Washington Choose Safe Places - Supporting Early Care and Education Programs

Washington Choose Safe Places is a non-regulatory, education-based statewide initiative designed to help early care and education (ECE) programs protect children and staff from harmful environmental substances by choosing safe locations or sites for their ECE center. WA Choose Safe Places ensures that ECE programs are in safe places so that children aren't exposed to dangerous chemicals during their care. By choosing safe places for ECE programs, we help keep children safe and healthy.

We help ECE programs evaluate sites by considering risks related to:

Former uses of the site – Past uses of the site may have left harmful substances there. These could be dangerous to people who use the site today. It may not be clear how the site was used in the past. Or if harmful chemicals were used, made, or dumped there. Even if a site looks clean, it might not be free of dangerous chemicals.
Nearby sites and activities – Harmful substances from nearby sources can move onto ECE sites through the air, water or soil. For example, businesses –like gas stations, hair or nail salons, auto repair shops, factories, or farms—can release harmful chemicals into the environment. This could put nearby ECE centers at risk.
Naturally occurring contamination – Some harmful substances are in the environment naturally. And some may be at or near an ECE site. Naturally occurring contaminants can be just as dangerous as other hazards. There are a variety of naturally occurring contaminants in the air, soil, and water that can be harmful to health, like asbestos, arsenic, radon, or lead.
Access to safe drinking water – Contaminants can get into drinking water from a variety of sources or activities. Drinking water can be contaminated from naturally occurring minerals, agricultural chemicals, manufacturing processes, or septic systems. As water travels through the pipes, it can be contaminated with chemicals like lead or copper.

WA Choose Safe Places is funded by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry as a part of their Choose Safe Places for Early Care and Education initiative.

To develop this program and create safe practices in our state, we are partnering with the Department of Children, Youth, and Families; Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit; Environmental Protection Agency Region 10; Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction; Department of Ecology's Toxics Cleanup Program; and local health jurisdictions.

During the past year and as part of a continuous effort, we have been working to grow our Choose Safe Places initiative by:

Exploring the childcare regulatory landscape and developing partnerships.
Developing a pilot WA Choose Safe Places program to ensure that ECE centers are in safe locations.
Evaluating and revising the pilot plan based on feedback from partners and participants.

Understanding the Issue

Washington laws say that early care and education (ECE) centers must be “on a site free from known environmental hazards.” According to the law, ECE centers must prevent enrolled children from being exposed to the following harmful substances:

Lead based paint.
Plumbing and fixtures containing lead or lead solders.
Asbestos.
Arsenic, lead, or copper in the soil or drinking water.
Toxic mold.
Other identified toxins or hazards.

But there is no clear process to make sure that ECE centers are on safe sites, away from harmful substances. Current ECE licensing requirements do not completely address environmental health.

Even if ECE centers meet current state childcare licensing requirements, they may still be in places where people can come into contact with harmful chemicals. This can put children and ECE staff at risk of health problems like cancer, asthma, and learning disabilities. In some cases, the health effects may be irreversible. Children are particularly vulnerable to the effects of chemicals. Their bodies are still developing, and they tend to put objects that could be contaminated into their mouths.

If children or staff get sick from harmful contaminants at the site, ECE programs may have to close. Safely located ECE programs ensure the health, economic, and social well-being of families who rely on them.

How are children exposed?

Children can be exposed to harmful chemicals in the air they breathe, the water they drink, or the soil they touch. This can happen if an ECE facility is near a polluted area or on the site of a formerly polluted area. This ATSDR infographic shows how children can be exposed to harmful chemicals when ECE programs are on unsafe sites.

Washington State has a history of harmful chemicals in the environment that have affected residents' health. Chemical contamination already affects some ECE programs in our state. We want to address existing concerns and prevent further exposures. Site-related contaminant concerns in Washington include:

Lead and arsenate in soil on former orchards in Central Washington, left over from pesticide use.
Lead and arsenate in the soil in the Puget Sound Basin, from pollution from the now-closed Asarco Smelter.
Naturally occurring radon in the air throughout the state.
Toxic chemicals from pesticides at sites near cultivated croplands.

Who can participate in Washington Choose Safe Places?

WA Choose Safe Places is designed to support licensed ECE programs, including new ECE programs receiving their first-time license and ECE programs that are reapplying as part of ownership or location changes. We also support home-based and school based ECE programs.

Our tools may be helpful for:

ECE program owners and operators.
Center-based ECE providers, family home providers, and Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program, or Head Start providers.
Parents.
ECE licensing agencies.
City planners.
Zoning officials.
Public health professionals.
Other partners concerned about children's environmental health.

What is the property checklist?

As a child care center operator applicant, the best thing you can do is be informed and aware. We can help your program make better choices about where to locate your child care program. A property checklist is:

A voluntary tool to help determine if the child care location is safe by identifying potential environmental concerns near the location.
Easy-to-use format with specific resources if a potential issue is identified.
Going to help us protect future businesses, children, and employees.

Complete the Property Checklist

Begin by downloading the Child Care Property Checklist (PDF) and reviewing the information.

Checklist in Spanish: Lista de Verificación de Propiedad de Cuidado Infantil (PDF)
Checklist in Somali: Liiska Xarumaha Daryeelka Carruurta (PDF)

We recommend taking this factsheet with you as you visit potential properties where you think you might like to locate your child care center.

If you have questions or potential health concerns before filling out the form, contact us at wcsp@doh.wa.gov.

What is the licensor referral form?

This form is intended for childcare licensors to use during regular inspections of childcare centers. You can help identify sites that might not be suitable for a childcare center because of past use or the proximity of potential hazards. An environmental inspection is critical to protect children from many types of hazards, including fires, injuries, poisonings, and infectious disease. When an ECE facility is being built, moved, or licensed, ask the following questions:

What was the site before it was an ECE program?
What type of businesses are adjacent to this ECE program?
What are the nearby environmental conditions?

Complete the Licensor Inspection Referral Form

Begin by downloading the Licensor Inspection Referral Form (PDF) and reviewing the information. We recommend taking this factsheet with you as you conduct inspections. Help us catch potential problems before the ECE program is in operation.

Inspection Form in Spanish: Formulario de Referencia de Inspección de Licencia (PDF)
Inspection Form in Somali: Foomka Gudbinta Kormeerka Ruqsad Bixiyaha (PDF)

If you have questions or potential health concerns before filling out the form, email us at wcsp@doh.wa.gov.

How can Washington Choose Safe Places help?

We offer tools to help partners create safer communities. We aim to support professionals in early care and education, licensing, public health, community planning, environmental protection, and other fields.

WA Choose Safe Places will provide:

Educational materials for ECE providers applying for licensing. These materials will help ECE providers choose safer locations for their programs.
A contact directory to help ECE license applicants and ECE licensing specialists know whom to contact about environmental issues at an ECE site.
Training and education for ECE licensors about harmful substances in the environment. Trained licensing specialists can help find ECE sites that might not be safe for children because of environmental concerns.
Screening tools and support to help ECE providers find out if their existing or new location is safe.

During the past year and as part of a continuous effort, we have been working to grow the WA Choose Safe Places initiative by:

Exploring the childcare regulatory landscape and developing partnerships
Developing a pilot WA Choose Safe Places program to ensure that ECE centers are in safe locations.
Evaluating and revising the pilot plan based on feedback from partners and participants.

In 2022, we are implementing a pilot program to protect children from exposure to harmful chemicals at child care and early education sites. This program is focusing on ECE programs that are:

On or near former orchard lands or land currently used for agriculture.
In high radon risk areas.
In areas impacted by plume from smelters previously operated in Tacoma and Everett.

We will expand to other sites of concern after successful implementation of the pilot program. This includes evaluating the proximity of ECE programs near industrial or hazardous waste areas.

We have developed some tools and now we are implementing the pilot plan activities.

How do other partners help with safe siting?

When it comes to making sure that ECE programs are located safely, we all have a role to play:

Early care and education licensing officials consider environmental concerns in licensing and inspection procedures.
Health and environmental protection departments review environmental data, make recommendations for environmental testing, and help ECE program providers and others understand testing results.
Planners and zoning officials ask questions about how a site was used in the past before giving a permit — and get the health department involved if needed.
Parents and other concerned community members can learn more about safe siting and talk to ECE providers about environmental health concerns at the site.