Partnerships for Environmental Public Health (PEPH)
Healthy Child Care Environments
March 29, 2016Expert: Barbara Fiese, Ph.D.
Children are particularly vulnerable to environmental contaminants, and three-quarters of American children under age five spend at least 20 hours per week at an out-of-home child care facility. In this podcast, we speak with an expert about ways to reduce harmful exposures and create healthy environments in child care settings.
Expert
Barbara Fiese, Ph.D., directs the Family Resiliency Center at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Her research focuses on family level factors that promote health and well-being in children at risk due to physical illness and/or poor child-raising conditions. She examines how family rituals may promote medical adherence and reduce anxiety in children with chronic illnesses and tracks how changes in child and parent stories about family events are related to child and family adjustment. Her latest book, Family Routines and Rituals, was published in 2006 by Yale University Press. A fellow of the American Psychological Association, Fiese serves on several national committees and boards.
For More Information
Healthy Child Care
Find resources for providers, parents, and other groups about minimizing environmental health issues in child care settings at this website of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Environmental Exposures in the Context of Child Care
Read about recent research and key concerns about toxins frequently encountered at child care facilities in this overview article published in Environmental Health Perspectives.
Eco-Healthy Child Care® Factsheets
Download factsheets on plastics, art supplies, household chemicals and more from the Children’s Environmental Health Network.
DetoxMe
Walk through simple, research based tips on how to reduce environmental exposures and track your progress with this interactive app developed by the Silent Spring Institute.
Integrated Pest Management: A Toolkit for Early Care and Education Programs
Use this toolkit from the Center for Environmental Research & Children’s Health at the University of California, Berkeley to find practical information about managing pests safely.
Air Quality and Green Cleaning Resources for Child Care
Explore factsheets on a variety of topics including green cleaning, integrated pest management, and indoor air quality in the child care setting.
Family Resiliency Center
Find news and reports about family resiliency research and outreach from this academic center at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Related Environmental Health Chat Episodes:
Household Chemicals
All About Phthalates
Preventing Prenatal Exposures
Protecting Children from Contaminants at School
We want your feedback!
Send comments, questions, and suggestions for future podcast topics to podcast@niehs.nih.gov .
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