The purpose of this project is to put safe drinking water in schools and child-care centers on par with other foods and beverages regulated by nutrition policies. The study will compile drinking water policies for schools and child-care centers in 20 states, use what has been learned by the healthy food and beverage procurement movement to address the supply-side factors that impact safe and appealing drinking water, and develop policy recommendations needed to facilitate safe drinking water procurement and establish routine monitoring and universal access in schools and child-care centers. The study will use the policy framework identified by the Environmental Law Institute for water quality in child care as a starting point and expand it to include facilities standards and nutrition requirements for water. The research team will develop a comprehensive legal research protocol containing a policy matrix, key search terms, and policy sources, using existing state policy datasets, state materials available on government websites, and the Westlaw legal database. Deliverables will include 20 individual state profiles and a policy brief that summarizes state findings and makes policy recommendations.
Start Date: June 2016
ID #: CAS039
Organization: Public Health Advocacy Institute
Project Lead: Cara Wilking, JD
Focus Areas: Beverages, Early Childhood, School & After School
States: California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin
Keywords: Child Care/Preschool, Legal, Water
Resource Type: Commissioned Research Project Summary
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