As the school year winds down, you might find your concerns shifting from daily school routines to the upcoming summer camp season. You’ve successfully navigated the school year without a lice outbreak at home, but now the prospect of summer camp looms, bringing with it a new set of worries. Unlike the school year, where daily checks were possible, your child will be away for days at a time, sharing sleeping quarters and engaging in close contact activities that could potentially increase the risk of a lice infestation.

Receiving a call informing you that your child has contracted head lice while at camp is a situation no parent wants to face. Even worse is the realization that your child has brought lice home from the camp. Both scenarios are undesirable, with the latter being particularly distressing. ^[1]

Immediate treatment for head lice is essential.

Prompt treatment for head lice is crucial. If your child or any other family member contracts head lice, it’s important to act immediately. Various treatments are available over the counter or by prescription. The CDC website offers more information on treating individuals and households. If your child contracts head lice, notify their camp or school immediately so that others can check their children. The CDC advises against treating individuals who do not have a confirmed case of head lice ^[1].

Verify that the camp’s head lice policy allows you to send your child to camp with the Schooltime® Lice Travel Kit.

Make sure the camp’s head lice policy allows you to send your preferred head lice shampoo with your child, that your child understands to give it to them whether they remember to ask or not, and that they understand why you want them to use it!

Check the Camp’s Head Lice Policy

When selecting a camp, it’s important to understand their head lice policy. Some camps have no-nit policies, others have no active lice policies. There are even some that will not admit a child unless they pass a check for head lice ^[1]. Many summer camps do offer head lice prevention programs ^[4]. For overnight camps, it is recommended that all campers receive a head lice screening by a professional lice service. Camp staff should be checked as well upon arrival at camp ^[3].

In terms of staff training, camps should ensure that the health care, nursing, and medical staff are familiar with lice identification and the camp’s response protocols. They should also teach and practice appropriate lice screening procedures. Remember, communication is critical. Establish a policy about who you will inform if an infestation occurs. Be prepared with key messages and facts. It’s important to keep in mind that head lice infestations are common and not a reflection of poor hygiene or parenting ^[2].

Check your children as soon as they return from camp

Check your children as soon as they return from camp to insure they are lice-free. This way you will know that any ‘discovery’ that takes place shortly after camp is just a coincidence.

What are Head Lice and where do you find them?

Head lice are parasitic insects that inhabit a person’s scalp, behind the ears, and near the neckline at the back of the neck. In some cases, they can even be found on eyebrows and eyelashes. They are most prevalent among preschool and elementary school children. Lice eggs, or nits, are tiny – about the size of a knot in thread – and can be difficult to spot. They are often mistaken for dandruff or hair spray droplets.

Keep your head lice infestation in perspective.

While head lice do not spread disease, they are a tremendous nuisance that can cause significant discomfort. Discovering that your child has head lice can be upsetting, even angering. However, it’s important to remember that contracting head lice is a common occurrence and is not indicative of poor hygiene or parenting. Good health, hygiene habits, and a clean home or school environment do not prevent head lice infestations.

Who gets head lice?

Head lice can affect anyone who comes into head-to-head contact with an infested individual. Children aged 3 to 11 years are most susceptible. Household members of an infested individual are also at risk. Less commonly, lice can spread through contact with personal items such as hats, scarves, coats, or hair ribbons recently used by an infested person. It’s rare for lice to spread by using someone else’s combs or brushes, as lice struggle to cling to smooth surfaces. Similarly, it’s uncommon for lice to spread via a pillow or bed recently used by an infested person.

Head lice are NOT your pet’s fault!

As you tackle a head lice problem, remember that your pets are not to blame. Checking your children as soon as they return from camp can insure you where any ‘discovery’ that takes place shortly after camp is just a coincidence. In either case, Spot and Kitty are not to blame as dogs and cats do not contract or spread human lice. Lice are species-specific parasites that feed exclusively on the blood of their chosen host. While your child’s head lice may spread to another family member, your pets will remain unaffected. Human head lice require human blood to survive, just as dog lice require dog blood, and so forth ^[1].

Resources

The classroom has changed in many ways since I was a kid, but the one area in particular I’m writing about today is the READING CORNER. I say this with emphasis because all I can think about when I walk in to volunteer in my kid’s elementary classroom is LICE, LICE, LICE (cue the psycho movie soundtrack). I understand the importance of reading and wanting to make a comfortable environment for the students to read in, but come on! Pillows, blankets, bean bag chairs OH MY! This type of scenario is a haven for head lice to thrive in, but I can’t tell my kids not go to the reading corner and enjoy reading with their friends. What I can do is arm them with a daily defense against the little head lice bugs.

I did my head lice research and found out that SCHOOLTIME® Head Lice Control Products are the most effective and softest head lice treatment and prevention products on the market. SCHOOLTIME® products have been around for years and have millions of satisfied customers (including me). In a world flooded with head lice products making all sorts of claims, they are the best I have found. I read their reviews and read their labels and decided SCHOOLTIME® IS the best because it’s safe, pesticide free AND it works. They are also the first of head lice shampoo and other products that are all those “things”.

I was relieved to discover that I didn’t have to wait until my kids got head lice to DEAL with head lice. When I was doing my research I discovered Schooltime® Spray Away – and let me tell you – it is definitely part of our morning routine now. I made sure my boys didn’t have lice to start with by doing a daily head lice check and now I just use Spray Away and then style their hair as usual. The spray contains natural ingredients including a blend of lavender, rosemary leaf, lemon, eucalyptus and lemongrass, so their hair not only looks good, but smells good too!

Now you may be saying “My kids don’t like anything in their hair, how will I get them to let me spray it on their head?”. If your kids are like mine, they know what head lice are and they know they don’t want it. I told my boys if I spray their hair with this good smelling spray everyday it would keep the head lice bugs away. It didn’t take them long to agree to that!

I purchase my SCHOOLTIME® Spray Away from Walmart.com, but I know it’s available on Amazon too! Wherever you decide to get it, just get it! Send your kids to school and let them enjoy the Reading Corner. Just be sure to arm them against head lice with SCHOOLTIME® Spray Away and you can enjoy it too!