CCCK_Information_for_Child_Care

Who is running this program?

The State of North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NC DHHS) and RTI International, a nonprofit research institute, are partnering to help child care facilities meet program requirements. The North Carolina Division of Child Development and Early Education (DCDEE) is acting as a liaison throughout the program. Program funding lasts until Nov. 30, 2026.

Why is this important?

Exposure to lead and asbestos is a public health concern. Lead is a toxic metal with no safe level of exposure. Even at low levels of exposure, lead is associated with lifelong behavioral and cognitive deficits. Lead may be present in indoor environments including plumbing, faucet fixtures and solder, paint, dust and soil. Asbestos is a known cancer-causing agent and there is no documented safe level of asbestos exposure. Asbestos was commonly used in various building materials. When safely managed, these materials do not present a hazard.

If a hazard is identified, what happens?

The program will provide results and recommendations for mitigating hazards if any are found. Each program section operates differently. For lead in water, drinking and food preparation taps exceeding the state action level will receive free fixture replacement and certified filter installation, as needed. For lead-based paint or asbestos hazards, facilities will choose whether to restrict access to or mitigate any hazards, with full reimbursement available for child care centers and up to 2/3 reimbursement for public schools. Learn more about reimbursement for hazard mitigation activities here.

What if I already participated in Clean Water for Carolina Kids?

Child care center water testing is required every 3 years, so it is time to retest again to meet requirements. If you’ve already participated in the second round of water testing through the Clean Water for Carolina Kids program, you still need to have your facility assessed for lead-based paint and asbestos and should sign up for the pre-enrollment webinar to learn how.

What if my center is located within a school?

Your associated school will receive an enrollment email from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction at a similar time. It is important to work with your public school counterparts during program participation as follows:

1) For water testing and mitigation, the school will enroll all taps including those serving child care portions of the school facility. You should work with the school to ensure that your child care center taps used for drinking and cooking are correctly labeled, and the school can select which taps you use for child care in their enrollment survey. The school is enrolling and collecting samples to avoid duplicating enrollment, sampling efforts, and on-site mitigation visits, as needed.

2) For lead-based paint and asbestos, even if you are located in a school, the child care center should enroll separately because you are eligible for 100% reimbursement for lead-based paint and asbestos mitigation if needed, while the school portion of your facility is only eligible for 2/3 reimbursement. Additionally, although in the same building, schools and child care centers may have different on-site visit requirements. When possible, on-site visits will be performed together for the school and child care center.

Remaining questions?