The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection – Drinking Water Program (MassDEP-DWP) hosted another seminar to raise awareness about lead exposure joining efforts with City of Chelsea officials and nonprofit organizations such as Early Childhood Initiative, Green Roots, Clean Water Action as well as key players in childcare systems such as Nurtury, Clarendon, Child Development and Education Family-Based Child Care Networks and a local lead awareness activist.
The two-hour seminar aimed at local family child care educators and staff from child care centers took place on September 24th from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM at Williams Jr. High School, 180 Walnut St and a total of 54 participants attended.
The program covered a range of topics, including lead exposure in drinking water, the free lead testing Water-Smart Program, the Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program, the Choose Safe Places for Early Care and Education Program, the Service Line Inventory, and the Lead Service Replacement Program at Chelsea.
To ensure accessibility for Spanish-speaking attendees, our collaborators, GreenRoots and the City of Chelsea, provided translation equipment (headphones and microphones) along with a trained interpreter. Participants receivede training materials and a certificate of attendance from the Drinking Water Program, which can be applied toward the annual training requirement for childcare providers set by the Department of Early Education and Care (DEEC). Following this Chelsea seminar, the Water-Smart Program will continue collaborating with Chelsea partners to encourage all childcare facilities in the city to participate in lead testing. The goal is to ensure that any facilities with lead concentrations above the laboratory analytical testing limit of 1 part per billion (ppb or μg/L) take the necessary remediation actions based on program recommendations. So far, 30% (11) of the family child care programs in Chelsea have agreed to participate in the program, and 19% have already completed the testing. Additionally, to engage and educate parents and the Chelsea community, Clean Water Action, in collaboration with the City of Chelsea, will host a free information session on October 23 from 6:00 to 8:00 PM at the Chelsea Public Library. To register contact Kiera at [email protected].