10 kids ingested windshield wiper fluid at a daycare in Little Rock, AR. The kids, aged 2-7, each had about one ounce of the fluid.  One child had a high blood level of methanol, which can cause blindness.

Mmm.  Delicious florescent drinks. This is what happens when electric blue kids’ beverages look just like poisons.

But no, really: how did this happen?

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Many daycare and child-care centers around the U.S. are embracing eco-friendly ways, and it’s not a day too soon. That’s why we’re building a huge directory of eco-friendly child care centers around the country. We have over 120 listed so far and we’re adding more every day. Check them out! And if you know of one you’d like to add, please send us an email to feedback@lowimpactliving.com.

The State of Oregon’s Environmental Council has taken a pioneering role in certifying child-care centers with their Eco-Healthy Child Care program.  Child care facilities qualify as “Eco-Healthy” by completing a 25-element checklist that highlights 25 steps facilities can take to ensure a safe place for children. Eco-healthy child care centers commit to reducing a child’s exposure to toxins and other environmental health hazards.

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I have always enjoyed the children’s books written by Mem Fox. Time for Bed is one of my favorites, and I respect her ideals on peace.  She has written beautiful poetry on tolerance, and she is an advocate for young children. Earlier this month, Mem Fox shocked parents by stating that daycare for young infants is a form of child abuse:

I just tremble, I don’t know why some people have children at all if they know that they can only take a few weeks off work.  I know you want a child, and you have every right to want a child, but does the child want you if you are going to put it in childcare at six weeks?  I don’t think the child wants you, to tell the honest truth. I know that’s incredibly controversial.  We’re going to look back on this time from the late ’90s onwards - with putting children in childcare so early in their first year of life for such long hours - and wonder how we have allowed that child abuse to happen.  It’s just awful. It’s awful for the mothers as well. It’s completely heartbreaking.  You actually have to say to yourself, ‘If I have to work this hard and if I’m never going to see my kid and if they are going to have a tremendous stress in childcare, should I be doing it?

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Young children are especially susceptible to the negative effects of modern life, including indoor air quality and heavy metal exposure, such as lead. Many eco-living families feel like they have to sacrifice some of their green morals when placing their children in daycare or preschool. These families do the best they can by packing their children organic snacks, but there is little they can do about other aspects of the program. Now, parents in Atlanta, Georgia will have a choice to enroll their children in the first completely eco-friendly child care center FIO360.

What makes a child care facility eco-friendly? According to FIO360,

• Solar tubing to conserve energy and provide natural daylight throughout the facility;

• Radiant, heated floors in all classrooms-proven to reduce energy costs, enhance air quality and improve circulation, which contributes to a stronger immune system, a healthier heart and better sleep;

• Activclassroom whiteboard technology and software informed by teachers to foster an interactive learning environment that keeps students engaged, focused and enthusiastic;

• Streaming video capabilities in each classroom for parents who want to periodically join in on their children’s learning and play experiences throughout the day;

• Waterless urinals and sensor-activated faucets in all lavatories to preserve water;’

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