Healthy and Sustainable Child Care Environments: A Vision for Canada – A Future for Our Children
Helen Doyle
Canadian Partnership for Children’s Health and Environment (CPCHE)
In collaboration with multiple organizations and sectors, and to mark Healthy Environments for Learning Day, the Canadian Partnership for Children’s Health and Environment (CPCHE), updated the Healthy and Sustainable Child Care Checklist and released a Vision for Healthy and Sustainable Child Care Environments in Canada. The updated checklist builds on the original 2010 version – a collaboration between CPCHE, CIPHI-Ontario and ASPHIO, by recognizing the urgent need for climate action and the importance of access to nature for children’s health and well-being. The relevance and timeliness of this checklist in addressing environmental health and sustainability in child care programs was amplified by the findings of a 2022 survey conducted by CPCHE, the Canadian Child Care Federation and researchers from the University of Ottawa. The survey received overwhelming response from over 2,000 child care professionals who expressed concern about risks to children’s health and well-being posed by air pollution, toxic chemicals in products, lack of access to nature and climate change.
