Developing State Policy Recommendations for Safe Drinking Water Procurement in Child Care Centers and Schools

Access to safe and appealing drinking water in child care centers and schools is a key strategy to build healthy habits that children will use for life to maintain a healthy body weight and to support overall health. This study compiled drinking water policies for schools and child-care centers in 20 states and developed policy recommendations to facilitate safe drinking water procurement and establish routine monitoring and universal access in schools and child-care centers. The full report summarizes state findings and makes policy recommendations. Recommendations were made based on the guiding principles that plain water should be made available to children at no cost throughout the day, and that drinking water should be held to safety standards. Individual state profiles detail state-level policies that govern drinking water access in licensed child care centers and public school buildings.