June/July 2010
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Going Green for Children's Sake: The Eco-Healthy Childcare Program by Jenny Board 
Most childcare providers and centers alike take pride in the work that they do. In addition to the countless hours of cleaning and organizing, a typical provider may spend more time than you know keeping your child safe and healthy while in their care. So it's not surprising to find that the Oregon Environmental Council has taken a great interest in childcare setting. In fact in 2005 they launched the Eco-Healthy Childcare program (EHCC), and since its inception, over 200 schools have been endorsed through the program, which affects about 7,100 Oregonian children in group care.
Sarah Leverette of the Oregon Environmental Council explains what the EHCC means to local providers: How did the Eco-Healthy Child Care Certification come about? (SL) "The Eco-Healthy Childcare program (EHCC) was designed in 2005 by an expert advisory panel convened by the Oregon Environmental Council (OEC) that included representatives from Head Start, the Oregon Department of Human Services, the Oregon Child Care Division, the Oregon Child Care Resource and Referral Network, and the Oregon Association for the Education of Young Children, among others." What is the long term and short-term goals of the program? (SL) "Short term goals for the program include expanding our childcare network to 300 by December 2008, increasing the number of parents who are actively looking for an eco-healthy childcare on our website, and ensuring that kid's environments are as safe and healthy as possible. We have also recently received funding from the Cedar Tree Foundation to expand our program nationally. This will allow us to help parents across the nation in maximizing their kid's health and potential. Although we are just in the initial phase of this national expansion, we hope to have 750 endorsed facilities nationally by December 2009. Our main long term goal is to make sure children, who are especially vulnerable to health impacts from toxins, do not have to deal with some of the health issues and epidemics that are [occurring as a result] today. Asthma, learning disabilities, and even childhood cancer rates can all be reduced if we reduce exposure to common chemicals. It's really our goal to get preventative steps, such as those offered in the EHCC program, in place so that future generations and the planet are healthy." How do you ensure or validate your endorsements? "The EHCC program is an endorsement program [in which we] ensure that childcares are complying with the EHCC requirements by having endorsed providers reapply every other year, having a non-employee witness sign the application attesting to the facility management practices, and having the childcare manager sign the application. We also respond to parent inquiries and complaints and will do site visits if asked." Some statistics about the program: "Currently we have 200 endorsed Eco-Healthy Childcares in Oregon, California, Washington, and British Columbia. Over 180 of those are in Oregon and about 20 of them are in Central Oregon. The EHCC program's success is due to its unique education and market mobilizing models. By utilizing an easy-to-use checklist, the program introduces environmental health concerns and solutions together without intimidating childcare providers. In essence, the program takes providers immediately to a place of empowerment. In addition, this program serves a growing demand among parents to reduce their children's exposure to common potential toxins. This growing demand is fueled and created by increasing national media and legislative attention directed at environmental health issues." For providers this program is a wonderful marketing tool. Leverette states that about 600 parents a month visit their website looking for endorsed child care facilities. So, besides staying green and bettering the planet, these schools are also taking part in a great movement toward a better eco-healthy lifestyle. To find out if your child care is Eco-Healthy, visit the Oregon Environmental Council's website at: http://oeconline.org/kidshealth/ehcc. |
