To a daycare center, reputation is essential. No one’s going to send their kids to a daycare they’ve heard sketchy things about. One of the fastest ways to permanently damage your reputation is to have a pest scare. Anybody would think twice about sending their kids to stay with a bunch of bugs!
To reliably keep pests out of your daycare, your whole team will have to work together. Everyone can contribute to pest proofing in different and important ways. Here’s how the different members of your daycare team can each do their part to combat infestation.
Maintenance Staff Members
As Facility maintenance staff, you’re the first defense against any daycare pest problem. You should establish a pest prevention routine and stick to it. Follow a regular schedule for collecting and removing trash every day. Check for leaking pipes once a week and fix them as you find them. Double check the weatherproofing and frames around the building once a month and fix up gaps you find. Look for pest access points around the building on a regular basis.
When designing your pest prevention strategy, focus on depriving pests of food, water, and access to shelter. If you ever do find pests, make sure you collect and identify evidence. You can use this evidence to better communicate with professional pest controllers. You should also take note of where and when you saw the pest. You know your building, and the pros know pests. Together, you’ll be able to find and wipe out your infestation.
Caregivers
As a caregiver, your primary pest control responsibility is helping maintain the cleanliness of the facility. Nobody knows how good kids are at making messes better than you. While you’re looking after the kids, do your best to clean up these messes as quickly as possible. Clean up after immediately after meal times, so crumbs and spills don’t attract pests. Take out the trash when it’s full. Make sure there’s no residue left behind in your trash cans.
The other most important thing you can do to prevent pests is get to know the signs you may have them. In many cases, you’ll be the first employee to notice a possible pest problem. Look for chewed cardboard, dirty footprints, dust streaks, damaged wiring, or waste. Don’t doubt your instincts; if it looks like a pest has been in your daycare, you’re probably right. Report any suspicions you have as soon as possible. The faster you notice pests, the faster you can get rid of them!
Director
First things first, you’ll want to learn the child care pesticide laws. That way you’ll be prepared to report things quickly and correctly if problems ever arise. Next, you’ll want to focus on training your employees in integrated pest management best practices. Start by making sure they know how to identify signs of infestation and how to avoid attracting pests. Teamwork is easily your daycare’s best defense against pests and the reputation damage they can inflict.
Finally, do some research on pest companies in advance. Figure out which company you’d call just in case things go wrong. You could even invest in preventative pest exclusion. Pest control companies could perform regular or scheduled inspections to make sure you’re pest-free. Getting the professional assurance that you’re pest-free will give you–and your customers–considerable peace of mind. It will also help demonstrate that you and your team run a conscientious and responsible daycare!
If you want help keeping your daycare safe and pest-free, you can partner with Assured Environments any time. Whether you have questions, want to schedule an inspection, or need emergency pest help now, we’re the service to call. We’re always happy to help keep your business and the children who rely on it safe.