Choose Safe Places for Early Education

Webinar: Monday, December 4, 2017, 2:00-3:00 p.m. EST

The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) will host a webinar for health department officials, organizations working in early care and education, providers, and other interested organizations and individuals. Registration is required: http://bit.ly/CSPECE.

The purpose of this webinar is to provide an overview of the ATSDR Choose Safe Places for Early Care and Education (CSPECE) strategy to encourage thoughtful consideration about where to locate ECE programs. It gives towns, cities, and states a framework to adopt practices that will make sure such programs are located away from chemical hazards.

Background

In the United States, about 8.3 million (1 in 8) children receive care in licensed early care and education (ECE) programs outside the home. If these programs are located on or near sites with environmental contamination, children may be exposed to harmful substances in the air they breathe, the water they drink, or the soil they touch or swallow. Early exposure to substances such as lead, arsenic, and toxic chemicals can trigger diseases and disrupt development, learning, and behavior.

In 2017, ATSDR incorporated CSPECE as a key activity in its Partnership to Promote Local Efforts to Reduce Environmental Exposure (APPLETREE) Program, a cooperative agreement program that supports 25 state health departments. Funded states will implement programs to assess the current status of early care and education and environmental exposures in their state, develop partnerships with key stakeholders, implement policies and practices to ensure safe siting, and evaluate their chosen approaches.

ATSDR developed a suite of tools and resources for states and others to learn how they can protect children where they learn and play. These include fact sheets, checklists, and the CSPECE Guidance Manual. This manual describes the health implications of siting child care and early learning facilities, explains the elements of ensuring sites are safe, and offers tips and tools for health departments interested in building a child care safe siting program. These materials are available on ATSDR’s website.

For more information or questions, contact Program Coordinator, Jennifer Freed (jen7@cdc.gov).