For this activity you will need:

· Writing materials for participants
· Flip chart and markers

This activity will be most effective if your program is planning to purchase, build or renovate a new facility in the near future. If you are not, you may adapt these ideas to an evaluation and plan for improvement in your current center.

You may wish to review the Key for Activity 4: Prompts for Environmental Issues-For Trainer Only from Module 1- Activity 4: Alejandro and His Earth, and the Head Start Facilities Manual for points to be sure to include. Also useful would be the Education guide Enhancing Children's Growth & Development. 

Step 1: Explain to participants that this is a brainstorming activity to develop ideas for an ecologically oriented, toxic-free Head Start center. This activity is what an architect would want you to do before she would begin designs for the new center.

On the flip chart, make two columns: "What We Don't Want" and "What We Want."

Step 2: Encourage participants to think about the current center.

• Which features are environmentally positive?
• Which features do we want to avoid?

Step 3: When you have a good sampling of brainstorming ideas, review them to be sure that you have covered ideas about air quality, water quality, and building materials.

• What do you need to see in the center to assure safety and health?

• What can you do to ensure a safe and healthful food supply for this center?
• What do you need for preparation, serving, and storage?

• What will you use for lighting?
• What other electrical or gas needs do you have?
• Can you choose products that demand less from Earth's nonrenewable energy supply (e.g., oil) and rely on renewable energy (e.g., sun, wind power)?

• What supplies do you need for the program? Can you choose reusable supplies? Can you choose items that are not packaged in throw-away materials?
• How can you reduce, reuse, and recycle? What facilities will you need to make this easy to do? Can you compost food waste?

• What types of containers do you need? Paper, contaminated waste, etc.?

• Is there a place for a garden?
• Will it need fertilizers and pesticides?
• How can you be sure that the landscaping will be wildlife- friendly and safe for children?

• Group 1: Infants
• Group 2: Toddlers
• Group 3: Young preschoolers
• Group 4: Pre-kindergartners

Step 7: Post these drawings in your current center and share them with the administrators who will be selecting or designing your new site.

Points to Consider

• Designing a center requires consideration of the developmental needs of children, their activities, and the natural environment. We want to think both of hazards from the environment and our chance to build a center that is environmentally friendly.
• Think both long term and short term. Some building materials are more expensive initially but pay off in lower costs later. This is especially true when considering energy efficiency.
• Consider what outside people will need to be involved in the renovation or construction of your center. Specifically, you might need specialists in lead abatement or the removal of asbestos. You might want to talk with someone who is knowledgeable about integrated pest management so that you can develop a pest control approach which is effective and non-toxic.

1. Using the information in Activity 1: Children's Developmental Stages, plan an educational activity for parents of children of different ages. Talk with the parents about their children's development and which hazards they want to look for in their homes. Help the parents to reduce possible hazards.

2. Contact your local water department or health department and arrange for a speaker to come and discuss water-quality issues with staff and parents. Or arrange a visit to the local water treatment plant. A water-quality specialist could explain the more detailed tests that are carried out to determine water quality and how water is treated in your area.

3. Invite a local building or landscape architect to your center to discuss plans for an environmentally safe and friendly building. Look for an architect who has a commitment to environmentally sound building practices.

4. Fairly simple test kits are available for checking water quality, presence of radon gas, and soil contamination. Contact a school science supply company, local health department or local office of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Find out what simple test kits they use or recommend for home use. Develop a training activity for staff using test kits.

Handout G: Children's Developmental Stages & Environmental Risks
 
 

Age of Child:  0-3 mos.  4-12 mos.  1-2 yrs.  3-5 yrs.	Main behavioral characteristics of these children:
What are the main risks from toxins in ...	How do we protect children fron toxins in ...
Air:
Water:
Food:
Household products/building materials:

Handout H-1: Sally's Story-Group 1
Part I:

In January, three-year-old Sally joins your Head Start program. You notice that Sally has a chronic cough even when she does not have a cold. You also notice that Sally needs to rest frequently during vigorous playground activities. Each year, your Head Start program has had more children with asthma. The asthma seems to be especially severe in the winter, which is very cold in your mountainous, snowy town. In Sally's case, however, her breathing problems seem to be more severe than those of other children's. You inquire about Sally's health. Her parents are surprised that Sally has developed such severe asthma. Two years ago when the family moved into their first home after living in an apartment complex, Sally was a healthy child who loved to play with her friends and older siblings. Now, her condition keeps her from being active.
Part II:

· What Sally's mother tells you

Sally's asthma medications are monitored carefully by her parents. They have given away their cat, which seemed to make Sally worse, and are trying to watch what Sally eats to avoid any asthma- triggering foods. Their home is heated entirely by two wood-burning stoves, one in the kitchen and one in the living room. You ask Sally's parents what kind of wood they burn in the stove. They say that most of the wood comes from old train ties left from the tracks that used to run next to their community.
Part Ill:

· What the environmental health specialist at the local health department tells you

Wood stoves and fireplaces emit particulates, carbon monoxide, benzene, and formaldehyde. Children who are exposed to wood smoke have chronic coughing, wheezing, and severe asthma attacks more than other children. Only wood-burning stoves and fireplaces that have excellent ventilation are safe. Wood burned in stoves or fireplaces should contain no solvents or chemicals such as those found in train ties, because the chemicals are released inside the home when the coated wood is burned.

Handout H-2: Juan's Story-Group 2

Part I:

Juanito, a five-year-old, is enrolled in Head Start. Sometimes he misses school while he helps his parents work in the fields. You are concerned about his absences, but understand that the entire family contributes to the household income. One day, Juanito's mother Gloria arrives at school early to pick him up. She seems quite concerned. Upon questioning, you find out that Juan, Juanito's father, has been sent home from the fields, complaining of dizziness, weakness, stomach pains, difficulty breathing and muscle cramps. You know the family is reluctant to go to the medical clinic in town. You tell Gloria that you will stop by to see if you can help as soon as all of the children at the center have been picked up.
Part II:

· What Jorge tells you

When you arrive at Juanito's home, you find lots of activity. Juanito's home is located near the fields where the family works. It is evening and the breeze is moving from the East, the direction of the fields. There is a strange odor. On the front porch, you notice a pile of work clothes that reek of some chemical. Gloria welcomes you in and hurries back to the room where Juan is lying. Juanito climbs up on your lap. All of the commotion and his father being ill have him worried. Jorge, Juanito's 18-year-old brother, tells you it has been very busy in the fields and the workers have been doing more than their usual jobs.
Part III:

· What the emergency room physician tells you

Juan usually sorts and moves the crops from the field into the packing sheds. Today, because of the short staff, he was asked to apply the pesticide malathion, which is sprayed on a variety of crops. Juan is not properly trained in handling malathion nor was he properly protected. When someone comes in contact with this pesticide, the effect is dramatic and immediate. It has a potent effect on the nervous system, as do other organophosphates. Atropine is an antidote for organophosphate poisoning, and if administered quickly can save a life. All family members should probably be watched for low-level effects from exposure to this pesticide.

Handout 11-3: Tehan's Story-Group 3

Part I:

Tehan is a healthy four-year-old boy in the Head Start program. He has a reputation as an agreeable child who participates willingly in all activities. One day you notice a sudden change in his disposition. He is irritable and withdrawn. Another day he begins to tremble. You contact his parents to alert them. They pick him up right away. The next day he's absent. His parents call to tell you that Tehan became progressively weaker during the night, complaining of pain in his legs. After school you stop by Tehan's home to check on how he is.

Part II:

· What Tehan 's aunt tells you

Tehan's aunt is at the home. She says Tehan and the family have gone to stay with their cousins who live a few blocks away. The aunt is tidying up and she tells you how upsetting the past few days have been: The family has been really disturbed by the landlord's painting. When you entered the home you noticed a strong smell of new paint. Tehan's aunt tells you how difficult it has been. Because their apartment is old, they were concerned about lead poisoning from the peeling paint. Tehan's blood lead level had been a bit elevated when he was screened through the Head Start program. With the help of an active community group and a supportive health department, the landlord had been pressured to repaint the apartment, covering the old paint. He had resisted, but finally complied disagreeably, refusing to buy new paint but using some cans of paint that he had stored in the basement from a job several years ago.

Part III:

· What the pediatrician tells you

Acrodynia, caused by mercury exposure, is known as "pink disease" because a child's hands and feet become bluish pink. The syndrome is also characterized by extreme irritability, insomnia, and constant itching with excruciating pain in the hands, feet, and joints. Because it is highly toxic to bacteria and fungi, mercury was added to latex paints as a preservative. After the paint has been applied, the mercury vaporizes into the indoor air. In 1990, the United States banned use of mercury compounds as paint preservatives in interior latex paint. However, existing stocks of latex paint containing mercury can be distributed and sold; the ban applies only to paint produced since 1990.

To prevent exposure to mercury, when purchasing paint, check that it contains no mercury. Proper ventilation both during and after painting is crucial. If you have no control over the painters (as in Tehan' s family's landlord situation), stay out of the area for several weeks.

Children also can be exposed to mercury from a broken thermometer. Mercury is very bright and enticing to children who might pick up a broken thermometer that is lying around.

Handout H-4: Alicia's Story-Group 4

Part I:

A young couple in their mid-30s have just enrolled their 18-month-old daughter in your home-based Head Start program. Kevin and Alicia Williams moved to your rural southern community two years ago and bought an old farm house. They are working very hard to renovate the old homestead and make a success of their farm.

One day when you visit, Alicia enthusiastically gives you a tour of the old house. As she shows off the rooms, she confides a bit of trouble: She and Kevin have not felt really well since their first winter in the home. They both have had stuffy noses, sinus pain, and severe headaches that lasted two to three hours, sometimes accompanied by light-headedness. They wonder about pollen or dust in the air, but their symptoms are especially noticeable after they work in their basement workshop.

"I guess we're crazy, with all we have to do," Alicia said, "but we've tried to have a second child and it's not working." She calls herself a "health nut," saying she and Kevin have never smoked, don't drink alcohol and used to get a lot of exercise when they lived in the city. Now, she says, she is always tired.

Part II:

· What Kelly tells you

A few houses away lives Kelly Stuart, a lifelong resident of the area, and her husband Leo. The Stuarts' children have participated in Head Start for many years. When you visit Kelly, she is happily pregnant. She says she feels sorry for Alicia, her friend. You learn that the previous occupants of the Williams' house, also a young couple, had left the farm convinced that the wife's two miscarriages were due to something wrong with the house.

Part III:

· What the local building inspector tells you

He checked the housing records and verified that chiordane was used to fumigate the Williams' house for termites six years ago. Chiordane had been used widely for more than 35 years as a spray to protect structures against termites, but was banned a few years ago. Chiordane is an organochiorine insecticide, in the same family as DDT and heptachlor. These chemicals have low acute toxicity, so that people who work with them do not show any effects. However, the chemicals persist in the environ ment indefinitely. Their effect on reproduction in the animal world was detailed in Silent Spring.

The major source of chlordane exposure today is indoor air, a result of continuing volatilization from prior use in and around homes. Homes improperly treated have higher levels of chlordane. Improper treatment includes pouring the chemical at the foundation line, carelessly injecting liquid chiordane directly into living spaces or air ducts, or excessive spraying in crawl spaces. If oversprayed, emission of chlordane from joists and flooring can persist for 15 years after treatment.

Family Name: ________________________________ Date:_________________________
Address:___________________________________________________________________
 

Observations	Hazard of Consider	Notes on What to do
Type of housing?  age, condition peeling paint	lead based paint  asbestos
Attached garage?	gas fumes  carbon monoxide  ventilation
Live in the Basement Apartment?	radon
Peelin insulation?	asbestos
Source of drinking water?  from private wells from older pipes from a well close to possible pollution source (e.g., farm or feedlot	microorganisms  lead  pesticides
Heating Source?  wood burning kerosene heaters	possible air pollutants  be sure of adequate ventilation
Smokers in the house?	secondhand tobacco smoke
Use of Pesticides or toxic cleaning supplies?	poisoning possibilities
Yard and /or garden?  growing own fruits and vegetables	pesticide used  pesticide residue  contaminated soil
Pet(s)?	flea control  pesticides
Work of Household Members?  toxins in the workplace	exposure could be occuring at work, and then brought home

 
 

Handout 1-2: Did You Know...?
If...	Did You Know...?	To Reduce Hazards, You Can...
a house or apartment building was built before 1979...	paint with lead was probably used in it. This paint is hazardous to children if it is peeling or flaking.	wet-mop paint dust off of window sills and vacuum frequently to pick up any dust on the floor. Cover any spots of peeling paint with new lead-free paint.
a building has asbestos as an insulation material in pipes, walls, or ceilings..,	asbestos fibers, if disturbed and allowed to circulate in the air, can cause lung cancer.	call the health department to find someone in your area who is certified to do asbestos removal.
a garage is attached to a house, and vehicles are parked in the garage...	gas fumes and carbon monoxide can seep into the living spaces.	be sure that the garage is well ventilated to the outside, so that fumes do not seep into the living spaces.
a family lives in a basement apartment...	radon gas tends to settle near the ground and the levels of radon will be higher in basement areas.	check with the health department to see if radon gas is a problem in your area. Get a testing kit to measure the level of radon in the basement.
a home receives drinking water from a private well...	the water is not treated by any municipal agency; it should, therefore, be tested regularly to be sure that there are no harmful microorganisms present.	have the water tested by the local health department or testing agency.
a home has water pipes installed before 1950 and if these pipes contain lead solder at their joints...	the water might be contaminated with lead from the pipes.	for a minute each morning run the water from the faucet that provides your drinking water. Use the first-run water for plants. Keep a pitcher of water for drinking or cooking, drawn after the first-run water, in the refrigerator for use throughout the day.

 

a home is located near a farm or feedlot and receives its water from a well...	the water might be contaminated by runoff from pesticides and fertilizers used on the farm or feedlot.	have the water tested by the local health department or testing agency. If there is contamination, it may not be safe to use that well.
a home's source of heat is a wood-burning stove or kerosene heater...	dangerous gases are given off from these heating sources and the home should be well-ventilated,	be sure that the heater or stove is equipped with the necessary safety features. Be sure that there is adequate ventilation when using these heaters.
there are smokers living in the house...	other residents are exposed to secondhand tobacco smoke.	encourage smokers to quit smoking. If they cannot, ask them to smoke outdoors only.
members of the household work with toxic substances at their workplaces...	other family members could be exposed to the same toxic substances through contact with the worker's clothes.	be sure to change clothes and wash well before leaving the workplace.
pesticides are used to control bugs and other pests in the house, in the yard or on pets...	members of the household might be exposed to these poisonous substances.	try to find ways to control pests without the use of chemical pesticides.

Outcomes
After completing this module, participants will:

• recognize and respond to long-term and community-wide environmental challenges;
• expand their current role in collaboration with community agencies to address environmental health issues;
• improve their skills in working with families to:
• support family efforts to enhance and protect their community's environment
• identify environmentally related situations and behaviors that could cause harm; and
• be able to review and assess local Head Start program practices in light of the goal of environmental sustainability, and make changes where necessary.

A healthy environment is a key to a strong community. Building better communities is a part of Head Start's mission.

Parents juggle many issues as they work to provide healthy, loving homes for their children. Understanding how environmental pollution can affect low-income families is important in finding ways to protect the families and lessen pollution's effects.

Head Start programs can contribute to a healthier environment. Environmentally sustainable practices assure a healthy future for our children and generations to come.

Background Information

A. The Environment: Working Toward the Big Picture

The Iroquois have a saying, "In every deliberation, we must consider the effect on the next seven generations." The idea of seven generations of impact is another way of looking at the concept of sustainability.

Head Start staff are already committed to a multi-generational program. They understand how behaviors and situations of parents and grandparents contribute to the behaviors and situations of children-even after the children are grown. In promoting and encouraging supportive discipline, for example, we lay the groundwork for young adults who can make intelligent choices and manage their emotions. Healthy families sustain and transmit an ongoing thread of love and growth, much like the roots that a healthy plant sends out through the earth to sprout new generations of plants.

We can use this concept of sustainability to evaluate different actions that we or others take. To know whether any environmental practice can pass the test of sustainability, simply ask this question: Is this practice something that can be done by many people throughout the world, over and over and on through time, without toxic effects? Many researchers and activists in the environmental community have concluded that the overall practices of modern industrial society-using lots of machines and natural resources, and generating lots of pollutants and waste-cannot be contin ued if we wish to sustain the quality of human life and the ecological health and biodiversity of the planet for future generations.

One example of the long-reahing and far-ranging effect of a population's behaviors is the use of oil and coal which lead to global warming. Most scientists believe that the by-products of our energy use (carbon dioxide and the other greenhouse gases) will heat the atmosphere, and cause oceans to rise, storms, droughts, and famine.

Because U.S. society is more urban and industrial than much of the world, each American is responsible for putting more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than others who live on this planet. The average American is responsible for 2.3 tons of carbon each year, while the average Western European is responsible for 0.9 of a ton and the average person in India only 0.1 ton. This gives Americans the chance to do good through life style changes!

Society-wide-or worldwide-challenges require actions by individuals and groups. Global warming, for example, can be reduced by using less carbon-producing energy. Each person can be part of the solution by con serving electricity, conserving energy for home heating and cooling, and using cars much more efficiently. Because trees use carbon dioxide in their life cycle, the solution includes protecting existing trees and planting more of them.

Everyone is affected by environmental degradation, and everyone is able to do something to enhance and protect the planet.

B. Special Challenges

Achievement of Head Start's goals for families and children requires sup portive, healthy communities. In looking at our communities' environment-whether defined by beautiful natural features, availability of wholesome food, or freedom from toxic pollution-it is important to be alert to the special risks that some communities face. It is well-docu mented that children in low-income families face greater health risks and suffer from more illnesses than children in more affluent families. It seems also to be the case that children in low-income families are more disadvantaged from an environmental perspective.

The history of lead poisoning is a good example. Lead's dangers have been known for hundreds of years, but only during this century has attention been paid to lead effects, which are more subtle than acute illness from lead poisoning, which usually leads to hospitalization. In the 1970s and '80s, mass screening of millions of children evaluated the levels of lead in their blood. The problem of lead absorption was nationwide. However, African American children, from low-income families who lived in the central city were affected disproportionately.

After several years of work, average blood lead levels are down. The 1990-94 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) showed an average lead level of 2.7 mcg/dl among children aged one to five in the United States. But there has been no decrease in blood lead levels in ethnic minority populations. Of the children with lead poisoning, 55% are from low-income African American families, while 26% are from low-income white families. Children in low-income, ethnic minority families are more likely to be exposed to higher levels of lead because low-income housing tends to be poorly maintained and is more likely to have old, peeling paint. To make matters worse, children from low-in come families can absorb lead more readily because their diets can be deficient in protein, calcium, iron, and zinc.

Disproportionate harm is also found in exposure to polluted air. The American Lung Association estimates that a person's chance of living in an area where ozone levels exceed the Environmental Protection Agency standard for clean air differs based on the person's ethnicity: 69% of His panics, 67% of Asian American, 61% of African Americans, and 51% of European Americans live in "dirty air" areas.

In Los Angeles, air quality is notorious, but it is not equally bad through out the region. Over 14 million people reside in-and share the air in—an "air basin" created by inversion layers and mountains, wind currents and variable temperatures. Ozone and particulates from motor vehicles are concentrated inland, not in the hillsides swept by ocean breezes in the western part of the city. A family's ability to choose where to live, and to take trips out of Los Angeles, can reduce their exposure to bad air.

The link between environmental protection and the more traditional family support/community development work that Head Start does is clear. Understanding the impact that the environment has on our health, we can see the mutual benefit that comes from collaborating with groups whose work is to protect and enhance the natural environment.

C. Collaborating with the Community

Head Start staff can help communities improve their environment by helping community members gain access to policy makers and those who enforce environmental regulations. Staff can also help build sustainable communities by forging linkages among health workers, environmentalists, and those interested in family support.

There have been some wonderful environmental success stories from the alliance of neighbors and environmental groups. One example is the Blueridge Civic Club in Houston, Texas. When neighbors learned of the plans to build a garbage processing plant near their homes-which would cause increases in truck traffic, odor, and household hazardous waste products-they collaborated with other groups. They were able to halt the permit process for this plant, although other garbage facilities had been located near their neighborhood in the past.

There are endless ways to work collaboratively to protect and enhance the environment. Head Start programs must develop linkages with community-based environmental organizations that know about local conditions and efforts.

The federal agency with primary responsibility for environmental health is the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), created in December 1970, several months after the first Earth Day.

EPA is responsible for enforcing national pollution prevention and cleanup laws. Familiarity with these and other local laws that protect the environment can help staff to know how to address issues of environmental health or illness.

While a Head Start program, through its staff, can have some effect throughout the community in encouraging healthy environmental developments, it can have even more impact right at home. The staff of each program make choices daily that are sustainable or nonsustainable: from choosing the type of silverware to use during lunch to selecting light bulbs for the center.

Working toward environmental health means individual choices and community commitment-with a healthier future for all.

Questions for Discussion/Reflection

• How do you fit the overall needs of the ecosystem-and the seventh generation-into your day-to-day needs and activities? Is it hard to do? Easy?
• How aware of environmental issues is the staff of your Head Start program? Your program's families? Your local community?
• Can you give examples of special risks to certain groups from unhealthy environmental situations?
• Which environmental groups in your community would you most like to work with? Do you see a strong common purpose though your day-to-day work is different?