About Us
The GreenCare for Children program is designed to help child care providers and parents create a setting free of identified environmental hazards that may lead to chronic and life threatening diseases. (Health Impacts of Identified Hazards – PDF)
The GreenCare Pledge worksheet and website was developed by Phil Boise and Sharyn Main with a grant from the James S. Bower Foundation, and currently operates under the 501(c)3 non-profit umbrella of Storyteller Children’s Center, Inc.
Our goal is to help early care and education providers create a setting free from health hazards such as pesticides, toxic chemicals and asthma triggers than can harm children and the environment. (GreenCare for Children English Brochure - PDF, GreenCare Folleto - Espanol - PDF)
We believe early care and education providers are uniquely positioned to promote a healthier environment for children and provide stewardship that will positively influence conditions in the home and other public settings. (Hypothesis - PDF)
The GreenCare for Children Vision:
- Children will live healthier, more productive and more fulfilling lives if exposures to conditions detrimental to their health are eliminated in the child care, home, and public settings.
- Exposure to these conditions will be eliminated willingly by early care and education providers through clear, accurate and useful information, and through systematic support from all sectors of the child care community.
- Early care and education providers are uniquely positioned to promote healthier environments for children, and their stewardship will positively influence conditions in the home and public setting.
History of the Project:
The GreenCare for Children program began in 2002 as a project of the Community Environmental Council of Santa Barbara, California. In 2003 and 2004 GreenCare surveyed 748 regional early care and education providers to determine if there was a potential for exposure to environmental hazards in the child care setting; to identify information gaps in risk management; and to measure interest in environmental risk management training. The survey report was published in 2004.
Read Survey (downloads: Brief Survey Report, Full Survey Report) | View website
The survey demonstrated that there was indeed interest and a tremendous need for child care programs to have clear environmental standards in order to reduce environmental hazards at their facilities. The development and implementation phase of this project began in 2008 with grant funding from the James S. Bower Foundation.
GreenCare for Children Advisory Committee:
The GreenCare for Children program has worked closely with a diverse group of experts in the early care and education and the health fields to identify the most important things you can do to protect the children in your care, and to create a program that is easy to understand and adopt.
Phil Boise, Director
Holly Goldberg, PhD(c), Program Manager
Terri Allison, Executive Director
Storyteller Children’s Center, Inc.
Santa Barbara
Donna Beal, MPH, CHES,
Asthma and Air Quality Specialist
Asa Bradman, PhD, MS
Center for Children‘s Environmental Health Research
School of Public Health/UC Berkeley
Flo Furuike, Commissioner
First 5 Santa Barbara County
Mattie Gadsby, Director of Children’s Services
Community Action Commission
Santa Barbara County
Vickie Leonard, RN, FNP, PhD
Child Care Health Consultant & Healthline Nurse
California Childcare Health Program
Kirsten Liske, Vice President
Pollution Prevention/Zero Waste
Ecology Action Santa Cruz
Belinda Messenger, PhD
Child Care IPM Program: Growing Up Green
Cal/EPA Dept. of Pesticide Regulation
LuAnn Miller, Executive Director
Isla Vista Youth Projects, Inc.
Santa Barbara County
Eileen Monahan, Manager
Early Care and Education Division
First 5 Santa Barbara County
Erika Ronchietto, Owner/Administrator
The Learningden Preschool
Susie West, Child Care Provider
Santa Barbara Family Child Care Association
In memoriam
Our Alliances
California Childcare Health Program
California Department of Social Services, Child Care Program Office
Center for Children's Environmental Health Research, School of Public Health/UC Berkeley
Child Care IPM Program: Growing Up Green, Cal/EPA Department of Pesticide Regulations
Isla Vista Youth Projects, Inc.
Pollution Prevention/Zero Waste, Ecology Action Santa Cruz
Santa Barbara Child Care Planning Council
Santa Barbara Family Care Center
Santa Barbara Family Child Care Association
Santa Barbara Hispanic Family Child Care Association