The Village Preschool – Written by Rebecca Barry

Established in 2008, the Village Preschool currently cares for 53 children. Located in California, Pennsylvania, the center-based child care facility cares for children from six weeks of age to 5 years old, split between six different classrooms. 

One of The Village’s core values is providing security – providing a safe, healthy, nurturing environment for their children and staff, in which they share the joy of learning. In desiring to provide the highest quality care for their children, the facility sought endorsement from Eco- Healthy Child Care® in 2013.  The preschool feels that this endorsement provides a robust method to assess that their school actively provides a healthy learning environment.

Experience with implementing EHCC practices 

The Village Preschool staff have become proactive in their approach to creating and maintaining a healthy and safe environment for their children. They regularly use Eco-Healthy Child Care®’s resources to educate their team regarding best practices for providing a safe learning environment. 

The facility has tested for radon and lead. The Village has purchased commercial walk-off mats and placed them at all the doorways entering the child care center. Additionally, the facility monitors their air quality and follows air quality action days. Specifically, children will stay inside if the air quality is unhealthy, or the AQI on AirNow.gov reads as more than 100 (red or purple zone). They have also replaced older composite furniture with solid wood, and they have replaced all fluorescent bulbs with LED lighting. 

The Village staff pride themselves on their vigilance and in striving to do as much as they can to ensure the wellbeing of the children within their care. They remain up to date on current child care product recalls by being a member of distribution lists, and share those recalls with families when the products pertain to children. 

Wider Community Impact 

The facility has shared its EHCC endorsement with parents and the local community, which helps to distribute knowledge and awareness about creating safer child care spaces. They promote EHCC on social media and in newsletters and take pride in their endorsement. 

The Village periodically reviews the EHCC checklist to ensure that they are maintaining their Eco-Healthy status. They encourage other child care institutions to engage with EHCC because protecting children’s health is worth working hard for! 

We thank The Village for being an EHCC partner, and continuing to create and maintain a safer and healthier environment for children! 

Mosaic Montessori is a small independent school that opened its doors in 2021 and was endorsed as an Eco-Healthy Child Care® (EHCC) facility in the same year. Located in Carnation, Washington, the center cares for 48 children daily, ranging in age from 2.5 years to 3rd grade. With over 20 years of experience in early childhood education, Christine Meredith, the center director, is passionate about fostering a nurturing, sustainable environment for children.

The center’s journey to EHCC endorsement began when Ms. Meredith discovered the program while researching practices implemented by other health-conscious and eco-friendly schools. Motivated by a desire to demonstrate her commitment to children’s health and environmental conservation, Ms. Meredith sought the endorsement as a way to build trust with families served and create a community of eco-conscious individuals.

Implementing the EHCC checklist was seamless for Mosaic Montessori, as many practices were already in place such as hand washing and avoiding pesticides. Annually, the team builds on its sustainability efforts, implementing new initiatives to enhance environmental awareness and health consciousness. These efforts include: prioritizing reusable products and composting or recycling disposable items when reusable options are unavailable. The team also emphasizes second-hand shopping for supplies to minimize waste and promote sustainable purchasing habits.

One of Mosaic Montessori’s most notable initiatives is its garden-to-table program, which teaches children about nutrition and sustainability through hands-on experiences in gardening and food preparation. Additionally, the outdoor learning spaces, designed with sustainable materials (like wood and native plants), allow children to explore and connect with nature in a healthy and safe environment. These spaces have become a source of pride for the center, highlighting its commitment to eco-friendly education.

The journey hasn’t been without challenges. Sourcing sustainable materials and safer cleaning products can be costly, and implementing new initiatives demands time and effort from staff and families alike. For example, integrating eco-healthy cleaning products and organic gardening techniques required research, adaptation, and education. However, the team at Mosaic Montessori remains committed to overcoming these obstacles to prioritize the well-being of the children and the planet.

The community has embraced Mosaic Montessori’s eco-healthy practices, with families learning about the EHCC endorsement through newsletters, social media, and fact sheets distributed during enrollment. As a result, some parents have adopted similar practices at home, reinforcing the impact of the center’s initiatives.

Looking to the future, Mosaic Montessori plans to expand its outdoor learning environments, integrate more locally sourced organic food into meals, and further incorporate sustainability education into the Montessori curriculum. The team is also focused on reducing its carbon footprint by adopting energy-efficient practices and enhancing waste reduction initiatives.

Sunshine Kids, Inc – 84 is a center-based child care facility in Eighty Four, Pennsylvania, that opened in May 1999. In 2019, the center was endorsed as an Eco-Healthy Child Care® (EHCC) facility for the first time. It serves 48 children daily, ranging in age from 2 months to 12 years.

Pam Halinka, the Director of Sunshine Kids, Inc – 84, sought ways to protect the health of the children in her care and the staff from environmental hazards. In January 2019, she applied for and received a grant to help the center adopt more eco-friendly practices. Through the Eco-Healthy endorsement checklist, she implemented various changes, such as daily vacuuming with a HEPA vacuum, setting up recycling bins for paper and plastic, and placing doormats at both entrances.

Ms. Halinka found the Eco-Healthy Child Care® factsheets and FAQs informative and helpful, especially the plastics factsheet and the “Safer Dolls” FAQ, which guided her in checking for PVC in dolls and toys. Since receiving the endorsement, she has replaced the vinyl dolls in the toddler area with machine-washable ones and ensures that new dolls introduced to the center are PVC-free.

Ms. Halinka is dedicated to integrating Eco-Healthy practices throughout the center. However, she recently encountered challenges sourcing healthy cleaning products. Determined to protect the well-being of both children and staff, she attended a Green Clean Training, where she received a Zero Water Dispenser, a HEPA vacuum, and other safer cleaning supplies and tips. Using safe and approved green cleaning products can reduce the amount of toxic chemicals that children are exposed to, improving air quality, causing less irritation to the skin and eyes, and protecting children’s respiratory tracts.

Her commitment to these best practices has led to noticeable improvements. Since becoming EHCC-endorsed, Ms. Halinka reports fewer illnesses and absences among children and staff. To help inform the parents of Sunshine Kids Inc, Ms. Halinka has sent home printouts to parents of EHCC’s Crib Mattresses/Nap Mats FAQs and Household Chemicals Fact Sheet. Sunshine Kids, Inc – 84 has gone above and beyond in reducing environmental hazards and safeguarding the health of the children in their care.

10 Acre Wood Preschool is a home-based child care facility in Lakeville, Minnesota that opened its doors in August 2019. In December 2022, 10 Acre Wood Preschool became an Eco-Healthy Child Care® (EHCC) endorsed facility. The facility is licensed to care for 12 children ages 3 to 5 years old.

Mrs. Baune learned about the EHCC program

through a professional group of other nature preschool educators. After reviewing the checklist she realized she was already implementing most of the requirements. Mrs. Baune was already tracking air quality levels to determine whether it was safe for children to go outside. By using safe chemicals for cleaning and other purposes, she was also protecting indoor air quality.

Mrs. Buaune is passionate about making sure that parts of the environment that she can control are as safe as possible for the children in her care. Seeking the endorsement was an easy choice to help her achieve her goal of providing a safer environment. While completing the checklist, Mrs. Baune found EHCC’s Plastics Factsheet helpful. This factsheet helped her check their current dishes and make sure they were all “safer plastics”. This is important to Mrs. Baune because certain plastics contain chemicals that are harmful to human health at low levels of exposure. Children are at greater risk due to chemical exposure. This is because their bodies are still developing, and they often insert plastic objects into their mouths. This increases their exposure to harmful chemicals.

Mrs. Baune implemented a few new environmental health best practices in her facility due to the EHCC program. She purchased a sign that says “NO IDLING. Turn off your engine and protect the air we breathe”. Mrs. Baune knows that car exhaust releases pollutants that are harmful to health.. Pollution from idling vehicles can quickly enter a childcare facility through open doors or windows. By testing her water, Mrs. Baune found that lead was present. 10 Acre Wood Preschool now uses a drinking water filter certified to remove lead.

By using the Eco-Healthy Fact Sheets and the AAP recommendations for eco-friendly dishes, Mrs. Baune was able to get a grant to cover the cost of recycling plastic used in the kitchen area. The grant also allowed her to receive stainless steel or PYREX to replace her plasticware. By collaborating with her technical assistant, Mrs. Baune now plans to test for lead in their school garden as well as their

      

surrounding outdoor soil. Her goal is to make sure the soils are lead-free in the future, especially within their garden. Eco-Healthy Child Care® offers a FREE Lead-Safe Toolkit that offers a range of easy-to-follow steps and resources for identifying and mitigating lead hazards within child care facilities.

Mrs. Baune is also implementing eco-healthy practices that are not on the checklist. Her students are using compost in their raised garden beds rather than directly sowing it into the earth. Mrs. Baune also makes sure that her students get fresh air often throughout the school day.

Parents gave 10 Acre Wood Preschool positive feedback when they became EHCC-endorsed. The parents are thankful for Mrs. Baune being proactive and making thoughtful decisions. Additionally, 10 Acre Wood Preschool shares newsletters and blogs to increase parents’ awareness about eco-healthy practices.

Mrs. Baune recommends the EHCC endorsement program to fellow early care and learning providers. She shares that both the EHCC e-learning course and virtual technical assistance support are game changers. Mrs. Baune has learned a lot from the EHCC program. She is now inspired to go above and beyond the recommendations provided on EHCC’s checklist!