Pest Management Provider Education Network to Support IPM Adoption in Indiana Child Care Settings

Project Coordinator

Timothy J. Gibb, Ph. D.
Purdue University, Department of Entomology
901 West State Street
West Lafayette, IN 47907
765-494-4570
765-496-2295 (fax)
gibb@purdue.edu

Executive Summary

Young children in child care settings may be at special risk from pesticide applications made in buildings and on grounds to control rodents, insect pests and weeds. To address these concerns, the Indiana Pesticide Review Board (IPBR) has passed a model policy for pest management in child care settings and has recommend voluntary adoption by the child care community. The National IPM Technical Resource Center (IPM-TRC) at Purdue University and a working group of state regulatory agencies and child care associations have been educating child care providers and promoting policy adoption and the use of IPM through multiple channels. This has resulted in an increased demand for IPM services among child care providers usually filled through contracting with Pest Management Professionals (PMPs). PMPs must now be taught the unique concerns of child care providers so they can design and market IPM services that are practical, economical and meet the criteria established by state guidelines.

This proposal seeks to develop a support network based model for practical IPM implementation in child care facilities that satisfies state requirements but can be readily transferable to and welcomed by other states throughout the nation. The IPM-TRC will deliver IPM education to PMPs, based on our existing model, through established channels, including pesticide applicator trainings and pest management association seminars and newsletters. State agencies will assist the IPM-TRC in supporting and monitoring adoption of IPM and the model policy by child care providers. National support will include developing and posting training materials and resources on the IPM-TRC web site and maintaining a toll-free hotline to support child care providers and pest management professionals in their efforts to implement IPM.

Objectives

Effective pest management programs are needed to protect children from health risks associated with insect and rodent pests. Many child care facilities rely exclusively on pesticide applications for control of pests. ^{1, 2} But due to their developmental physiology and their behavior, young children face potentially greater risks from pesticide exposure than adults. ³ Integrated Pest Management, or IPM, is a science-based pest management system that uses non-chemical strategies and low-risk pesticides to minimize risks to people and the environment. IPM programs in schools have demonstrated that pests can be effectively managed with cultural control methods and reduced pesticide use compared to traditional "spray" pest control programs. ⁴ Currently, no model exists for developing strategic networks to support the adoption of IPM in child care settings.

A coordinated statewide effort is underway in Indiana to address these concerns. The Indiana Pesticide Review Board (IPBR), the Governor-appointed legislative authority for state pesticide regulations, passed a model child care pest management policy in February, 2003. The policy recommends the use of non-chemical and least-toxic pest control methods to minimize the potential for pesticide exposure of children, and pre-notification of pesticide applications for parents and staff. The Purdue IPM Technical Resource Center (IPM-TRC), working on an EPA Region 5 Environmental Education grant, has developed an educational network to teach child care providers about IPM and to promote adoption of the model policy. The network includes child care providers, representatives from the state agencies who regulate, license and educate providers, Cooperative Extension Service specialists, child care referral agencies and associations, and environmental health advocates. This collaboration has been necessary, since child care providers lack a central communication network, such as the state School Boards Association, which facilitated rapid adoption of similar model policy in Indiana public schools.

This partnership is proving effective. Child care administrators in Indiana are increasingly aware of IPM, but have often expressed frustration in locating pest management service providers who can deliver IPM services consistent with their special needs. The next logical step to support widespread adoption of IPM in Indiana child care settings is to provide guidance for pest management professionals to develop and market safe, cost-effective and practical IPM programs that will meet the needs of child care providers and be consistent with health regulations and pest management guidelines for child care settings established by the state.

We propose bringing together pest management professionals and child care providers to develop consistent, practical guidelines for implementing IPM in child care settings, and to use these guidelines to develop trainings, resources, and IPM marketing strategies for pest control professionals. The proposed project will build on the existing child care education network in Indiana and incorporate Pest Management Professionals (PMPs) and their state associations. Where previous efforts have focused on creating a demand for IPM among child care providers, this project will help satisfy that demand by providing know-how and incentives for PMPs to market IPM services to child care providers. By partnering with Purdue Pesticide Programs (PPP), Purdue Cooperative Extension, the Indiana Pest Management Association (IPMA), the Indiana Professional Lawn and Landscape Association (IPLLA), and child care providers and their associations, the IPM-TRC will deliver outreach materials, training and resources needed to motivate change in pest management practices in Indiana child care facilities. Each of the partners involved would provide unique channels for delivering information and training to pest control professionals to encourage and assist them in marketing IPM services to child care providers.

Project Objectives

To facilitate communication between Pest Management Professionals (PMPs) and child care providers and to assist them in developing a practical model for IPM that meets the unique requirements of child care settings.
To broaden the existing child care education to include influential PMPs from state structural and turf pest management associations.
To develop training materials, resources and marketing strategies for PMPs that address the unique aspects of IPM in child care settings. Materials can be modified from existing IPM-TRC resources to avoid "re-inventing the wheel."
To use state pesticide certification and recertification trainings to educate PMPs about the model policy and about Indiana Family and Social Services Association (IFSSA) rules that may affect pest management practices.
To conduct trainings on child care IPM and the model policy as part of Indiana Pest Management Association (IPMA) and Indiana Professional Lawn and Landscape Association (IPLLA) technician and manager training seminars.
To conduct an IPM demonstration workshop for PMPs set at an experienced IPM child care center and using IPM-experienced PMPs and the center director as educators. These peer-to-peer training sessions will allow PMPs to benefit the expertise of their peers and to learn first-hand the needs and concerns of child care administrators.

Justification

This project is expected to have a direct impact on pest management practices in child care facilities statewide, affecting over 102,000 small children. 8, 9 When adopted by other states throughout the nation, potential impact increases dramatically. Risk reduction will be achieved by providing expertise and incentives for pest management professionals to practice and promote IPM in child care settings. Implementation of IPM and the model policy should tend to lower pesticide use and will ensure that any pesticides applications that are made are done in a manner that reduces exposure to children.

The proposed project will build on the existing education network to include structural and turf/landscape pest management professionals. This expanded network will develop a model for practical IPM that satisfies state regulations and recommendations and specifically addresses pest management in child care facilities. The network will then deliver IPM education to PMPs, based on this model, through existing channels, including state pesticide applicator trainings and state pest management association seminars and newsletters. The IPM-TRC will support these efforts by producing training materials and web pages and maintaining a toll-free hotline to support child care providers and pest management professionals statewide in their efforts to implement IPM. State agencies will assist the IPM-TRC in supporting and monitoring adoption of IPM and the model policy by child care providers.

The IPM Technical Resource Center at Purdue University is uniquely qualified to coordinate this educational effort. The Center has provided IPM training, technical resources, a website ( http://www.entm.purdue.edu/schoolipm/ ) and a toll-free hotline (1-877-668-8-IPM) for pest control professionals, child care providers, and school personnel in Indiana and other Midwest states. The IPM-TRC was the first nationally recognized regional center for IPM in schools and child care and continues to be a leader in child care IPM and in promoting voluntary IPM adoption by public schools. ^{5,
6} In 2002, the Center completed a pilot IPM project for Indiana child care facilities funded through the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM). This project resulted in an improved understanding of the concerns and constraints of child care facilities related to IPM implementation.⁷ IDEM and the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration (IFSSA) have furthered this progress by incorporating IPM into the requirements for their respective 5-Star and Head Start programs for child care centers. The proposed project is a needed continuation of these efforts, which have focused up until now on creating an awareness and demand for IPM among child care providers.

Approach and Outcomes

A workgroup of representatives from the partnering organizations will meet in person and communicate via conferencing, telephone, and email during the project term.
The workgroup will define educational objectives at the outset of the project, review existing pooled resources, and develop a strategic communication plan.
A subcommittee consisting of child care directors and pest management professionals will meet to define what constitutes IPM in child care settings and to develop communication and marketing strategies.
The model policy and information about "IPM in child care" trainings will be circulated at certification and recertification trainings held by Purdue Pesticide Programs (PPP) for pesticide applicators in the turf and structural categories
The IPM-TRC will team with the Indiana Pest Management Association (IPMA) to rovide peer-to-peer IPM trainings for pest management professionals with an emphasis on child care settings.
The workgroup will develop an "IPM in child care awareness" brochure targeting pest management providers. The brochure will inform recipients about the model policy, outline IPM practices, and provide the IPM-TRC toll-free hotline number and website. It will be distributed through many channels including trade association workshops and certified pesticide applicator programs.
A section of the IPM-TRC website will be developed to provide PMPs, both locally and nationally, with targeted information about IPM in child care, access to the model policy, links to partner organizations and related children's health resources.
Short articles about the model policy and marketing and implementing IPM in child care settings will be written by IPM-TRC staff and/or other workgroup members for pest management trade newsletters.
A demonstration workshop will be held to provide hands-on peer training for pest management professionals on IPM implementation in child care settings. This workshop will be held at a childcare facility that practices IPM, and will use pest management service personnel as educators. This method incorporates demonstration with peer mentoring , two strategies proven effective for promoting adoption of innovative technologies. ^5,7

Impact Assessment

Project partners will help monitor the adoption of the model policy and IPM in Indiana child care settings. IDEM's 5 Star and IFSSA's Head Start programs both require IPM and maintain lists of facilities that have adopted IPM. IACCRR maintains statistical and demographic information on Indiana child care facilities for parents seeking child care, and can add "IPM facility" and "pest management policy" to their list of criteria.
Pre and post survey/evaluation instruments will be administered before and after trainings to measure pest management provider awareness and knowledge of the model policy and the nuances of providing IPM services to child care facilities.
The number and type of IPM educational materials distributed will be documented.
The number of calls regarding IPM in child care settings to the IPM hotline, and the nature of provider's questions and concerns, will be documented.
The number of hits to the Pest Management Professional and Childcare sections of the IPM-TRC website will be measured before and after implementation of IPM educational programs and distribution of the brochure.

Literature Cited

Indiana Head Start Partnership. Indiana Early Head Start/Head Start Environmental Practices Survey. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Report #05CD0012/01. 2002.
Safer Pest Control Project. Survey of Pest Management Practices in Chicago Day Care Centers. 2002.
National Research Council. Pesticides in the Diets of Infants and Children. National Academy Press. Washington, D.C. 1993.
Monroe County School Corporation. Implementation of IPM in Indiana Schools. Pesticide Environmental Stewardship Program, Final Report. 1997.
Purdue University. Implementation of Pilot Integrated Pest Management Programs in Indiana Schools and Child Care Facilities. Final Report, Executive Summary, Indiana Department of Environmental Management Project # A305-0-99-431. (in press).
Piper, Courtney and Owens, Kagan. Are Schools Making the Grade? School Districts Nationwide Adopt Safer Pest Management Policies. Beyond Pesticides, National Coalition Against the Misuse of Pesticides. Washington, DC. 2002.
Rogers, Everett. Diffusion of Innovations, 4 th Edition. Free Press. New York. 1995.
Carver, Keith. Director of Licensing, Indiana Family Social Services Administration. Personal communication. 2003.
Indiana Family Social Services Administration. Demographic Trend Report. 2000.

Timetable

March 1, 2005 - February 28, 2006

Mar 2005 - Convene workgroup
Mar 2005 - Develop strategic plan
May 2005 - Develop marketing strategy
Throughout Disseminate Model Policy among pest management professionals
July 2005 - Peer IPM training for pest management professionals
Sept 2005 - Develop brochure for pest management professionals
Oct 2005 - Peer IPM training for pest management professionals
Feb 2006 - Final report

Major Participants

Each of the organizations listed here have committed personnel and resources to this important project and stand ready to collaborate.

The IPM Technical Resource Center (IPM-TRC) at Purdue University will provide leadership and educational resources for this project.
Purdue Pesticide Programs (PPP) transfers regulatory information to the pesticide applicators in Indiana and conducts education and outreach programs, including certification training for turf and structural pesticide applicators .
The Indiana Pest Management Association (IPMA) promotes education and training of the structural pest control industry in Indiana and maintains a strong communication network.
The Indiana Professional Lawn and Landscape Association (IPLLA) represents turf and landscape management professionals. They publish a newsletter and hold annual trainings in August and December.
Several child care facility directors have offered their assistance to this project. Their perspective will inform the development of materials to educate PMPs.
The Indiana Family and Social Services Administration (IFSSA) regulates and licenses child care facilities and establishes state standards for safety and environmental health. They deliver training to state health inspectors and newly registered childcare providers.
The Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) manages the popular 5-Star Program, which recognizes child care facilities that maintain high environmental health standards, including the use of IPM for pest control.
The Indiana Association for the Education of Young Children (IAEYC) is a state educational association for childcare providers. They maintain a website, organize trainings and publish quarterly newsletters, providing a link to child care providers in Indiana.
Improving Kids Environment (IKE) is a nonprofit organization that worked for the widespread voluntary adoption of a school IPM policy. They maintain a website, publish regular newsletters, and provide a link to Indiana parents concerned about children's environmental health issues.
The Indiana Association for Child Care Resource & Referral (IACCRR) works with local member agencies to provide, coordinate, and advocate for a strong statewide system of child care resources and referral. They provide a link to parents seeking information about child care facilities, and will help monitor IPM and policy adoption throughout this project.

Project Budget

Funding Request
Budget Category	Funding Requested	Matching Non-Federal Funds	Matching Federal Funds
First Year Funding	$39,651	0	0
Second Year Funding	0	0	0
Total Funding	$39,651	0	0

Project Duration: 1 year