Prevalence of Environmental Health & Safety Hazards Found in Home-Based Childcare Settings: Results from three years of Healthy Homes for Childcare

Residential home-based daycare centers provide service to more than 36,000 children under age six in Philadelphia. As a result of a number of factors including location, convenience and cost, the majority of these centers serve children from low-income inner city families. Due to the age and deteriorating nature of the housing stock in the city, these children are at risk of exposure to many residential health hazards prevalent in these communities. This is reflected in the fact that more than 11% (2,102) of these children suffer some degree of exposure to lead. It's nearly double the average for the City of Philadelphia and approximately four times the national average. Healthy Homes for Childcare (HHCC) is an initiative of the Philadelphia Department of Public Health and community based organizations designed and implemented to reduce the number of environmental health and safety hazards present in participating residential childcare facilities. The initiative is funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and involves 1) facility risk assessment, 2) tailored intervention delivery, and 3) hazard remediation. Evaluation of data collected in participant homes has indicated that the majority of the facilities have not been adequately maintained and suffer varying degrees of deterioration. Among the most common hazards identified are peeling paint, inadequate ventilation, mold, water damage, inadequate flooring, pest infestation, clutter and various safety concerns. Surface dust sampling indicated elevated lead levels in areas where children eat, sleep and play. Analyses of data collected from more than 100 facilities will be discussed.