With a grant from Partners for Health Foundation, the Montclair Child Development Center has been able to remove carpet and install child-friendly, non-porous floors at their Montclair school. More than 10% of the children who attend MCDC have asthma and more than 25% have allergies, both of which cause labored breathing at times. These children are absent from school twice as often as their peers who do not suffer from these chronic medical conditions. Absence from school impacts the child’s learning, and children who are chronically absent do not learn as much or as well as their peers.
The non-porous floors were installed in time for the beginning of the 2018 school year, and MCDC has already heard praise and appreciation from families and staff. Many returning parents have expressed how much healthier the environment is with the change in the flooring. “I am so grateful for the new floors because they make the room breathable and fresh,” said one parent. A returning student observed, “Everything is new in the classroom.”
Chanel, pictured above, said she likes the new floor. Her mom expressed how fresh and new it looked in the building.
“For our first month of school, the attendance rate for children with asthma and allergies was 91% which is a marked improvement from 89%. We are striving for 94% by December 2018”, said Susan Chaberski, Deputy Director of Finance at MCDC.
The Montclair Child Development Center, Inc (MCDC) is a private non-profit 501(c)3 corporation that has provided quality early childhood education for over 45 years. Today, MCDC represents more than four decades of providing Head Start and Early Head Start services to low income families. MCDC is dedicated to serving families living at or below the federal poverty level who live in Montclair, Bloomfield, Belleville, Orange, and West Orange. Learn more at http://www.mcdcnj.org/
