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 public schools meet program requirements. The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (DPI) 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 choose whether to restrict access to or mitigate any hazards, with full reimbursement for child care center areas in public schools 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 for the child care portion of your school and enroll the remainder of your school for water testing.
What if my facility has already been inspected for lead-based paint and/or asbestos?
You still need to enroll and submit documentation of the prior inspection to meet the rule requirements. An on-site visit will be required if no documentation is provided, if your facility’s prior inspection was not completed within the past 3 years, or if the prior inspection does not meet the rule requirements per NC 10A NCAC 41C.1001-1007.
Are new facilities exempt from the testing and inspection requirements?
All facilities must enroll in the program and test for lead in water regardless of when the buildings were built. Facilities built after 1978 will be prompted to submit the required building age exemption documentation to be exempt from a lead-based paint assessment. Facilities built after 1988 will be prompted to submit the required building age exemption documentation to be exempt from an asbestos inspection.
What if my school has a licensed child care center (pre-K, Head Start, and/or afterschool program)?
Your associated center will receive an enrollment email from the North Carolina Department of Child Development and Early Education at a similar time. It is important to work with your center counterparts during program participation as follows:
- 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 center to ensure that child care center taps used for drinking and cooking are correctly labeled, and you can select which taps are used child care in the enrollment survey. The school is enrolling and collecting samples to avoid duplicating enrollment, sampling efforts, and on-site mitigation visits, as needed.
- For lead-based paint and asbestos, child care centers will enroll their areas separately from the school because they 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?
The pre-enrollment webinar will overview the program process and we will be able to answer your remaining questions or comments live after the presentation. If you need to connect with us before then, contact us at https://www.cleanwaterforuskids.org/carolina/contact/ or give us a call, voicemail, or text at 1-888-997-9290.