Healthy Indoor Environments for Children

NIM’s project will address indoor environmental health hazards that relate to asthma and allergy management and lead poisoning. We will target center and family child care program sites, both licensed and unlicensed, in our target area.

This is a pilot project.  We expect to generate significant positive impact at a limited number of child care facilities.  With outcomes data that shows the effectiveness of our strategies, we will seek funding to extend services to other low income Philadelphia neighborhoods.  

Services Provided:

§  6-8 trainings provided at NIM’s Kensington / Lower North Philadelphia training site; 8+ center / family providers will attend each training event. Training Module which merges and condenses existing high quality modules that address non-toxic pest management, asthma management, indoor air quality and lead poisoning prevention.

§  On-site environmental assessments performed at 20 center / family sites. Strategies for abatement or containment of apparent hazards will be presented and ongoing telephone support offered. Lead dust-wipe test kits, with a mailer to the DOH Lab, left for homeowners to test for potential lead hazards.  Healthy Homes Kits will be provided, including a substantial collection of non-toxic pest management, green cleaning and other environmental health-related materials.

§  2-4 demonstration remediation visits provided for high-risk center / family sites. Sites with conditions that can be brought under control through improvements in sanitation, minor repair and pest control will be selected and serviced. Remediation may include deep cleaning in the kitchen, removal of debris, repair of leaks, baseboards, and cabinets, extensive caulking to seal pest entry, and use of non-toxic methods to control pests. In addition to sanitation and exclusion.

§  Community partnerships established to continue and expand efforts begun through this pilot project.  With funding from the William Penn Foundation, NIM will recruit local stakeholders—such as child care providers, local small business persons, congregational representatives, corporate representatives, university researchers and local and state government officials.  Stakeholders will form an Early Childhood Council which will meet regularly with the goal of identifying and responding to risk factors affecting families with young children.

Collaboration with Penn State’s Integrated Pest Management Program: 

The Pennsylvania Integrated Pest Management Program (PAIPM) will be the primary partner and technical advisor for much of the direct child care training and assessment portion of the proposed work. This program is based at Penn State University and supports an urban outreach effort in Philadelphia, working to create healthy homes and communities.  As a training partner for the National Center for Healthy Housing, PAIPM workshops promote the seven Healthy Homes priorities:   indoor environments should be dry, clean, ventilated, pest-free, safe, contaminant-free and maintained.  PAIPM is a statewide collaboration between Penn State University’s College of Agricultural Sciences and the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. It is funded primarily by competitive grants from the USDA and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). See: http://extension.psu.edu/ipm 

Number of individuals served

800+ children ages 0-5

Anticipated Results

1.      75% of practitioners attending training workshops will demonstrate increases of 50% or more over baseline knowledge of environmental health risks and steps to reducing risk, a predictor that children in their care will have reduced exposure to environmental contaminants and hazards.

Data Collection Method:  Pre and post tests will be administered at all trainings.

2.      12-15 center / family child care programs will adopt new practices that reduce children’s environmental health risks.  

Data Collection Method:  Post-service visits to 20 practitioners who receive on-site assessments will confirm whether a predetermined percentage of hazards have been remedied.

3.      A Kensington / Lower North Philadelphia Early Childhood Council, which includes representatives from many segments of the community (including child care providers, local small businesses, congregations, corporate entities, university researchers and local and state government representatives) will yield collaborative efforts to address local risk factors for low income families with young children.  Those efforts that are health-related will complement and enhance Healthy Environments for Children work.

Data Collection Method:  Council meeting minutes will include reports on new area ventures.

Dissemination of project results:

Together with our partners, NIM will present to the Philadelphia Child Care Information Service (which maintains the subsidized child care program) and the PA Office of Child Development and Early Learning a rationale for including our Environmental Health training module among the trainings required for subsidy eligibility and for the STARS program across the state.

We will publish the results of our work, and present at regional / national conferences to increase likelihood that our project will be replicated in other large urban areas.