The Iowa Department of Education is offering grant funding to assist public school districts and child care centers with testing and reducing lead in their drinking water.
The Water Infrastructure Improvement in the Nation (WIIN) Lead Testing in School and Child Care Program Drinking Water Grant provides an opportunity for schools and child care centers to bring awareness to water quality through voluntary testing, communication and education. Schools and child care programs that participate in the grant will receive access to training and technical assistance for implementation.
Grant funding can be used for the implementation of testing water for lead, retesting of structures if lead levels are above the state and federal action levels and additional education resources.
Priority consideration will be provided for public schools and child care centers that serve children under the age of 6, were built before 1985 and have 50 percent or more students who qualify for free and reduced-price meals. Any public school or child care center outside of these parameters can apply on a first-come, first-served basis. In-home child care providers are not eligible for the grant program.
The application period for the grant will remain open while funding is available. To participate, schools and child care centers are also required to complete training modules within Iowa Learning Online Professional Development.
Funding for the WIIN Lead Testing in School and Child Care Program Drinking Water Grant was awarded to the Department by the Environmental Protection Agency and promotes a whole-child approach to supporting healthy and safe learning environments. The Department’s efforts are supported through partnership with the State Hygienic Laboratory, Iowa Department of Natural Resources and Iowa Department of Health and Human Services.
For more information on the grant application and training modules, contact Lyn Jenkins, administrative consultant, at [email protected].
For more information on lead in children, visit the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services’ Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program.