Lead safe child care in Cleveland

Nancy Mendez and Michele King from Starting Point updated Cleveland City Council members on a pilot program to combat lead risks at daycares. 

The nonprofit’s Lead Safe Child Care Program aims to evaluate 30 daycare facilities for lead safety and assist with needed repairs over 18 months, according to the presentation. Licensed Cleveland daycares built before 1978, including ones that operate from homes, will be eligible to apply. About 300 homes and centers are eligible.

Starting Point will notify interested providers when the application is open, according to its website.

The program is funded by the Cleveland Clinic and is done in partnership with the Lead Safe Cleveland Coalition.

Council Member Michael Polensek said he wanted children tested in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District. But Council Member Rebecca Maurer said the initiative is targeting daycares because lead testing is critical for children two years old and younger.

This article was updated with more information about the application process.

Strategic planning

An update on a strategic plan for the City of Cleveland shows an emphasis on workplace culture.

The strategic plan is being drafted with information gathered from workshops, surveys and interviews, according to documents given to council members. Nearly 1,000 employees sent in surveys.

Initiatives included in the plan focus on overall performance, workplace culture, access to city services, accountability, training and professional development. Speeding up the hiring process is another focus.

Polensek encouraged people to speak with city employees to learn what strategies do and don’t work.

Ernst & Young and Compass Consulting are drafting the plan, according to Abby Poeske, senior advisor to the mayor for strategy.

Still wondering

Documenter Kellie Morris had some questions about how employees were included in the strategic plan. She asked, “How many people does the City of Cleveland employ? How were the surveys distributed? Were seasonal employees contacted?”

The Lead Safe Home Fund provides grants and loans for lead removal and repair in homes constructed before 1978. Learn more from the Lead Safe Cleveland Coalition.

Read more from Documenter Kellie Morris:

Read the live-tweet thread from Gennifer Harding-Gosnell:

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