TERRE HAUTE — Eleven Indiana child care facilities have boosted their efforts to protect children from environmental threats. Among them is Tender Moments Playhouse, a facility in Terre Haute that received five stars.

As members of the Indiana Department of Environmental Management’s Five Star Environmental Recognition Program for Child Care Providers, these providers excel in their efforts to offer environmental conditions in their facilities that exceed minimum requirements.

“Children under the age of 6 are our most vulnerable population,” said IDEM Commissioner Thomas Easterly. “Participants in IDEM’s Five Star program deserve recognition for exceeding expectations to minimize children’s exposure to harmful contaminants. Any family considering their child care options should definitely consider these facilities first.”

Canada's $44 billion renovation industry has been the fastest growing part of the housing sector for the last 10 years, but it is risking the health of those living in the houses under construction -- particularly children -- says a report by the Canadian Environmental Law Association (CELA).

Renovation activities including energy retrofits, if not done carefully, can greatly increase indoor contaminant exposures, says the report. Renovations may disturb toxic contaminants such as lead, asbestos or polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) that are legacies of past product uses and practices. Air sealing or tightening a building can reduce the frequency of air exchange and potentially lead to higher radon levels in indoor air, as well as moisture and mould problems.

I have a very active fantasy life. Before you start snickering, let me just tell you that my imaginings are more along the lines of Mary in In Plain Sight or Madonna in "Express Yourself" rather than Linda Lovelace in Deep Throat. Anyway, over the last few months, my daydreams have become extremely mundane. I fantasize about what sports my son will play when he's older (Gabe is just a year old) or how he'll make me laugh when he's in the second grade and thinks Martin Luther King Jr. was a real king like I once did, or even how I'll foil his attempts to sneak out of the house when he's a teenager. I tell you this not to make you gag, but to communicate how much I love my son. He's the absolute center of my world—my past, present, and future. And I also tell you this because I know that's how most people love their children—WITH every fiber of their being.

Although most U.S. children under age six spend up to 40 hours a week in child care settings, little has been done to protect young children from environmental health hazards like radon in child care and preschools. The Children’s Environmental Health Network (CEHN) is a national, multidisciplinary, non-profit organization whose mission is to protect the fetus and the child from environmental hazards and promote a healthy environment by focusing on the areas of research, policy, and education. Recognizing preschools and child care settings as a missed opportunity to address children’s environmental health. In response, CEHN launched the Georgia Healthy Environments for Child Care Facilities and Preschools (HECCP) program in 2006.