Little Stars Academy
Indoor Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Plan
634 Richard A. Fitts Drive
Abington, MA 02351

IPM Coordinator
Miralba Alcantara

Primary Contact
Miralba Tornato, 781-871-8966, masslove4@gmail.com

Little Stars Academy employs Tim Murphy, an on-site certified and/or licensed pesticide applicator (certification/license #: 14147) who may be called on to manage all or some of the necessary INDOOR pest problems that may arise.

By signing the end of this indoor IPM plan, the IPM coordinator, Miralba Alcantara, of this School and the Pest Management Professionals described above acknowledge, and agree to the terms of this INDOOR integrated pest management plan.


A .INTRODUCTION

    In compliance with the Act Protecting Children and Families from Harmful Pesticides, Little Stars Academy on 10/4/2009 5:12:00 PM has prepared the following indoor IPM plan. By centralizing all of the information about this facility’s pest management practices the plan serves as a guide to direct this facility’s IPM coordinator,  Miralba Alcantara , about pest control and pesticide use.

    This plan describes the pest management practices for indoor areas of the Little Stars Academy and clearly states it’s pesticide use policies.

    A copy of the plan has been filed with the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR), and at least one printed copy must be kept on site and made available to the public upon request.

    Objectives
    The objectives of the integrated pest management program conducted at the Little Stars Academy are listed below.

  •  
    		• Reduce children’s exposure to pesticides and pesticide residues whenever possible.
  •  
    		• Manage pests that may occur on facilities to prevent interference with the learning environment of the students.
  •  
    		• Provide the safest playing or athletic surfaces possible.

    In light of these objectives, the Little Stars Academy has selected the following as it’s IPM policy statement:


B.POLICY STATEMENT

    It is the policy of this school to implement Integrated Pest Management procedures to control structural and landscape pests and minimize exposure of children, faculty, and staff to pesticides.


C.IPM COMMITTEE

    The tasks set before an IPM committee are to:

  •  
    		• Develop an IPM plan. The IPM plan is in essence, a document that describes the organization and implementation of IPM on school grounds.
  •  
    		• Evaluate progress of the IPM program.
  •  
    		• Communicate about IPM - Facilitate communication within the school about IPM practices.
  •  
    		• Assist in development of contract specifications.
  •  
    		• Provide notification to parents about pesticide use.

    The INDOOR committee members selected for the Little Stars Academy are listed below:
    1) Miralba Alcantara (Indoor IPM Coordinator)
    2) Miralba Alcantara
    3) Donna Marie Pyne


D. COMMUNICATING IPM WITHIN THE FACILITY

    The Pest Management Professional communicates with the IPM coordinator of the facility. The IPM coordinator then passes this information onto an administrative assistant who decides how the information will be distributed throughout the facility.

    Staff/Students communicate with their supervisors or teachers who then pass information onto the IPM coordinator.


E. EDUCATION AND TRAINING OF FACILITY OCCUPANTS & STAFF

  • All teachers and staff will receive IPM training
  • Training content will cover pest-reporting procedures and pest prevention strategies such as sanitation.
  • Training programs will be offered yearly for all facility staff.
  • The Director Mrs. Miralba Alcantara will present the training. Training will be evaluated through questions and answers to the staff.
  • Parents will be notified of our IPM policies through our monthly parent''s bulletins.


F. INDOOR MONITORING

    The IPM committee will evaluate the plan annually. When pests are present, Little Stars Academy has chosen an INDOOR monitoring schedule that consists of monthly inspections. When pests are absent the INDOOR monitoring schedule will consist of monthly inspections.

    The following technique will be used to monitor for pests:  Reports from facility personnel (pest reporting forms) would prompt the IPM coordinator to setup monitoring traps, which would be used to identity the pest and determine its abundance.


G. COURSE OF ACTION TAKEN FOR INDOOR PESTS

      The School's IPM approach to managing the indoor pests includes the following actions:

      SCHOOL PEST DESCRIPTION
      There hasn't been any pest in our school. Our school is a new building facility

      SCHOOL PEST LOCATION DETAILS
      Not Applicable

      SCHOOL PEST ACTIVITY
      Not Applicable

      MONITORING/INSPECTION
      Our program is prevention through monthly check ups of the facility, as well as keeping our facility completely sanitized at all times.

      ELIMINATING ACCESS
      If pest are seeing in the school these will be reported to the IPM Coordinator who will in turn report to the Pest Management professional

      ELIMINATING SOURCES OF FOOD AND WATER
      Food is stored only in the refrigerator and high cabinet in our school. All containers are sealed.

      ELIMINATION OF SHELTER AND HARBORAGE
      Doorways and all entries are tight. Entry ways are checked for ways in which pests could enter.

      NON-CHEMICAL CONTROLS
      Non-chemical control measures aare ant bait and mouse traps.

      CHEMICAL CONTROLS
      PESTICIDE USE ATTESTATION:
      Pesticides are only applied by a certified and/or licensed applicator.
      Pesticides are used only when monitoring has shown that pests are present and when the use of the pesticide is justified or in the case of an emergency situation.
      Only pesticides allowed under the Children's and Families' Protection Act are used indoors.


    H. RECORD KEEPING

      In the case of Little Stars Academy, INDOOOR monitoring records will be maintained through the following technique:  Volunteer (parent or staff) will follow the person monitoring the facility during the inspections and record information.


    I. EVALUATING THE PROGRAM

      The IPM committee will evaluate the plan annually .


    J. IN THE EVENT OF A HEALTH EMERGENCY

      During the creation of this IPM plan, Miralba Tornato has assigned committee member Donna Marie Pyne with the responsibility of applying for an emergency waiver.


    K. LIST OF PESTICIDES TO BE USED INSIDE THE FACILITY

      The following list includes all the pesticides that will be used inside the Little Stars Academy. This list includes all herbicides, fungicides, and insecticides that will be used in the event that chemical is required.

      Pesticide
      Name      		Active
      Ingredient      		EPA
      Registration #      		Target
      Pest      		Rationale
      for use



      I attest, to the best of my knowledge, that the above information is complete, accurate and true

      __________________________________________________/______/___
      IPM Coordinator SignatureDate
        
      __________________________________________________/______/___
      Administrator, Director, or PrincipalDate

      Indoor IPM Plan originally submitted on: 9/28/2007 8:10:00 PM
      Plan updated by Miralba Tornato on: 10/4/2009 5:12:00 PM