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Childcare Providers in Latino Community Collaborate to Reduce Pesticide Use
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – A new Penn State collaborative will help Latino childcare providers serving the Latino community in Philadelphia better manage pests in their childcare programs and reduce the use of pesticides and their associated risks to children.
Inner-city residents are especially at risk for developing asthma and other health problems from multiple sources of environmental pollutants and toxins. Recent studies indicate both pests and pesticides can cause and aggravate asthma and other health issues, especially in children. In Philadelphia, health statistics show that the Latino population suffers the highest level of asthma incidence in the city.
According to Lyn Garling, project coordinator and manager of programs for the Pennsylvania IPM program, the project will rely heavily on developing targeted training materials about IPM in Spanish. IPM, or integrated pest management, is a safe, effective, and scientific approach to managing pests. IPM uses knowledge of pests’ habits and needs to help implement pest prevention tactics as a first line of defense. Pesticides are used as a last resort, and only pesticide products that pose the least-toxic, least risk of exposure to residents are chosen.
“The Spanish-speaking population in the United States is growing by12 percent per year, according to recent census data. In Philadelphia, this trend also holds true,” says Garling. “The Mexican community in particular is growing rapidly and the population is proportionally young, with many children living in substandard housing conditions in low-income households.”
Garling says these types of living conditions are conducive to high pest infestations and Latino children are at risk for pest and pesticide related health problems. “Asthma can be caused or aggravated by pests and pesticides, with young children under five being the most at-risk. Despite this, very few IPM resources and outreach efforts have been developed for Spanish-speaking urban populations.”
PA IPM’s Philadelphia School and Community IPM Partnership (PSCIP) is looking to change that by building upon the group’s IPM outreach efforts through the Penn State Philadelphia Outreach Center. Through a partnership with The Preschool Project in Philadelphia, the group is spreading the IPM message to Latino families through daycares in targeted Philadelphia neighborhoods.
"We are happy to partner with PSCIP to protect the health of young children. IPM is an area that has not yet been addressed in the early care and education community,” explained Anne Rahn, executive director of The Preschool Project. "Pest infestations can cause or aggravate many preventable health issues but so can the use of toxic chemicals. This program will provide tools, educational materials and programs that will encourage the use of safe pest control practices in diverse communities throughout Philadelphia."
The group is currently developing IPM training modules in Spanish for community educators and childcare providers serving the Latino community. By developing culturally appropriate outreach materials to reach the wider community, Garling says they will be able to increase the capacity of early care educators and caregivers to implement and teach about IPM and pesticide safety practices. “We’ll also educate participants about removing pesticides from the proximity of children in assessed sites, and propose changes in pesticide and pest management protocols in participating programs. Materials we produce will be transferable to Latino populations and educators across the city as well as the entire the country,” she says.
For more information on PSCIP, including meeting minutes, partners in the initiative, and current and future activities, visit Web site http://www.pscip.org/. Or, you may contact Michelle Niedermeier at the Penn State Philadelphia Outreach Center, phone (215) 471-2200, ext. 109, or e-mail mxn14@psu.edu.
The Preschool Project offers training, education and technical assistance for early care and education professionals working with young children as well as direct service programs for children and families through bilingual Head Start and other childcare programs. For more information, contact them at (267) 322-3400, ext 226.
The Pennsylvania IPM program is a collaboration between the Pennsylvania State University and the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture aimed at promoting integrated pest management in both agricultural and urban settings. For more information, contact the program at (814) 865-2839, or Web site http://www.paipm.org/. To view our archived news releases, see Web site http://paipm.cas.psu.edu/10.htm.