be able to tell if they're lying to me about actually using it. Does everybody have a no-nit policy, or are there some who allow return to care after treatment, and if so, what are their requirements for treatment?

Edit: Thank you for your wisdom about the car seat covers! Everybody make sure your families are heat-treating their car seat covers as well as clothing and bedding.
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Ariana 05:10 AM 12-18-2018
Tea tree oil is a preventative measure, not an actual treatment. I wash my kids hair in tea tree oil shampoo when I know there is lice in her classroom for example. If she actually got lice, tea tree oil would not be that effective. The tea tree I buy is specifically diluted for lice so I can also put it directly on the scalp without burning.

My policy is that the kid must be nit free for 24 hours. Nit picking is the only way to get rid of lice completely. I once had a kid out for nearly two weeks because even after two pesticide washes she still had nits. Pesticide shampoos are not as effective now as they once were it seems. Meanwhile her sister was allowed back at school after first shampoo.
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Pestle 05:33 AM 12-18-2018
Originally Posted by Ariana:
Tea tree oil is a preventative measure, not an actual treatment. I wash my kids hair in tea tree oil shampoo when I know there is lice in her classroom for example. If she actually got lice, tea tree oil would not be that effective. The tea tree I buy is specifically diluted for lice so I can also put it directly on the scalp without burning.
Good to know!

Yikes, I hate the nit combs. The metal ones actually work, but they rip my hair out . . . it's medium, not fine or coarse, and right now it's super-long, so if I end up with lice I might just say heck with it and get it spiked again.
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Ariana 06:18 AM 12-18-2018
Originally Posted by Pestle:
Good to know!

Yikes, I hate the nit combs. The metal ones actually work, but they rip my hair out . . . it's medium, not fine or coarse, and right now it's super-long, so if I end up with lice I might just say heck with it and get it spiked again.
If anyone in my family ever gets lice I am pretty sure I would burn my house down and shave our heads
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Pestle 06:25 AM 12-18-2018
Originally Posted by Ariana:
If anyone in my family ever gets lice I am pretty sure I would burn my house down and shave our heads
One of the parents came in laughing at me this morning because, in the middle of texting back and forth last night about lice notification and policies, I broke out with "ERMAGERD LET'S JUST SET THE HOUSE ON FIRE AGAIN" or something like that.
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Blackcat31 06:44 AM 12-18-2018
Originally Posted by Pestle:
Well GUESS WHAT.

So I didn't have a lice policy in place and now I need it. At least this is happening just before the new year so it'll be easy to change directions now and send out an updated handbook for January.
This is one of those situations where I don't necessarily feel the need to have a written policy. Other than do NOT enter my home with lice, nits and or anything you suspect might be any of those things. Just DON'T.



Originally Posted by Pestle:
Looking over old threads, everybody who sounded off had the traditional "No Nit" policy. It looks like the current trend for schools is to insist on treatment but permit the kids to return. I assumed that was because treatments are effective enough these days,
I think the rules for public school are what they are because the kids in public school aren't anywhere near as close (physically) as daycare children are in a home setting.



Originally Posted by Pestle:
So my point is: I was going to require parents to use a CDC-recommended pediculicide, but now that the rubber meets the road, I realize I won't be able to tell if they're lying to me about actually using it. Does everybody have a no-nit policy, or are there some who allow return to care after treatment, and if so, what are their requirements for treatment?
I don't direct or advise parents on how to treat or eliminate. I simply do not allow re-admittance until it's ALL gone. All of it. I inspect closely upon their first arrival back and will absolutely turn away at the door if I see anything.

I dealt with lots of lice during my Head Start days and it's just not something I take lightly or will chance it with when it can snowball into such a huge issue if not addressed properly the first time.

I do provide some info about how to clean their homes and items to not overlook.... hair brushes, hair binders, hats, car seats, mattresses, sofa pillows, stuffed animals, area rugs...ANYWHERE the child may have been.

I had a mom a few years back take a flat iron to her child's hair. Did the trick. Her child was 5 though so not so sure how well that would work with shorter hair or really young kids though...
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MomBoss 11:00 AM 12-18-2018
Anyone else start itching?!

I worked at a center that had a big problem with lice. Lots of organic families that would treat with organic recipes. Im sorry..but if im trying to kill something, i would think to use some heavy duty toxic stuff lol. These same kids kept coming back with lice and was blaming our center. Well it doesnt just magically appear so someone had to bring it in...
I would absolutely die if someone i cared for came with it. That and bed bugs..i cant deal.
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DaveA 11:19 AM 12-18-2018
Originally Posted by MomBoss:
Anyone else start itching?!
YEP!

I basically have BC's policy- if you have them or even think you might don't come in till you're sure they're totally gone.

As for schools/ CDC/ doctor's recommendations- when they pay for my lost income and cleaning supplies while I go thermonuclear cleaning my house they can tell me what to do. Until then I'll decide who sets foot in my house.
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e.j. 12:20 PM 12-18-2018
Having been through it with my own dd and again with a dcg years later, I have a strict no-nit policy. I don't care what parents use to get rid of lice. All I'm interested in is the results. I won't let a child in until they've been treated and I've personally checked their hair. The parent of the dcg with lice swore up and down that she was all set each time he tried to bring her back to day care. I'm sure he though she was. Each time I checked her hair, though, I found eggs or lice and had to tell him to take her back home. It took a few attempts on his part before I could finally take her back into care.
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LysesKids 02:21 PM 12-19-2018
Originally Posted by MomBoss:
Anyone else start itching?!

I worked at a center that had a big problem with lice. Lots of organic families that would treat with organic recipes. Im sorry..but if im trying to kill something, i would think to use some heavy duty toxic stuff lol. These same kids kept coming back with lice and was blaming our center. Well it doesnt just magically appear so someone had to bring it in...
I would absolutely die if someone i cared for came with it. That and bed bugs..i cant deal.
Hence the reason many of us banned backpacks, diaper bags & carseats in our childcare homes. My original policy was made in 2011 when local centers were having not only lice issues, but severe bed bug problems. I just explained to parents that neither I, nor they had $3000+ to deal with the problem (which is cheap for bedbug eradication). Parents that fought me on the policy went out the door that day. I'm not about to replace everything in my house for something I can try to prevent
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hwichlaz 02:23 PM 12-19-2018
The medications no longer work. They've become immune. Straight tea tree oil combed through the hair and left on over night does kill every last bug, but not the eggs, so they still need to pick and comb
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MomBoss 10:18 AM 12-20-2018
Originally Posted by LysesKids:
Hence the reason many of us banned backpacks, diaper bags & carseats in our childcare homes. My original policy was made in 2011 when local centers were having not only lice issues, but severe bed bug problems. I just explained to parents that neither I, nor they had $3000+ to deal with the problem (which is cheap for bedbug eradication). Parents that fought me on the policy went out the door that day. I'm not about to replace everything in my house for something I can try to prevent
I have a child that brings a stuffed animal blanket combo thing everyday back and forth from home. How do i expalin that he cant have his comfort item here? I was thinking of saying she needs to buy another one to keep here so i could be responsible for the cleanliness off it. Not only am i worried about lice/bugs but just its so germy idk when the last time mom cleaned it.
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Pestle 02:01 PM 12-20-2018
I don't permit anything from home, and I don't give them plushies here. The inability to participate in the schedule without a lovey tells me they aren't ready for care.

Plus I have a cat with a flea allergy and it costs me $80 in steroid shots every time a flea comes in on somebody's stuff.

Oh hey guess what. There is no evidence of lice on this kid, but his sister went home with conjunctivitis yesterday and now has HFM rash all over. I asked the mom if she rejected Charlton Heston's request to let his people go or something. (Cuz that's three out of ten plagues so far and I'm getting worried!)
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Tags:lice, lice guidelines, lice policy, lice removal, lice treatment, lice treatment - fairy tales, nits
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