Wisconsin's Site Evaluation Program: Choose Safe Places Child Care Provider Resources

The Choose Safe Places program is managed by Wisconsin’s Site Evaluation Program (SEP) and funded by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry’s (ATSDR) Partnership to Promote Local Effort to Reduce Environmental Exposure (APPLETREE).

Wisconsin's Choose Safe Places program connects prospective child care providers to resources about environmental health hazards to help ensure the places children are cared for are in environmentally safe locations.

Lead

Lead poisoning is caused by several sources, including:

Paint—Lead-based paint is the primary source of lead poisoning in children.
- Review our Guidance for Child Care Providers Regarding Lead-Based Paint Hazards at Child Care Settings, P-02105. (PDF available in English, Spanish, Hmong)
Drinking water—Lead can be found in contaminated drinking water.
- Review our Lead in Water webpages and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources’ Lead in Drinking Water (PDF) flyer to learn more about how you can take action to prevent exposure to lead in drinking water.
Other sources—Lead can be found in certain products, like some toys and makeup.
- Review our Lead Poisoning: Emerging Sources of Lead, P-01887A (PDF) flyer.

Are you in Milwaukee?

Milwaukee's Lead-Safe Water Guide has information on how to reduce the risk of lead exposure.

Find more information at Lead-Safe Milwaukee.

Drinking water

In addition to lead, other pollutants can contaminate drinking water, such as arsenic, bacteria, and nitrate.

Many people in Wisconsin get their drinking water from private wells. For this reason, child care centers should test their drinking water regularly for:

Bacteria—Review our Bacteria in Private Well Water, P-02132 flyer (PDF available in English, Spanish, Hmong).
Nitrate—Review our Nitrate in Private Well Water, P-02128 flyer (PDF available in English, Spanish, Hmong).
Arsenic—Review our Arsenic in Private Well Water, P-45012 flyer (PDF available in English, Spanish, Hmong).

If you get your water from a public system, look up or contact your local water utility to review your Consumer Confidence Report. This report describes where your water comes from and what’s in it.

Indoor air

Pollutants that can contaminate indoor air include:

Radon—Radon is the main cause of lung cancer for nonsmokers.
- Learn more about radon and review our Is Your Home Radon Safe? P-01963 (PDF) flyer to help keep your child care center safe.
Carbon monoxide—Carbon monoxide in the air is hard to detect.
- Review our Protecting Your Family from Carbon Monoxide, P-01569 flyer (PDF available in English, Spanish, Hmong) to learn steps you can take to protect children from the harmful gas.
Mold—Keep areas clean and dry to prevent mold.
- Learn more about mold to help keep you child care center safe.

More resources

Learn more about:

Children and environmental hazards
Environmental health topics, such as air, soil, and water
Maintaining a healthy home

Partner resources

Children’s Health Alliance of Wisconsin conducts asthma walk-throughs. Learn about the program and how to reduce asthma triggers on the Children’s Health Alliance website.
Children’s Environmental Health Network has resources on its Eco-Healthy Child Care® site, including an e-learning course on environmental health issues.