New Fact Sheet Puts a Spotlight on Childcare Tap Water Safety
A new fact sheet aims to demystify tap water contamination and provide clear information on tap water safety for childcare providers and for parents of young children.
There are over 20 million children aged 5 and under in the United States and over half of them attend center-based childcare (as opposed to care by friends and family). Facilities participating in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) are required to make potable (safe) water available and offered throughout the day. States may have their own more stringent licensing requirements for drinking water provision in childcare and other states may require all licensed childcare facilities to comply with CACFP standards. But all families with young children should have safe drinking water.
Lead is a particular concern in the early years because young children are most vulnerable to its toxic effects. Infants fed formula that is reconstituted with tap water are at highest risk, if the tap water has unsafe levels of lead.
Assuring tap water safety includes:
Confirming that water, whether supplied by a water utility or a private well, meets all safety standards
Sampling and testing tap water to make sure that lead is not leaching or flaking into building tap water if there is a lead service line or any lead in building plumbing
Daily safe water practices are also outlined in the fact sheet.
For more on lead and young children please see earlier posts:
