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Healthy Spaces Happy Children

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Get free supplies and promotion for your childcare center!

UPDATE (6/11/2024): THE HSHC PROGRAM IS CURRENTLY CLOSED FOR RECRUITMENT FOR THE SUMMER/FALL 2024

Healthy Spaces Happy Children Program provides free supplies and promotion for Indiana childcare centers that have asthma-friendly, environmentally healthy spaces for the children in their care. This grant-funded program begins when a childcare center signs up, then we provide free technical assistance, supplies, and resources to help achieve the center’s healthy space goals. Once the goals are reached, the center earns additional supplies along with promotion as a Healthy Space. Children are the future, so provide them with the healthy space that helps them thrive!

DOWNLOAD PROGRAM PACKET

Benefits for Children

Children will greatly benefit from improvements made to their environment by reducing asthma triggers and reducing lead and other chemical hazards.

Last year, a total of 869 Hoosier children had a confirmed elevated blood lead level (above the standard of 3.5 micrograms per deciliter). Reducing children’s exposure to lead is beneficial because lead is known to slow growth and development, causing brain damage. Children can also develop hearing, speech and behavior issues, impacting a child’s experience in school and life.

As a childcare provider, you are a child’s first exposure to learning, and you should be able to give a child a lead-safe environment so they can be successful.

Improving how providers manage the ways they use chemicals is also important. Chemicals like Lysol and bleach contain toxic substances that pose respiratory issues, affect organs and nervous system, and can irritate skin.

Poor air quality can also trigger asthma attacks in children with asthma. The Indiana Department of Health (IDOH) has identified that 9.4% of Hoosier children have asthma at some time in their life. Removing environmental asthma triggers, like dust, pests, pets, chemical irritants, and pollen, helps prevent asthma attacks.

Contact Information

Jocelyn Keranen, Environmental Health Director
jkeranen@hecweb.org | 317-685-8800

This program was supported in part by Cooperative Agreement NUE1EH001382 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC (Centers for Disease Control). Contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the CDC.

In 2022,

869

Hoosier children had a confirmed elevated blood lead level

That's

3.5

micrograms per deciliter above the standard

IDOH has identified that

9.4%

of Hoosier children have asthma at some time in their life

Healthy Spaces Happy Children

Program Details

Eligibility

Be a licensed childcare provider;
In Marion or Johnson Counties in Indiana;
Submit a complete and accurate application.

Timeline

Upon submitting the Interest Form the Environmental Health Association is available for consultation. To be included in the recognition ceremony scheduled for May 4, 2024, the childcare provider must submit the self-assessment checklist and complete the initial walk-through assessment by April 19, 2024.

Childcare facilities will receive their initial level notification shortly after completing their walk-through assessment.

All providers participating in the program will receive their final level at the Healthy Spaces Happy Children Recognition Ceremony on May 4, 2024.

Program evaluations will be distributed to providers at the ceremony and should be completed by May 31, 2024.

Benefits will be distributed to providers beginning June 1, 2024.

Eligibility

Recognition

We want to recognize childcare providers for all their hard work by providing opportunities for promotion.

Certificate
Use of the Healthy Space Happy Children Logo for your advertisement
Window signs
Website promotion

Timeline

Free Supplies

Benefits Package after Healthy Spaces certification: Free supplies

Benefits for the facility; choose one of the following:
- Green cleaning supply kit
- Vacuum cleaner with HEPA filter
- Water Purifier
Benefits for Child Development; choose one of the following:
- Montessori-focused toys
- Visa Gift Card
- Environmentally Friendly Art kit

Benefits Package after Healthy Spaces certification: Free Promotion

Use of the Healthy Spaces Happy Children logo
Listing on the Healthy Spaces website
Promotion via IKE’s social media

Recognition

The Environmental Health Associate will be there at every step, working with the childcare provider to help ensure that they achieve their healthy space goal. The childcare provider is to submit an application containing a self-evaluation if they are interested in participating in this program.

The Healthy Spaces Happy Children works with childcare providers to establish environmentally sound and safe practices in three areas:

– Lead
– Chemical Management
– Environmental Asthma Triggers

The program helps childcare providers achieve one of three levels:

– Silver
– Gold
– Platinum

The three focus areas are:

– Training
– Implementation
– Policy

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Healthy Spaces Happy Children

Get free supplies and promotion for your childcare center!

UPDATE (6/11/2024): THE HSHC PROGRAM IS CURRENTLY CLOSED FOR RECRUITMENT FOR THE SUMMER/FALL 2024

Benefits for Children

Contact Information

869

3.5

9.4%

Healthy Spaces Happy Children

Program Details

Eligibility

Timeline

Recognition

Free Supplies

Resources