June 20, 2006 -- New Statewide Program Enables Child Care Providers to Qualify as Eco-Healthy

Childcare providers in Oregon have a new opportunity to take steps that will make their childcare settings more environmentally healthy. By participating in the voluntary Eco-Healthy Childcare Program announced today by the Oregon Environmental Council, childcare providers statewide are now able to self-qualify their facilities as environmentally healthy places for children. The program will help parents identify those providers who are committed to ensuring a safer environment for their kids.

Childcare providers apply to be an Eco-Healthy Childcare Program participant by filling out an easy-to-use, 25-item checklist that addresses issues like pesticide use, indoor air quality and lead exposure. “Eco-healthy” means an environment that is free of toxins that could adversely affect a child’s immediate or long-term health.

Childcare providers who qualify receive a colorful sticker to help identify their eco-healthy facility, along with a poster that highlights the activities they’ve taken to help maintain a healthy childcare environment. Program participants will also receive “monthly tips” from OEC to include in their newsletters to parents about what it takes to be eco-healthy. In addition, OEC will publicize eco-healthy childcare facilities on the OEC website at www.oeconline.org and in other venues across the state.

“We are very excited to have these new tools and resources to help us create an even healthier environment for our children,” said Deborah Murray, Director of Peninsula Children’s Center, a childcare facility in North Portland. “It’s also a great way to let parents know about our efforts.”

Most of the steps on the Eco-Healthy Childcare Program checklist are simple, yet effective. For example, avoiding the use of plastic containers in the microwave helps prevent potential exposure to dangerous plasticizer chemicals. Using non-toxic pest control techniques that avoid pesticides helps ensure that children are not inadvertently exposed to toxic chemicals.

“This program will be a great service to parents who want to identify childcare providers who make a special effort to provide an environmentally healthy setting for their children,” said Mary Nemmers, Executive Director of the Oregon Childcare Resource and Referral Network.

Filling an Important Need

Since children spend much of their formative years in childcare settings, reducing toxic exposures in these facilities is particularly important. Potential sources of toxins in and around childcare centers include lead in drinking water and old paint, pesticides used on lawns or inside buildings, mold, poor indoor air, cleaning products, and certain mercury-containing products.

OEC is providing detailed information about how to become and maintain an Eco-Healthy childcare facility on its website. The site has links to information and resources on issues ranging from alternatives to pesticides to lead exposure prevention.

The program is supported by a number of other organizations, including:

• American Lung Association of Oregon
• Childcare Improvement Project
• Department of Human Services, Office of Family Health, Healthy Childcare Initiative
• Metro
• Mid-Columbia Children’s Council
• Multnomah County Health Department
• Oregon Association for the Education of Young Children
• Oregon Association of Childcare Directors
• Oregon Childcare Resource and Referral Network
• Oregon Child Development Coalition
• Oregon Employment Department, Childcare Division
• Parent-Child Preschools of Oregon
• Peninsula Children’s Center

ABOUT OEC
Founded in 1968, The Oregon Environmental Council (OEC) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization with more than 2,000 members throughout the state. We bring Oregonians together for a healthy environment. Via programs such as the Bottle Bill, curbside recycling and the creation of local watershed councils, OEC has played a leadership role in helping Oregonians be part of the solution to environmental problems. Our current programs focus on protecting kids’ health from toxic pollution, cleaning up Oregon’s rivers, and protecting our climate by curbing vehicle pollution.  For more information about OEC and its programs, please visit http://www.oeconline.org.

- 30 -