Toxic Free Kids

Toxic Free NC is the only state-certified provider of Integrated Pest Management training for childcare staff and directors. Learn how to use less toxic methods of pest control to effectively and efficiently manage pests. We provide the tools you need to get started!

Want to sign up for an IPM training at your child care center? Email a request to info@toxicfreenc.org today!

Protecting Children & Families from Harmful Exposures

The Toxic Free Kids program aims to reduce children’s exposure to pesticides and other toxic chemicals in the environments where they live, learn, and play.

We accomplish this through Integrated Pest Management training for childcare centers, Toxic Free on a Budget DIY workshops, community education, and presentations on children’s environmental health topics for groups of all ages.

Children are among the most vulnerable to exposure and long-term health impacts from toxic chemicals because they:

• Eat, drink, and breathe more pound-for-pound adults. Children metabolize faster because they’re growing at a significantly higher rate than other age groups.
• Love to explore! Young children are naturally curious. As a part of their mental and physical development, they learn by by touching surfaces and putting things in their mouths.
• Live low, where pesticide residues linger. Children play and crawl near the ground, where chemical sprays persist for days.
• Have less developed immune and nervous systems than adults. While growing, young children are more susceptible to the adverse effects of exposure to toxins.

Did You Know?

The 2006 Schoolchildren’s Health Act (SCHA) protects K-12 children from exposure to toxicants by mandating that all school districts and 148 charter schools adopt Integrated Pest Management (IPM), a safe and strategic alternative to the scheduled spraying of toxic pesticides.

But IPM in private childcare facilities? Not required—YET.

Toxic Free NC addresses this gap, as the only state-licensed provider of a pest-management training for childcare educators offering tools and resources to reduce toxic chemicals used in these facilities. Sign up for a training at your center today!

We Advocate for Safer Chemical Policies

Toxic Free NC watchdogs children’s health legislation and works with state legislators on safer chemical policies. Many states have already expanded their pesticide regulation to include child care facilities. Let’s be a part of this diverse group of states from California to West Virginia that all recognize the importance of children’s environmental health!

Sign up for our Action Alerts for advocacy news and opportunities to support safer chemical policies that protect children.