Training Modules For Child Cares Now Online

UNIVERSITY PARK, PA, March 13, 2013 (Press-News.org) A series of professional development lessons that promote safer and healthier indoor environments in child cares are available online through the Penn State's Better Kid Care Program.

The PA IPM Program has been collaborating with Penn State Cooperative Extension to develop the "Go Green for Kids Initiative" as part of their Better Kid Care Program. The "Healthy Air + Healthy Spaces = Healthy Children" training module developed by this partnership is now available as three on-demand lessons allowing child care professionals to obtain professional development hours at their convenience. The series, Healthy Child Care Environments, covers the topics of pest prevention by using integrated pest management (IPM), pest treatment using IPM and using green cleaners. Each lesson contains an activity and appropriate handouts for the topic. Viewing the lessons is free and for a small cost, an assessment at the end of the lessons can be taken to receive a professional development certificate. Continuing Education Credits (CEUs) are also available for completing the lessons.

According to PA IPM Education Specialist Amber Brunskill, while the lessons are geared towards child care teachers and caregivers, the information is also extremely useful for child care directors, administrators, and facility managers. "The lessons explore the connection between children's health and indoor environments of early learning facilities. It's important for everyone involved in child care to be able to evaluate key aspects of their indoor environments to make them healthier and safer for young children," she explains. "Pests and pesticides, the use of chemical cleaners and air fresheners, and poor ventilation can all contribute to poor air quality." Solutions include preventing pest problems through sanitation and exclusion measures, treating the pest problem at hand using the least toxic methods, using green cleaning alternatives, and maintaining ventilation systems.

The on-demand lessons are available as part of the Better Kid Care website http://betterkidcare.psu.edu/. The original "Healthy Air + Healthy Spaces = Healthy Children" training module, which contains an instructor manual, handouts, a PowerPoint presentation, and an assessment, is available through the PA IPM's child care web site at http://extension.psu.edu/ipm/childcare.

The Pennsylvania IPM program is a collaboration between the Pennsylvania State University and the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture aimed at promoting integrated pest management in both agricultural and urban settings. For more information, contact the program at 814-865-2839, or go to http://www.paipm.org.