Expectations Exceeded! Volunteering with Toxic Free NC

by Paul Chang, Outreach Intern with Toxic Free NC

Being surrounded by the fresh atmosphere of the Raleigh Midtown Farmers Market gave me a well-needed rejuvenating burst of energy.  The people, the products, and everything that goes into an active healthy community was present.  I honestly loved every part of it!

Participating as an outreach volunteer at Toxic Free NC gives me a chance to enjoy what I love doing most: building relationships and educating people.  Going in to my first outreach event at the Raleigh Midtown Farmers Market, I didn’t really know what to expect.  I was very curious to see what this outreach would actually look like in action.  But, when we arrived, I was immediately comforted by the calm, yet busy atmosphere of everyone trying to find their fresh veggies early in the morning.  Everyone who was interested in Toxic Free NC who came to our table was super friendly and easy-going.  I came up with the hypothesis that since these people are filled with fresh and/or organic foods in their bodies, their personalities are fresh and organic.  You know what they say, “you are what you eat.”

Laura and Paul volunteering for Toxic Free NC

Educating and interacting with the individuals was my favorite part of the whole day.  We joked, we laughed, and we educated with passion!  I really feel that this outreach program is a truly effective way to get the word out to the community about reducing their exposure to toxic chemicals.  The simplicity of this outreach was the best part! Giving out information, starting conversations about toxic chemical exposure, and just sharing personal experiences about environmental health was amazing.  Also, letting people make their own least-toxic household cleaner through our practical demonstration was some good educational entertainment for me.  To add to this amazing experience, it was “Pie Day” at the Market.  When I heard the news that 11 other tables in the farmers market made pies for people to sample, my day couldn’t have gotten better.  I sampled, I voted, and I was satisfied by the unique flavors of each pie in my stomach.


My experience with this volunteer outreach event exceeded all my expectations in every way!  The atmosphere, the people, the music, the kids, and our educational purpose all intertwined into a day of fresh fun.  Also, having random, yet interesting, conversations with two awesome people from Toxic Free NC throughout the day was a big cherry on top!

More Fresh, Local, and Organic Food on Your Child Care's Menu: Here's How

by Toxic Free NC Staff and Jennifer Li, Children’s Environmental Health Writing Intern

Many families are making local and organic produce a priority these days, and almost everyone needs to increase the fresh foods in their diet. Locally grown produce is the freshest, so it contains more nutrients and it supports local farmers. Why organic? Organic foods are grown without synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, do not contain genetically modified ingredients, synthetic food additives or processing agents, and are environmentally friendly. Research shows that kids who eat a mostly organic diet have much lower levels of potentially harmful pesticides in their bodies.

We interviewed Jan of Country Sunshine Children’s Center, and Shawna of Bright Horizons at Raleigh Corporate Center, both in Raleigh. Their commitment to children’s health is truly inspiring, and the methods they share are feasible and effective. From co-op programs with parents to growing fruits and vegetables in gardens, we hope other childcare centers can use these creative and helpful tips from the pros!

So, how can you get more fresh, local, and organic food onto your child care menu?

Here are 5 tips to get you started:

1. Purchase fresh, local, and organic foods from the Farmers' Market, grocery stores, and food distributors, especially when the vegetables and fruits are in season.

“Anytime we can, we get away from frozen or canned foods and incorporate fresh fruits and vegetables into our menu.” —Jan, Country Sunshine Children’s Center

2. Child care centers can obtain reimbursements for nutritious meals from the Federal Food program.

3. Start a Co-op Program. Country Sunshine uses a “Partnership with Parents” to bring in more fresh foods without driving up costs.

How does it work? 

• 3 times a week, children at the Country Sunshine Children’s Center are provided with fresh, healthy fruit and vegetable snacks from parents. 
• Parents are asked to provide fresh produce for one classroom (about 10-20 kids/class) only once per month.
• Each classroom’s parents are designated a specified amount of a particular fruit or veggie snack for every month. For example, parents may be asked to bring watermelon, apples, lettuce or carrots for the class.

4. Plant a garden at your childcare center.  Children enjoy growing their own fresh fruits, vegetables, herbs and flowers to have fun and learn, grow their own snacks, and provide treats for their families to taste.

How does it work?

Seeds are both provided by parents and bought from stores. Children can determine the types of seeds they want to plant.

How can we start doing this?

• Children can start growing seeds from containers to study them and observe how they grow. Some centers choose to hire a landscaper to build the garden space. This can also be done by parent volunteers if there is a plan for the garden. 
• Use plants that are easy to grow from seeds: Sunflowers, basil, cherry tomatoes, pumpkins, carrots, and lettuce.
• More examples of what they have grown: Lemon Cucumbers, Green Beans, Peas, Bell Peppers, Jalapeños, Tomatoes, Watermelons, Basil, Marigolds. 

The garden is a “learning experience, where children learn to take care of living things and have buy-in to the food they eat.” —Shawna, Bright Horizons at the Raleigh Corporate Center.

5. Educate staff, teachers, and parents about your work to provide healthy, organic food to their kids! Both Bright Horizons and Country Sunshine use a regular email newsletter to keep parents updated about menus, volunteer opportunities, and gardening (along with all the other important news from their centers).

You can publish announcements and seek parent support through your child care center newsletter, at parent meetings, etc.

Share information about organic food with parents so they get involved with what you are doing. Eat Local, Eat Pesticide Free! and Organic on a Budget are two great starter fact sheets from Toxic Free NC that can help.

Acknowledgements
Many thanks to Shawna of Bright Horizons at the Raleigh Corporate Center and Jan of Country Sunshine Children’s Center for allowing us to share the great information they provided for this article!

Jennifer Li is passionate about advocating for improved health in communities. After interning at the Museum of Life and Science last summer to promote healthy living, she was excited to build on her experience to make a difference in improving environmental health with Toxic Free NC.

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Did you find this article helpful? Approximately once a month, Toxic Free NC volunteers or staff write a newsletter-ready article, focusing on children's environmental health, that we send to child care centers across North Carolina.



These articles contain helpful tips on ways child care centers, staff, and the children's parents can reduce kids' exposures to toxic chemicals and pesticides...we also think they're great for using in your home, too!  We hope you find the article useful and feel free to share.



If you would like any of the past articles, please email Lynne Walter for copies or to be added to our Child Care News list.  Examples of past articles include:
    •    Having Fun in the Sun: Avoiding Sunburn, Skin Cancer, and Toxic Chemicals, too
    •    Toxic-Free Gardening with Kids: 5 Tips for Gardeners at Home, School, & Child Care on Getting Rid of Bugs Safely
    •    Round Up Your Weeds Without Toxic Chemicals!
    •    Get Pesticides Out of Your Kids' Classrooms: It's Easier than You Think!
    •    Mosquito Management in Child Care

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Text and Photo, Copyright 2013 by Toxic Free NC.  NC Child Care centers have permission to use text and photo for educational purposes with their parents and staff, provided full credit is given to Toxic Free NC.

Buzz Off! Protecting Kids from Pesticides

By Kate Watkins, former volunteer

Nobody likes pests, and nobody likes being exposed to toxic pesticides.  So how do we prevent pests and keep ourselves safe?  Integrated Pest Management (IPM)!

If you haven’t heard much about Integrated Pest Management, or IPM, don’t worry! IPM is an easy and toxic-free approach to pest control that dramatically reduces chemical pollution by emphasizing prevention through sanitation, maintenance, and monitoring of pest prone areas in schools, child care centers, and even in the home.
IPM costs less than many conventional pest control programs, and is often more effective than

Safer, least-toxic ingredients you can use to prevent pests!

spraying toxic pesticides. To utilize IPM, child care center staff, directors, and parents need to be educated on how they can participate. Monitoring of the grounds must be done frequently to catch potential pest problems before they begin, and preventative actions must be taken, including proper sanitation, proper waste disposal, structural maintenance, and good soil health. These steps can be as simple as installing weather stripping and door sweeps to prevent pests from entering your child care center and home; putting cereal and sugar in airtight, glass or plastic containers; repairing leaky pipes; and making sure all garbage cans lock securely.

If pest problems do break out despite these measures, the least-toxic and lowest-risk pesticides should be used to eliminate the problem, such as baits and traps. In these cases, parents must be notified about the pesticides being used and records of pest activity and management must be kept to comply with regulations and to integrate IPM into the responsibilities of current and future staff. Using these steps can help spread awareness about toxic pesticides and may greatly reduce their usage.

Integrated Pest Management is also something we can each practice in our homes, as well—feel free to use these steps and information in your house and share with friends and family!

To help people implement IPM, Toxic Free North Carolina offers free training to child care centers, for which attendees receive four contact hours from the NC Division of Child Development and Early Education...also for free!  If you are interested in hosting an IPM training for your staff, please contact Lynne Walter at Toxic Free NC at (919) 833-1123 or lynne@toxicfreenc.org.

Kate Watkins is a student, nanny, dancer, and she was a volunteer for Toxic Free NC.

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Did you find this article helpful? Approximately once a month, Toxic Free NC volunteers or staff write a newsletter-ready article, focusing on children's environmental health, that we send to child care centers across North Carolina. 

These articles contain helpful tips on ways child care centers, staff, and the children's parents can reduce kids' exposures to toxic chemicals and pesticides...we also think they're great for using in your home, too!  We hope you find the article useful and feel free to share. 

If you would like any of the past articles, please email Lynne Walter for copies or to be added to our Child Care News list.  Examples of past articles include:

• Having Fun in the Sun: Avoiding Sunburn, Skin Cancer, and Toxic Chemicals, too 
• Toxic-Free Gardening with Kids: 5 Tips for Gardeners at Home, School, & Child Care on Getting Rid of Bugs Safely
• Insect Repellent and Kid Safety
• Get Pesticides Out of Your Kids' Classrooms: It's Easier than You Think!
• Mosquito Management in Child Care

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Text and photo, Copyright 2013 by Toxic Free NC.  NC Child Care centers have permission to use text and photo for educational purposes with their parents and staff, provided full credit is given to Toxic Free NC.

The Ants Go Marching: Avoid and Control Ants!

By Jennifer Li, Children's Environmental Health Writing Intern for Toxic Free NC

Ants are an important part of the natural environment.  They feed on pests like fleas, flies, and termites, and their tunneling helps aerate the soil and recycle organic matter.  However, ants can also be common household pests, and dealing with them can be a headache.  The key to avoiding these pests is to understand your options.  Fortunately, there are many toxic-free and environmentally friendly methods that can be used to stop an ant problem!  These non-toxic methods are safer and are effective for longer periods of time.

Ants want to get in our homes and child care centers in order to find food.  Follow these three important steps to keep ants out:
1. Remove food.
* Use ant-proof glass or plastic containers with tight-fitting lids to store food (including pet food).  Glass jars should have a rubber gasket or seal. Ants can climb up the threads of screw-top jars!  Dry goods like flour, rice, and sugar can also be stored in containers in the refrigerator or freezer.
* Clean up daily, especially kitchen floors, cabinets, and underneath appliances.
* Ant-proof your trash.  Make sure the food waste in your garbage can doesn’t stick around—Clean it out! Rinse out empty food containers before you throw them away or recycle them.  Don’t leave food scraps in the garbage overnight.  Take out the trash often.

2. Remove entryways.  Seal up cracks and crevices that give ants a way in to your child care centers and homes.  Use caulk to seal the cracks between walls and floors, around windows and doorframes, and around cupboards and bathroom fixtures.  You might also install door sweeps and weather stripping to prevent ants from slipping in under the doors.

3. Remove outdoor ant hiding places.  Avoid attracting carpenter ants by removing any piles of wood from under or around your home. Diseased plants, tree prunings, fallen fruit, and fallen leaves can also make great hiding places for ants!

Photo by D. Sharon Pruitt via Flickr

So, you’ve done all you can to keep the ants out.  But, what do you do when you’ve got ants in your home and need to control them?  The first step is to locate their nest and their path from their nest to their food source, since ants follow a regular trail.  The last step to deal with these ants involves either killing or repelling them, and several non-toxic methods to do so are included below.  Make sure you keep up the ant prevention steps described above!  Even if ants are repelled, they may find another path to their food source.  Even if ants are exterminated, another ant colony may show up and discover the food source later.

Getting Rid of Ants
1. Soapy water.  Drown ants marching through your home by wiping them up with a sponge and dunking them in soapy water.  Also, wipe up the trail they leave behind—that way, their buddies won’t be able to find their way inside again.
2. Pet food barrier.  Ants cannot cross soapy water.  You can create a barrier by putting your pet’s food dish in the middle of a pan of soapy water.
3. Borax ant-bait.  Borax is a low-toxicity laundry powder that kills ants.  Borax does not vaporize into gas, so it is safer to handle than many household pesticide products.
       Recipe for Ant Bait 
       * 3 cups of water
       * 1 cup of sugar
       * 4 teaspoons of Borax

Mix ingredients and divide the mixture between 3–6 screw-top glass jars.  Loosely pack the jars halfway with cotton balls or other cotton stuffing.  Screw the lids on tightly and seal with tape.  Then, poke a few holes in the top of the jars, and place them near points of ant entry and along their trails. Mark the jars clearly as ANT BAIT and be sure to put them where pets and children cannot reach them.

If you work with large amounts of Borax, inhaling the powder can be irritating—wearing a mask is helpful!  As with all potentially hazardous materials, store Borax and boric acid out of the reach of children and pets.

4. Conserve outdoor ant nests. While ants are a pest when they come inside, they are important allies in your garden.  Native ant colonies eat lots of pest species like fleas and termites and aerate the soil.  Did you know that they also fight off fire ants?  Keep the outdoor ants happy by leaving their nests undisturbed.

If you have fire ant mounds, be very careful!  Fire ants are notorious for their bites and stings.  Keep a lookout for their mounds, which look like hills of loosened soil.  Marking them with flags or sticks will help others from accidentally disturbing them.  When dealing with fire ants, BE CAREFUL and wear shoes and socks rolled over long pants.

You can learn more about how to deal with fire ants at http://www.toxicfreenc.org/informed/fall08/fireants.html

Inside your house, ants are annoying little pests.  If you follow the steps above, you’ll be able to keep them where they belong—doing their important work in the great outdoors!
 

Jennifer Li is passionate about advocating for improved health in communities. After interning at the Museum of Life and Science last summer to promote healthy living, she is excited to build on her experience to make a difference in improving environmental health with Toxic Free NC.

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Did you find this article helpful? Approximately once a month, Toxic Free NC volunteers or staff write a newsletter-ready article, focusing on children's environmental health, that we send to child care centers across North Carolina.

These articles contain helpful tips on ways child care centers, staff, and the children's parents can reduce kids' exposures to toxic chemicals and pesticides...we also think they're great for using in your home, too!  We hope you find the article useful and feel free to share.

If you would like any of the past articles, please email Lynne Walter for copies or to be added to our Child Care News list.  Examples of past articles include:

• Having Fun in the Sun: Avoiding Sunburn, Skin Cancer, and Toxic Chemicals, too
• Toxic-Free Gardening with Kids: 5 Tips for Gardeners at Home, School, & Child Care on Getting Rid of Bugs Safely
• Insect Repellent and Kid Safety
• Get Pesticides Out of Your Kids' Classrooms: It's Easier than You Think!
• Mosquito Management in Child Care

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Resources
* Get Rid of Ants Toxic NC Factsheet: http://toxicfreenc.org/informed/pdfs/ants.pdf
* The ABCs of Coping with Fire Ants Toxic NC Factsheet: http://toxicfreenc.org/informed/pdfs/fireantssheet.pdf
* EPA Pest Control and Pesticide Safety Guide: http://www.epa.gov/oppfead1/Publications/Cit_Guide/citguide.pdf

Text Copyright 2013 by Toxic Free NC.  NC Child Care centers have permission to use text for educational purposes with their parents and staff, provided full credit is given to Toxic Free NC www.toxicfreenc.org