Portland is a city known for it’s environmentally friendly trends. It’s a great place to go for green living. Why should Portland child care be any different? Children learn the basics early and daycare is a great place to start. By making your Portland child care center greener, not only are you making a great business decision, creating a healthier environment for your little ones and being kind to Mother Earth, but you’re also teaching children basic, environmentally friendly living habits that they can carry throughout their entire lives. Here are a few ways you can make your Portland child care center greener:
Get eco-healthy air.
Make sure children at your care center are breathing fresh air by taking a few safety precautions. First, do not allow smoking anywhere near the building that your care center sits in. Even outside in your parking lot isn’t a good idea. Try hanging some no smoking signs around the entire property. You can also ask parents not to leave their cars running while they drop off their children. Leaving a car running in idle creates unnecessary exhaust pollution. Make sure your space is entirely free of any type of dust or mold. Not only do both cause severe issues for children with allergies or asthma, but some types of mold can even be deadly. Ditch chemical-based air fresheners for non-toxic essential oils. With these simple steps, children at your Portland child care center will be breathing the freshest air possible.
Invest in greener art supplies.
Many art supplies on the market contain toxic chemicals. The good news is that a lot of the mainstream brands are already onto the importance of this and have removed these dangerous chemicals from their supplies. That said, you should always be careful, especially when buying paint, clay and glue. Keep an eye out for the non-toxic stamps of approval: AP, AP New, AP + PC, CL, CP, HL/CR and HL/NT at http://www.acminet.org. You can also avoid ingestion of these dangerous materials by making it a rule that everyone has to wash their hands thoroughly after doing any kind of art project.
Keep the playground fresh and safe.
An environmentally friendly playground may be tougher to come by than you think. For three decades, playground wood was treated with toxic preservatives containing arsenic. This use stopped in 2003, but if you have a wooden playground that was built before then, you should consider rebuilding or, at the very least, covering the equipment with paint or sealant to reduce exposure.
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