Our Bureau of Child Care Licensing is excited to partner with the Children’s Environmental Health Network’s ECO-Healthy Child Care program.  The program helps child care providers throughout Arizona with the latest information on environmental hazards of most concern for our children.  Children’s Environmental Health Network is a national non-profit organization that focuses on policy, education and research regarding environmental factors impacting children in their care settings.

More than 40 percent of young children nationwide attend child care full-time.  Increased awareness about potential environmental hazards is the first step in reducing the impact our children’s growth, development, and long-term health. Establishing a safe and healthy environment where children can develop to their fullest can minimize the occurrences of childhood allergies, asthma, developmental disabilities, and cancer.

Our Licensing surveyors recently attended a train the trainer workshop where they learned about resources to educate and promote the prevention of environmental health hazards within child care facilities and even our homes. We will be training child care providers on how to improve the environmental settings in their facility.  Once a facility (both centers and homes) have successfully completed the training and developed no or low cost environmental health best practices, the Children’s Environmental Health Network will award them with a two-year endorsement as Eco-Healthy.

The facility will then join the already more than 2,500 facilities nationwide that have earned this designation. Visit the Eco-Healthy website for the latest information on how to make your child care program or your home more environmentally friendly.