The agreement provides assistance to wisconsin department of health services to establish and expand a statewide testing and remediation initiative in licensed child-care centers and head start…

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 5 awarded the State of Wisconsin Department of Health Services a $1.093 million Project Grant on January 1, 2026, under the Voluntary School and Child Care Lead Testing and Reduction Grant Program (CFDA 66.444) through December 31, 2028. The grant supports a statewide initiative to establish and expand lead-in-water testing and remediation services across licensed child-care centers and Head Start programs. Wisconsin DHS implements all activities in accordance with EPA's 3Ts for Reducing Lead in Drinking Water guidance framework, which encompasses communication with program participants, staff training, certified water testing, and remediation action planning.

The program leverages strategic partnerships with local public health departments (LPDHs) and Cooperative Educational Service Agencies (CESAs) to coordinate outreach and deliver no-cost testing and remediation support services. To date, the initiative has served over 535 facilities, with planned testing for 300 additional child-care centers at a pace of 15-30 facilities per quarter beginning after the second quarter 2026 pilot preparation phase. Core deliverables include piloting a lead-in-water testing training program in at least one new CESA region, expanding testing to in-home child-care facilities through partnerships with at least 15 LPDHs, and completing water sampling at 300 eligible child-care centers, with all testing conducted through the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene using certified methods.

The agreement provides assistance to wisconsin department of health services to establish and expand a statewide testing and remediation initiative in licensed child-care centers and head start programs. The recipient (WDHS) utilized strategic partnerships with the local public health departments (LPDHS) to coordinate outreach and provide no-cost lead-in-water testing and remediation support including training, testing, and reporting priorities. To date, this program has served over 535 facilities. WDHS has set a goal to test 300 additional child-care facilities. The recipient plans to pace sampling to between 15-30 centers per quarter, following the Q2 2026 when the program will begin for project pilot prep. Activities:all activities will be implemented in accordance with EPA's 3TS for reducing lead in drinking water guidance, which outlines a four-part framework: I. Communicating with program participants and the public about goals and results. II. Training lphds, cooperative educational service agencies (CESAS), and childcare facility staff on appropriate sampling and outreach protocols. III. Testing drinking water using certified methods through the wisconsin state laboratory of hygiene (WSLH); and IV. Taking action based on results, including immediate risk mitigation, long term remediation planning, and transparent result-sharing. Wisconsin DHS plans to continue to refine and strengthen these processes to maximize the program's impact statewide.subrecipient:no subawards are included in this assistance agreement.outcomes:the final deliverables include: #61692; complete pilot of lead-in-water testing training program in at least one new cesa region. #61692; complete pilot of lead-in-water testing program in in-home childcare facilities. #61692; partner with at least 15 lphds on eligible in-home childcare facilities. #61692; complete water sampling in at least 300 eligible childcare centers. The expected outcomes include licensed childcare facilities and head start programs and mitigating lead exposure with the 3TS guidance to determine the best actions to take for remediation; reducing children's exposure to lead in drinking water; improving staff and community knowledge of lead in drinking water; water quality improvement and health risk avoidance by reducing lead exposure. The intended beneficiaries include enhancement of local communities that a safe environment is being maintained and that they can trust their water. Also, the fostering of sustainable partnerships at the state (WDHS) and local (LPDHS) level to allow for more efficient use of resources and the exchange of information among experts in various areas of local education agencies, childcare, utility, and health sectors.