Childcare and preschool pest control

Where pests show up in a centre

NEA’s sample Environmental Sanitation (ES) programme for preschools treats toilets and bin centres as high-risk areas, and counts rat and cockroach droppings as environmental waste a clean centre should be free of. Pest signs tend to show up near the kitchen or pantry, food storage, bins, drains, false ceilings, entrances and outdoor edges. NEA’s sample pest records give rats in a false ceiling and termites in a garden shed as examples of what a centre may need to log.

Staff observations, photos of signs and earlier service records tell us where to begin, but the team still checks the site before recommending treatment or monitoring. The quotation names the spaces to be accessed, any limits on inspection or treatment, and who coordinates the visit.

Working around the centre’s routine

Visits are timed around operating hours, room use and the periods when spaces can be accessed. Visit timing and any preparation, separation or re-entry instructions are agreed for the selected work before it is arranged. There is no single preparation rule for every pest or centre, so follow the instructions given for your site.

The plan may cover inspection, monitoring, treatment where appropriate and preventive advice. A report follows each service, with its recipient and format agreed for the site.

What the ES Regime asks of a covered centre

NEA lists preschools (childcare centres and kindergartens) among the premises types covered by the Environmental Sanitation (ES) Regime. Check whether your centre is designated; NEA’s ES Regime FAQ links the designation orders. For a designated centre:

• the premises manager appoints a registered Environmental Control Coordinator (ECC) and submits an ES programme to NEA, reviewed at least once a year
• the pest management plan includes a comprehensive pest management survey by a registered Vector Control Operator at least once every six months, separate from routine visits
• a survey report that only says no major pest issues were seen, or that treatment was done, is not enough; it should also cover refuse management, housekeeping and structural defects that let pests in
• pest-control and survey records are kept until the end of the next calendar year

NEA’s sample ES programme for preschools (Word file) lists the pest records to file: the pest-control operator and its VCO registration number, the contract period, how often routine service happens, the treatment carried out and the survey dates. Our service does not replace the ECC appointment or the centre’s ES programme, and NEA advises that the ECC should not be directly affiliated with the pest-control operator.

What to send for a quote

Include the centre type and location, approximate size, priority areas, pest signs, operating hours, access restrictions, and whether you need routine service, the six-monthly survey or both. Photos of pest signs help, but keep children, staff and private records out of the frame. For room, toilet and pantry cleaning, see childcare and preschool cleaning.