Partnering to Increase Asthma Awareness in Childcare Centers

October is Children’s Health Month.  How can we, as a community, effectively reduce asthma among pre-school aged children?

Often, school personnel understand how second-hand smoke affects the child, but are unaware of the environmental asthma triggers such as the use of cleaners and chemicals, and ventilation systems.  EPA Region 4, in collaboration with the HHS Administration for Children and Families (ACF), with support from Bright from the Start: Georgia Department for Early Care and Learning and Georgia Department of Public Health, is leading a pilot program aimed at raising awareness on asthma reduction in childcare centers.

Georgia Head Start and childcare centers in Bibb and Lowndes counties will receive training and an asthma resource toolkit educating teachers and administrators about asthma risks and triggers. The toolkit is designed to offer tips and support for creating a healthier environment, and help staff better incorporate environmental education into their Programs. The toolkit includes materials such as an environmental checklist for use in both home and school; coloring books that include pictures linked to posters in the classroom to help children begin to identify their own asthma triggers; EPA and ACF asthma and secondhand smoke publications and fact sheets; and, train-the-trainer modules for both staff and parents.

Once the pilot is implemented and evaluated, our workgroup will explore the possibility of making the toolkit available electronically to other Head Start and childcare programs in the Region.

What are you doing in your community to reach children from ages birth to five with asthma?  How do you raise asthma awareness on environmental triggers among parents and caregivers?