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Paid childcare

Discuss everything related to paid childcare here, including childminders, nannies, nurseries and au pairs.

Original poster

Head lice, would you send a child home?

60 replies

Divster · 17/09/2010 14:20

If you are a childminder, would you ask for a child to picked up straight away if you found them to have head lice?

OP posts:
BooBooGlass · 17/09/2010 14:23

Not a childminder, no. I'd probably de-nit them myself if it were me. I do wish school would send children with nits home though

Riddo · 17/09/2010 14:27

I'm a childminder. I would de-nit them myself and then tell the parent at pick up time BUT I would make it clear that they must continue to do it and that I don't see it as part of my job Grin

Original poster
Divster · 17/09/2010 14:37

My step-son (who is a single parent) has had to leave work and pick up his child as demanded by the childminder. Just wondered if thats the done thing or not?

I would think if all children with nits were sent home the schools woukld be empty! Wink

OP posts:
looneytune · 17/09/2010 14:39

Agree with others. This is in my policies and procedures about Headlice:

Head Lice Policy

Head Lice can affect people from any socio-economic background and ethnicity and do not imply a lack of hygiene or cleanliness of the infested person. In order to try and prevent other children becoming infected, I have put together the following procedure. I hope that as Parents you too will work with me to prevent and treat the spread of head lice.

? No Child will be excluded from my care because they have head lice and I ask that all children and parents are sensitive and understanding towards the child. It is not their fault they have head lice

? Request that all children with long hair wear their hair up to prevent the spread of Head Lice

? Request that parents check their children?s hair once a week with a special head lice comb to aid early detection

? Request that parents inform me immediately if they have discovered that their child has head lice

? I will provide information on the effective treatment and detection of Head Lice, via my portfolio
4
? I will inform all parents using my service if a child has head lice but I will not say who, to respect confidentiality

? I am happy to support parents with the manual removal of head lice using a special comb, please discuss this with me

? I will assist in the prevention of Head Lice by ensuring the children only use their own hairbrushes and combs and that the play dressing up hats are regularly cleaned

Original poster
Divster · 17/09/2010 14:53

Thank you for the info, think the whole thing is depressing him

OP posts:
Blondeshavemorefun · 17/09/2010 20:15

If schools did the send the child home and not welcome them back till they are clear then their would be less if a nit problem

in the olden days Grin (when I went to school) we had a nit nurse and if found then the child went home as not allowed at school then the parents would do something about the problem.

Nowdays it seems they can't be bothered and many a time my dc have come home with nits/I've got rid if them due to combing etc by Friday and clear at weekend. They go back to school on Monday and come home with them again Angry

I can understand why a cm would want to send home but looneys policys sound fair

StarExpat · 17/09/2010 20:30

oh goodness. I'd hope my cm would send home a child with headlice, including my own. Anything to prevent them from spreading. I would also feel so awful if my cm had to sit there and de-nit my ds' hair and Blush as I see that as far, far above and beyond the call of duty!

Btw, just how common is it that children get nits? I'm a teacher and only had one child in 10 years who had them a lot but was kept home until treated. Maybe others had it and I didn't know? What I really want to know is, how likely is it that my ds is going to get them.

BoysAreLikeDogs · 17/09/2010 20:33

um Star I hate to tell you this but HL are RIFE in early years; it tends to tail off once you get to juniors (yr 3 and upwards)

[hug]

Wet combing with conditioner is the best preventative. Or a Number three buzz cut

StarExpat · 17/09/2010 20:43

I don't want DS to have to have short hair :(

Thanks for the warning, though, BALD :) I'll make sure to start putting tea tree oil on his scalp and other lice deterring stuff...

BoysAreLikeDogs · 17/09/2010 20:49

My DS2 has collar-length hair and we religiously wet-comb twice-weekly (he is 8 now and we've not had infestation for a few years; DS1 prefers his hair v short which is great because the lice HATE short hair)

StarExpat · 17/09/2010 20:51

at the idea that they could be crawling around my classroom.

In my school we typically do know, though as parents are so embarrassed about it and go totally OTT to prevent.

Blondeshavemorefun · 17/09/2010 21:08

starexpat, yes the bugs are probably crawling about your classroom Grin

tbh im surprised YOU havent had them yet being a teacher - what age do you teach?

nursery/reception seem to be the worst offenders

i remember in my ex dc nursery when i helped out there was a girl whose head was covered and hair literally moved and nursery wouldnt name and shame Hmm

i would HAPPILY name and shame Grin

and now im subconsciously scratching my head at the thought of it

StarExpat · 17/09/2010 22:06

I did teach 5-7 and now 6-8s. Not a British school. Parents there are pretty vigilant about it and would care for it immediately if noticed (and have done so IME). All surfaces thoroughly disinfected by cleaners (and me Blush ) daily. Hoovered daily. No cushions or communal clothes/hats... OCD? moi? no....

I have long hair I wear it down, teaching for 10 years - never ever a single nit/louse - not even as a child. Maybe they don't like me??

Strix · 18/09/2010 11:54

I think Looney'spolicy is fair. I would only go pick up a child from the CM if it was in the contract that I was required to do so.

I can understand why the CM would not want lice there, but I can also understand that picking the child up would constitute a service not provided and therefore as a parent I would probably expect not to pay for that day (unless it was agreed in contract of course).

looneytune · 18/09/2010 11:57

Agree with Strix. Also, I wouldn't want to loose money for closing if I had them (which I have had not that long ago!)

xoxcherylxox · 18/09/2010 16:42

i think maybe if a child continually had them and it seems as if the parent wasnt doing anything then i may ask for the child not to come back until treated or ask for the permission to treat them myself

MoreCrackThanHarlem · 18/09/2010 17:02

I work in KS2
Probably half the girls are crawling with lice
If we sent them all home the school would be empty

Blondeshavemorefun · 18/09/2010 17:45

but if you sent them home the parents would make some effort

head lice happens, its a fact of life, but no child should keep getting it

if the parents or even nannys/carers etc combed through EVERY day and de nitted and used special combs/conditioner etc then it would go

and yes worse on long hair but my ex dc b6 got it as well and had very short back and sides

missmoopy · 18/09/2010 17:53

Its headlice! No, children should not be sent home.

Littlefish · 18/09/2010 17:59

No, children should not be sent home. A complete over-reaction.

Strix · 19/09/2010 08:52

It does surprise me when parents don't take necessary precautions to prevent lice. We got a note home a year ago and diligently put DD in french plaits every day. Her friends mum was pretty laid back about it and didn't even put her DDs hair back. WE had a sleepover shortly after. And half the girls appeared at school on Monday with wet hair. Am thinking that PROBABLY girl who never wore braids brought them to the party.

YUCK!!!!

I never had lice as a kid. And have still never had them. They are gross. yuck. yuck. yuck. Why are they everywhere today?

If my child went to a childminder, I would appreciate knowing my child had lice before I got to the door to pick them up s I could go by Tesco before I got there and pick up the treatment.

Just an idea (I realise not really your job), butperhaps if you are a CM and you had boxes of the treatment and offered to give it to parents at pickup (at cost) you would find they use it before morning.

sunnydelight · 20/09/2010 00:59

Our school policy is clear, kids will be sent home with headlice and shouldn't come back until clear with the expectation that treatment will continue. I have no problem with that and would expect a childminder to do the same.

StarExpat · 20/09/2010 10:05

Sunnydelight I totally agree with you. Are you in the UK? Because they do this in America and at my school in the UK, but don't seem to at British schools, nurseries, cms. Why should it be spread?

Blondeshavemorefun · 20/09/2010 10:23

if only our school did that sunny delight

thebody · 20/09/2010 17:30

i would send home... it drove me nuts when mine were a certain age and they kept getting them... some parents didnt bother to treat them, tea tree oil ffs..DOES NOT WORK

I think schools, nurserys and cms should exclude until parents treat them sensibly with proper treatments..

i dont see it as my job to do this and frankly, having caught them myself from my own kids i dont want to catch them from mindees...yeukkkk