Bed Bugs

POLICY:

NOCAC staff will lower the risk of spreading bed bugs in our classrooms and centers through preventative health practices and appropriate reporting procedures.

The Goals of NOCAC Head Start are to:

1. Decrease school absenteeism due to bed bugs.
2. Support families in their efforts to control and eliminate bed bugs.
3. Maintain confidentiality.

PROCEDURES:

Detection of and treatment for bed bugs when discovered in a facility:

1. When an insect is found in a classroom, staff must preserve the insect for identification purposes. Securing the insect with clear tape of in a baggie is an effective way of preserving. Email picture to the Health and Safety Manager for identification purposes.
2. NOCAC Staff must notify the Center Manager and Health and Safety Manager.
3. The Center Manager will schedule the Pest Management Company to conduct a preliminary inspection and identify the bug if necessary.
4. The Pest Management Company will determine if it is a single inset or infestation and recommend a treatment plan for approval from the Director of Child Development.

When an insect is confirmed to be a bed bug, the following procedures will be followed:

1. NOCAC Staff will launder sheets, blankets, dress up clothes in hot water and dry them on high heat.
2. Soft toys and other items that cannot be laundered will be bagged and held for pest control operator’s inspections and recommendations.
3. NOCAC Staff and families need to inspect outside clothes brought into the classroom, including backpacks (it is highly recommended that backpacks not be brought into the room at this time). Advise families to use plastic grocery bags temporarily.
4. NOCAC Staff and families will shake out clothes, inspect for bugs, and bag up clothes and jackets left in the rooms and need to follow laundering guidelines above.
5. The Center Manager will ensure staff will thoroughly vacuum carpets, seal and discard the sweeper bag.

When a child is found to have bite marks or lesions on the skin:

1. NOCAC Staff will follow Common Childhood Illness (CCI) procedures.
2. Children should not be excluded from class.

Note:

1. The Health and Safety Manager will use professional judgment to determine when unusual measures are necessary to respond extraordinary cases.
2. If the family is not compliant with the treatment options and the child misses several days of class, NOCAC may choose to implement the following measures:
   1. Home visits
   2. Referrals to outside agencies
   3. Report to protective services.
3. Collaborative sites or centers located in public schools may have policy statements different form NOCAC.

Forms and Additional Guidance: