The Healthy Schools and Childcare Program Educational Videos

The concept of healthy school environments is not a new one; however, it has taken on greater importance with the COVID-19 pandemic. This video focuses on healthy school environments which should be a right of all students and staff that routinely spend time in early childhood and K-12 facilities, but due to expanded educational responsibilities, aging facilities, and deferred maintenance of these facilities both environmental health and safety issues may occur. 

While schools can be impacted by colds, flu, and other community-spread infections, the number one cause of school absenteeism is asthma. Since asthma is an “environmental” disease, things routinely found in school environments (such as: poor ventilation, carpeted and upholstered surfaces, chemicals and fragranced products, pests and classroom pets, damp, or humid conditions, etc.) can trigger symptoms in those with asthma or others with respiratory sensitivities.

One of the first steps in making your schools safer and healthier is to assess and record what conditions exist and whether there’s the potential for these conditions to negatively impact occupant health. There are a variety of health and facility condition assessment tools available from both Federal and State agencies, many of which will be discussed in this video.

Getting started on improving IEQ is often the most challenging part of any process, but it can also be the most exciting and is described in this video.

Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) are key systems in a building and the basis of any healthy environment. It is even more important in a classroom, where children and a teacher are spending a majority of their day.

Routine cleaning of surfaces that exist in each classroom is a key component of maintaining a healthy environment for students and staff. 

The primary focus of this video is moisture control. If any moisture issues are identified, resolved, and the wetted areas dried within 48 hours, there should never be a mold concern in your buildings. 

This video considers things that are in each space, with surfaces, finishes, and some furnishings being provided by the district, while other items and contents are introduced into spaces by staff. 

The focus of this video is overall safety and reducing or eliminating conditions that may cause injuries to occupants.

The presence of pests (both insects and rodents) can be common in some schools and are most often a result of the availability of food and water sources throughout a school. This became a significant issue during the COVID-19 pandemic. To mitigate the spread of the virus and reduce possible exposures, schools moved away from eating in group settings and began eating in classrooms to fit this cohort model. 

This video focuses on the learning and working environment and simply evaluates whether there is enough lighting for routine tasks and whether or not there is noise present and that it may exist at levels that disrupt activities in a space.

There are so many “hidden” areas in and around schools that can impact conditions, and ultimately learning. This video identifies some of these hidden areas, how they impact the environment, and things to consider when addressing these areas.