In the News
OPHI on KATU2 ABC: Transforming Child Care Centers for Climate Resilience
Right from the Start, an initiative of the Oregon Public Health Institute (OPHI), is renovating in-home child care centers to ensure they offer better protection from extreme heat, wildfire smoke and other unhealthy climate-driven conditions. Experts with OPHI, a program of the Public Health Institute, spoke with KATU2 ABC Portland about how the program is investing in childhood health.
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Focus Areas
Environmental Health, Healthy Communities -
Issues
Climate Change, Community Development, Wildfires & Extreme Heat -
Expertise
Public-Private Partnerships
As part of an initiative to improve protections for children in daycare and preschools, Oregon Public Health Institute‘s (OPHI) Right from the Start program is renovating in-home child care centers, improving ventilation and increasing filtration of wildfire smoke and other pollutants. These updates improve air quality, and better protect children during a critical development period.
With support from the Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund, Right from the Start conducts home energy audits to participants with income-eligibility. Once the necessary updates are determined, the program funds the renovations, investing in small business and family caretakers across Portland.
OPHI’s Executive Director Emily Henke spoke with KATU2 ABC News about the initiative, and how this public/private partnership is investing in children’s health now and in the future.
A single investment is going to benefit not just those 170 kids who are there now, but children who will move through child care as other kids grow up and open up spaces. You can see how 170 next year maybe becomes 250. Maybe the year after that it becomes 350.Emily Henke
Executive Director, Oregon Public Health Institute
In addition to the health benefits, these upgrades have been shown to reduce energy costs and increase community climate resilience. The program has currently renovated twelve homes in the Portland region, with OPHI working to secure funding for 50 additional homes in coming years.
“I would love to see every child care home in Portland have clean air, cool space in the summer, warm space in the winter and be a place where parents and families know that their kids are going to be safe and healthy,” Henke told KATU2 ABC News Portland. “We’re not worried about running out of homes. We’re worried about running out of money to meet the demand.”
Watch the interview:
Originally published by KATU2 ABC News
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