North Carolina Department of Health & Human Services

Description:this Action Approves an Award in the Amount of $1,284,000.00 to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (ncdhhs). the Programs Include Head Start, Pre-kindergarten Programs in Elementary Schools, Licensed Child Care Centers, and Family Child Care Homes. It Includes Prioritized Testing for Underserved And/or Low-income Communities to Implement a Program of Voluntary Testing for Lead in Drinking Water at Local Schools and Child Care Centers. Specifically, the Recipient Will, Use Epa's 3TS (training, Testing, and Taking Action) Process to Conduct Training, Establish Testing Protocols, and Use the Resulting Data to Build a Lead Exposure Reduction Plan That Serves Child Care Organizations in the Future. Activities:the Activities Include Collecting, Testing, Analyzing, and Reporting Results of Lead Levels in Drinking Water. This Award Enables Ncdhhs to Communicate Opportunity for Child Care Centers in Vulnerable Communities to Participate in Lead Exposure Studies. Collected Samples Will Be Tested for Lead and Analyzed for Each Child Care Center and Participant Data Will Be Entered Into a Web Data Management Platform and Used to Create Remediation Plans.subrecipient:research Triangle Institute International (RTI) Subaward to Conduct Lead Testing in Child Care Centers and Homesoutcomes:the Anticipated Deliverables Include: Communication and Education About the Risks of Lead in Drinking and Cooking Water, the Importance of Testing, and How to Do It Using the Epa's 3TS for Reducing Lead in Drinking Water Guidance Paired With the North Carolina Child Care Sanitation Rule .2816; Implementation of a Robust Training Strategy Focused on Participatory Science and State Partnerships That Enables Lead Testing in Early Childhood Education to Become Routine and Effective for the Future; Funding for the Testing of Drinking and Cooking Water for Head Start Pre-kindergarten Programs in Elementary Schools, Child Care Centers, and Family Child Care Homes; Prioritization of Testing to Target Vulnerable Communities and Populations: Providing Results Publicly Online for Transparency; Establishing Routine Practices Such as Those Outlined in the 3TS Guidance and a Well-established Lead Testing Program Under the Initiative. the Expected Outcomes Include: Reduction of Children's Exposure to Lead in Drinking Water and Quality Improvement in Drinking and Cooking Water. the Intended Beneficiaries of This Award Are the Citizens of the State of North Carolina.