The overall goal of this three-year project is to reduce the exposure of pesticides for young children attending licensed family child care by providing an integrated pest management (IPM) program for family child care homes. In the first year we will conduct a qualitative study to determine the needs of the family child care providers in 3 regions of California and identify their pest management, knowledge and practices, and pesticide use. During the second and third years, we will conduct a pilot study. The 6-month quasi-experimental pilot study will evaluate changes in environment, policies, and practices in 21 family child care homes following a nurse-led IPM intervention. The intervention will include dissemination of the Integrated Pest Management: A Toolkit for Family Child Care Homes.
