This project will provide capacity building support to educate philadelphia's early learning community about environmental hazards in childcare centers and provide action steps to mitigate hazards,…

This $407,453 cooperative agreement from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 3 supports the Women For A Healthy Environment in providing capacity building and technical assistance to early learning centers in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania under the Protection of Children from Environmental Health Risks federal grant program (CFDA 66.609). Over the two-year period from May 1, 2022 to April 30, 2024, the recipient will educate approximately 200 early learning center personnel and conduct environmental assessments and certifications for eco-healthiness. An additional 300 center directors and staff will participate in webinars on environmental health topics. Ten centers will receive indoor air quality monitoring and air filtration units to assess parameters. A web-based resource network and statewide partnership of providers committed to reducing environmental health risks will be established. No subawards are included. The anticipated outcomes are increased knowledge of environmental risks, improved air quality, and advocacy for reductions in children's exposures.

This project will provide capacity building support to educate philadelphia's early learning community about environmental hazards in childcare centers and provide action steps to mitigate hazards, including addressing concerns associated with climate change and covid-19. Over 200 childcare centers in low-income and minority communities will receive an ECO-healthy assessment, be offered solutions to addressing environmental risks found in the learning environment, and technical assistance to comply with city and state regulations. Additionally, childcare center staff across the city will have an opportunity to participate in webinars that focus on relevant environmental health topics. This project proposes to form a statewide partnership with childcare centers, as a network to strategize bringing additional resources, mitigation strategies, and policy opportunities to centers across the commonwealth.activities:project activities include: 1) educate approximately 200 early learning center personnel through direct engagement to address environmental exposures in the learning environment; 2) connect the network of providers to available resources; 3) conduct assessments and certify early learning centers as ECO-healthyreg; through the children's environmental health network's national model; 4) educate approximately 300 early learning center directors and staff on environmental health topics via webinars; 5) provide consultation to childcare centers regarding their compliance with the city's lead dust and asbestos laws; 6) provide green cleaning supplies, fact sheets on their proper use followed by on-line training about green cleaning methods and safe chemical storage and management; 7) purchase and use indoor air quality (IAQ) continuous portable monitors and air filtration units in 10 childcare centers to assess parameters; and 8) create a green and healthy early learning partnership program for childcare centers, modeled after the PA green and healthy schools partnership.subrecipient:no subawards are included in this assistance agreement.outcomes:anticipated deliverables and outcomes include: increased knowledge of environmental health risks in the learning environment, improved air quality in the learning environment, a web-based resource network, increased utilization of existing resources and toolkits, and a statewide network of providers committing to advancing initiatives that focus on reducing exposure to environmental health risks and advocating for changes at the local and state levels. Beneficiaries of this project are the childcare center's staff and attending children living in low-income and minority communities in the city of philadelphia.