What's Your Policy on Head Lice ?!?

[Science and logic]

How about science and fact

Why is it that no one here has bothered to mention anything based on science or fact?
Every state has a department of health. That should be the standard.

If a dispute arises between parent and daycare, use a doctor's appointment as a final say.

My daughter has cradle cap.
Along with that, a lot of the gels that help you comb through after doing the shampoos leave a white, dandruff looking substance on the hair.

Add in that business and parent are naturally going to lean towards their side of the topic.

Now add in that most daycare staff and most parents aren't trained to say if someone is sage to return to being around the other kids (who they likely got it from in the first place.

Now add in that lice carry no disease and pose no actual health risk

Now add in that the daycare is only trying to mitigate the opinions of parents who lack actual knowledge and are only basing things on what they thought they knew from when they were a kid

Differences in what is proper should be decided by a doctor who has been trained for years on topics like this ... and been verified by the department of health.

Amd for whatever it's worth .
. My doctor was befuddled when I said I needed an appointment for this.

Have a backbone ... and follow something based on science and not fear.

[Denali]

Children are excluded for a minimum of 7 days (including weekend) while they do the two round treatment (the recommended one here is the 'do one treatment then pick nits then treat again a week later'), then have a licensed professional check and bring me a note stating they are bug and nit free, and for the following 4 weeks I do head checks twice a day on all children. I also do a weekly check every Monday regardless.

And yes they still pay when they are out for lice.

I have had two cases come through here and it has never spread. I will not mess with lice and if I loose families from my lice policy so be it. If the parents are doing their job of picking, treating, and washing they will only be out a week tops.

Note: this may seem extreme, but my mom ran a child care for 15 years and had one family that had lice for months because they were not doing the treatments and picking correctly. She didn't make them pay while they were out. Mom finally had enough and just termed. She said it was terrible.

[childcaremom]

Why is it that no one here has bothered to mention anything based on science or fact?
Every state has a department of health. That should be the standard.

If a dispute arises between parent and daycare, use a doctor's appointment as a final say.

My daughter has cradle cap.
Along with that, a lot of the gels that help you comb through after doing the shampoos leave a white, dandruff looking substance on the hair.

Add in that business and parent are naturally going to lean towards their side of the topic.

Now add in that most daycare staff and most parents aren't trained to say if someone is sage to return to being around the other kids (who they likely got it from in the first place.

Now add in that lice carry no disease and pose no actual health risk

Now add in that the daycare is only trying to mitigate the opinions of parents who lack actual knowledge and are only basing things on what they thought they knew from when they were a kid

Differences in what is proper should be decided by a doctor who has been trained for years on topics like this ... and been verified by the department of health.

Amd for whatever it's worth .
. My doctor was befuddled when I said I needed an appointment for this.

Have a backbone ... and follow something based on science and not fear.

Our schools just changed this past year to allow kids at school with nits. Guess what my dds got this year?

The deterent for me is the time and expense of treatment. We spent close to $400 on treatments and professional treatment. Not to mention many evenings spent nit picking and checking our heads. And the laundry. Etc etc.

So, nope, no lice AND no nits in my house.

My home. My rules. There's my backbone.

[Josiegirl]

Our schools just changed this past year to allow kids at school with nits. Guess what my dds got this year?

The deterent for me is the time and expense of treatment. We spent close to $400 on treatments and professional treatment. Not to mention many evenings spent nit picking and checking our heads. And the laundry. Etc etc.

So, nope, no lice AND no nits in my house.

My home. My rules. There's my backbone.

Exactly!!! Bedbugs aren't really a health issue either(AFAIK) BUT that doesn't mean I want to knowingly spread infestation around. Besides, if everybody ends up getting lice, that's more lost work time for parents, their co-workers and families, etc., etc. AND possible loss of dcfs so there goes your business, word gets around and pretty sure you're known as *that* lice daycare that nobody wants to enroll at. Yes, it can snowball. NO THANKS.

[Blackcat31]

Why is it that no one here has bothered to mention anything based on science or fact?
Every state has a department of health. That should be the standard.

If a dispute arises between parent and daycare, use a doctor's appointment as a final say.

My daughter has cradle cap.
Along with that, a lot of the gels that help you comb through after doing the shampoos leave a white, dandruff looking substance on the hair.

Add in that business and parent are naturally going to lean towards their side of the topic.

Now add in that most daycare staff and most parents aren't trained to say if someone is sage to return to being around the other kids (who they likely got it from in the first place.

Now add in that lice carry no disease and pose no actual health risk

Now add in that the daycare is only trying to mitigate the opinions of parents who lack actual knowledge and are only basing things on what they thought they knew from when they were a kid

Differences in what is proper should be decided by a doctor who has been trained for years on topics like this ... and been verified by the department of health.

Amd for whatever it's worth .
. My doctor was befuddled when I said I needed an appointment for this.

Have a backbone ... and follow something based on science and not fear.

Science and logic?

Where?

[DaveA]

Why is it that no one here has bothered to mention anything based on science or fact?
Every state has a department of health. That should be the standard.

If a dispute arises between parent and daycare, use a doctor's appointment as a final say.

My daughter has cradle cap.
Along with that, a lot of the gels that help you comb through after doing the shampoos leave a white, dandruff looking substance on the hair.

Add in that business and parent are naturally going to lean towards their side of the topic.

Now add in that most daycare staff and most parents aren't trained to say if someone is sage to return to being around the other kids (who they likely got it from in the first place.

Now add in that lice carry no disease and pose no actual health risk

Now add in that the daycare is only trying to mitigate the opinions of parents who lack actual knowledge and are only basing things on what they thought they knew from when they were a kid

Differences in what is proper should be decided by a doctor who has been trained for years on topics like this ... and been verified by the department of health.

Amd for whatever it's worth .
. My doctor was befuddled when I said I needed an appointment for this.

Have a backbone ... and follow something based on science and not fear.

The one fatal flaw in your logic is that the Doctor and Health Department don't run my business. I do. The health department's goal is to establish minimum safety guidelines. If I want to go beyond what they consider "safe" I can. As for the doctor- they aren't coming to my house to clean, paying for the cleaning supplies, or dealing with other angry families with kids who picked up lice because I didn't exclude someone who had it. So they don't get to tell me who is ok to attend.

If DCPs don't like my policies they don't have to use my business. But if they are here they work within a contract of what I consider best. I don't want lice in my house. So no one with nits or lice is going to be attending.

[Mike]

Nobody notice that this thread was 5 years ago? Oh well, still applies today.

Again, people think doctors get to say what dc providers do or don't do.

[Blackcat31]

Nobody notice that this thread was 5 years ago? Oh well, still applies today.

Again, people think doctors get to say what dc providers do or don't do.

Oh, I noticed

but I just HAD to comment on today's unreg poster..... ::

[Josiegirl]

Oh, I noticed

but I just HAD to comment on today's unreg poster..... ::

Yes, same here. Some topics never get too old to comment on. ::

[e.j.]

The day someone at the CDC, the health department or the doctor's office allows kids with lice into their own home to play is the day I'll consider allowing kids with lice into my own. Just kidding! Not happening! Ever! Lice may not carry disease or cause any health problems but there's a certain ick factor to having bugs running rampant in your home - especially bugs that like to set up camp in your hair! I don't know about science but logic tells me that if I don't want lice in my home (and I don't!) , having a no nit/no lice policy is the way to go. .

[nannyde]

Why is it that no one here has bothered to mention anything based on science or fact?
Every state has a department of health. That should be the standard.

If a dispute arises between parent and daycare, use a doctor's appointment as a final say.

My daughter has cradle cap.
Along with that, a lot of the gels that help you comb through after doing the shampoos leave a white, dandruff looking substance on the hair.

Add in that business and parent are naturally going to lean towards their side of the topic.

Now add in that most daycare staff and most parents aren't trained to say if someone is sage to return to being around the other kids (who they likely got it from in the first place.

Now add in that lice carry no disease and pose no actual health risk

Now add in that the daycare is only trying to mitigate the opinions of parents who lack actual knowledge and are only basing things on what they thought they knew from when they were a kid

Differences in what is proper should be decided by a doctor who has been trained for years on topics like this ... and been verified by the department of health.

Amd for whatever it's worth .
. My doctor was befuddled when I said I needed an appointment for this.

Have a backbone ... and follow something based on science and not fear.

Now add in this.

I don't want bugs in my house.
I loose clients if their kid gets lice in my house.
It cost me time and money to treat my house and it is VERY expensive.

You want facts? Here ya go:

My house
My money
My rules

I don't care what a doctor says. Ask the doctor if he wants a kid with lice to come have a sleep over at his house and I bet you would get a science free response.

When are parents going to understand we are SELF employed? We get to decide. Kids with lice are not protected under the disabilities act. We don't have to provide a lice friendly environment.

[nannyde]

The day someone at the CDC, the health department or the doctor's office allows kids with lice into their own home to play is the day I'll consider allowing kids with lice into my own. Just kidding! Not happening! Ever! Lice may not carry disease or cause any health problems but there's a certain ick factor to having bugs running rampant in your home - especially bugs that like to set up camp in your hair! I don't know about science but logic tells me that if I don't want lice in my home (and I don't!) , having a no nit/no lice policy is the way to go. .

That's what I'm sayin.

They gross me out. That's a little scientific fact for ya.

[Science and logic]

Newsflash

You don't want bugs in your home.
Well that kid who has head lice and an itchy head has had head lice for four weeks already.

So your home is already exposed.

And for the record, I was referring to daycare centers.

And yes, have a backbone and educate people if their not educated.

By you being ignorant, you encourage your customers to not even tell you if they noticed head lice on their kid while not at daycare.
So ... by you having a no nit policy ... for something that isn't an actual health issue. .. you put the fear of no child care into parents who can't afford to be out of work for 7 to 10 days or more in some cases.

I'm glad you care more about your couch than the job security of the parents of the kids you supposedly "care for"

And yes ... I'm aware there won't be one person on this site to actually agree with me.

Just remember, I never said don't involve a doctor if you're really that worried. You should only require a safe to return to school note.

Point is ... you have your view ... the parent has theirs ...
Provide a third party trained point of view if the provider and parents can't agree. Logical people find ways to come to a conclusion that's fair to both sides.

When you completely disregard science and logic I don't want my children being "cared" for by you anyway.

I actually did switch daycares due to this.
They would not take anything other than their untrained eyes perception of no nits or anything in the hair.
I offered to them to take pictures of my children and we would enlarge them and compare it to photos online. I offered to get a no risk statement from my doctor. I offered to go to a doctor of their choosing.

Every attempt to meet in the middle was met with ignorance.

The new daycare when asked about they're policy on lice was quick and to the point -- we want a doctor note saying safe to return. They also provide information on where to get a free inspection and removal for a small fee. If you go to that inspection, they will take that statement as sufficient. Basically, the provide two ways to mitigate the battle of ignorance vs science.

Comment all you want. Science can't be argued. It can be proven wrong with further science. You will amaze me if you actually find something that goes against "my" science.

[Science and logic]

For whatever it's worth

And I did have a professional come to my house .... and did the shampoo again that night, and again the next day ....

And went out and bought a dyson hepa filter vacuum ... and switched the kids bedroom to a room that was barely exposed and thoroughly cleaned first, away from all their toys, bedding etc.

And I still had to walk out of daycare with my kids in tears ... kids who had been through torture. .. especially the one with cradle cap.

And for whatever it's worth, even though the daycare wasn't going to accept it, I still brought them to a doctor who low and behold found nothing. The daycare director insisted she knew more because she had been a hair dresser for 30 years. --- completely ignorant

I am already out of work due to injury, typically this would have very likely put my job at high risk .... because lice isn't protected under the ADA laws ... or from ignorance

[Josiegirl]

S n L, There are always 2 sides to the story.

And there are tons of ways to be proactive about catching lice. Tea Tree Oil as suggested above, keeping everybody's things separated, which is usually required by daycare regs. now, keeping little girls' hair close to the head such as braids, etc., not sharing combs, brushes, etc.

Just as you have mentioned in your post about risking your job by losing work(where is your child care back up by the way), we certainly risk our job too. How many parents do you think would enroll if the lice secret got out?? And believe me, parents talk, to everyone they know. It wouldn't take long to get a reputation and it's scary how fast a reputation(whether unfounded or not) can bring down a daycare business.

Having said that, I also see the point from a parent's POV. My dd had lice for 6 weeks. SIX WEEKS!? She got it from school. I was ignorant on how to thoroughly pick nits and she had long thick hair. I tried every single method on the market, from mayo to RID to prescriptions from her pedi. I cleaned and cleaned and cleaned. The cars, car seats, bagged up all material things including headphones. It was a 6 week long nightmare of picking every single nit out of her hair. She ended up being out of school for about a week, IIRC. I felt like an absolute failure. :confused: Then finally, after a couple night of searching for nits and finding nothing, I felt relief. I felt even more relief when a couple years later, my own midwife told me of her same nightmare. So I knew it wasn't only me.
I do see both sides. BUT having gone through that, I DO NOT want to ever go through it again. I will do whatever I can to avoid it, I will also try to work with the dcf on giving advice, etc. BUT if it means losing 1 family versus 6 families, then so be it. Call me cold, ignorant, selfish by looking out for my own skin rather than a dcf's, I don't care. As in most stories, there are 2 sides and more than meets the eye.