Healthy Environments for Kids: Safekeeping Campaign
"Safekeeping" means keeping your school or early childhood education center safe from environmental hazards
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) Safekeeping campaign seeks to provide tips and resources to schools and early childhood education centers on maintaining environmentally safe and healthy facilities for kids and staff.
Whether you’re a school nestled among the lakes and pines up north, or a daycare center in bustling Milwaukee, we want you to be equipped with best practices for reducing harmful chemical exposures and ensuring healthier air and water quality for everyone in your learning community.
Video 1: How to Safely Handle Chemicals and Disinfectants
Proper cleaning is essential to healthy learning communities.
- How to Safely Handle Chemicals and Disinfectants video, Spanish subtitles
- How to Safely Handle Chemicals and Disinfectants, Hmong subtitles
Learn the basics of safely handling chemical cleaners and disinfectants. Learn which products to use and when, as well as recommended personal protective equipment to wear and disposal practices to follow.
Chemical use: cleaning, sanitizing, and disinfecting
- How to Clean and Disinfect Early Care and Education Settings (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - CDC)
- Green Cleaning, Sanitizing, and Disinfecting: A Toolkit for Early Care and Education (Western States Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit)
- Selected EPA-Registered Disinfectants (Environmental Protection Agency – EPA)
- How to Read a Disinfectant Label (EPA)
- 6 Steps for Safe and Effective Disinfectant Use (EPA)
- How to Safely Clean and Sanitize with Bleach (CDC)
- Toolkit for Safe Chemical Management in K-12 Schools (EPA)
Waste management
Managing Waste and Materials (Department of Natural Resources)
Pesticide management
- Certified Pesticide Applicator Database Searches (Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection)
- Personal Protective Equipment for Pesticide Handlers (EPA)
Video 2: Safely Use Chemical Cleaners and Disinfectants
Be sure to use the right product for the task at hand.
- Safely Use Chemical Cleaners and Disinfectants video, Spanish subtitles
- Safely Use Chemical Cleaners and Disinfectants video, Hmong subtitles
This video explores the difference between cleaning, sanitizing, and disinfecting, and highlights important components of a cleaning and sanitizing plan for your facility.
- How to Clean and Disinfect Early Care and Education Settings (CDC)
- Green Cleaning, Sanitizing, and Disinfecting: A Toolkit for Early Care and Education (Western States Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit)
- Selected EPA-Registered Disinfectants (EPA)
- 6 Steps for Safe and Effective Disinfectant Use (EPA)
Video 3: Maintaining Safe Facilities: Air Quality
Public health guidelines ensure safe air in your buildings.
- Maintaining Safe Facilities: Air Quality video, Spanish subtitles
- Maintaining Safe Facilities: Air Quality video, Hmong subtitles
This video summarizes the latest guidelines to establish and maintain healthy air quality for your students and staff. Learn recommended settings and protocols for your HVAC system, including air filtration, distribution, and exchange.
Video 4: Maintaining Safe Facilities: Water Quality
Safe drinking water is essential to a healthy learning environment.
- Maintaining Safe Facilities: Water Quality video, Spanish subtitles
- Maintaining Safe Facilities: Water Quality video, Hmong subtitles
This video offers tips for ensuring the safety of your drinking water and maintenance of your water distribution system. Learn the importance of flushing and inspecting faucets, following water testing requirements and recommendations, and developing a water management program.
More resources on environmental hazards
- Consider participating in the Choose Safe Places program to get a free virtual environment assessment and resources on addressing environmental hazards in your early childhood education center (child care centers only).
- For information on asbestos, visit Asbestos: Information for Schools.
- For information on lead, visit Lead in Schools and Child Care Centers.
- For information on radon, visit Radon in Child Care and Radon in Schools.
- For information on school and child care recommendations when outdoor air is unsafe to breathe, visit Outdoor Activity Recommendations for Unhealthy Air Quality Index Levels.
- Consider participating in the Children's Health Alliance of Wisconsin Asthma Walkthrough Program to learn more about asthma triggers in your school and early childhood education center.