We are excited to announce that LeadCare Illinois is now open to child care facilities and schools for free lead-in-water testing! To enroll, register for a test kit.
We are excited to announce that LeadCare Illinois is now open to child care facilities and schools for free lead-in-water testing! To enroll, register for a test kit.
Children spend a lot of time at child care facilities and likely drink tap water and eat food prepared with water from these homes or buildings. Testing your water for lead helps you identify potential sources of lead and take appropriate action to protect the children in your facility.
DCFS licensing standards require all licensed day care homes, day care centers, and group day care homes serving children under six years of age and built on or before January 1, 2000 to test their sources of drinking and cooking water for lead. Visit our Illinois Lead in Water Testing Rules page for more information.
LeadCare Illinois provides free lead in water training, testing, and support for child care facilities in Illinois. The program helps child care providers address lead in drinking water and comply with lead in water testing requirements.
LeadCare Illinois is administered by Elevate Energy in partnership with the Illinois Department of Public Health and the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. Funding is provided in whole or in part by the Illinois Department of Public Health. Elevate Energy is a mission-based organization that designs and implements energy and healthy housing programs that lower costs, protect the environment, and ensure the benefits of energy and water efficiency reach those who need them most.
No. LeadCare Illinois offers free lead in water training, testing, and mitigation plan support to all licensed child care facilities in Illinois.
In addition to immediate and long-term mitigation strategies, there are many best practices child care facilities should consider adding to standard building operating procedures to help reduce lead at water fixtures. While these should not be used in lieu of a long-term mitigation plan, you should consider following these routine practices to help reduce lead exposure.
Registration for a test kit through the LeadCare Illinois program is open to all DCFS-licensed home, center, and group home day care facilities in Illinois. DCFS licensing standards require you to test your facility’s water for lead if you serve children under six years of age and operate out of a home or facility built on or before January 1, 2000. Register your facility for lead in water testing here.
DCFS licensing standards require all licensed child care facilities to complete a lead safety training. We encourage you to attend a LeadCare Illinois lead safety training before beginning your lead in water testing journey. The training will teach you about LeadCare Illinois, how to test your water for lead, and mitigation strategies. Sign up to hear about upcoming trainings.
DCFS-licensed child care providers can register for a lead in water test kit. The registration form will ask for general information about your facility, your contact information, and the number and type of drinking and cooking water fixtures located in your facility. Register your child care facility to receive your test kit.
Yes. There are several reasons why you may need to enroll in LeadCare Illinois even if you have already tested your facility's water for lead:
For detailed instructions on preparing your facility for testing, visit the How to Test Your Water page.
No, you should not flush or run your facility’s water before sampling. You must ensure that the water in your facility has not been used for at least 8 hours but not longer than 18 hours.
We strongly encourage you to let parents and staff know that you will be testing your facility’s water for lead. Communicating early and often helps build trust and keep parents informed throughout the testing process. State licensing standards require that you post your test results in a visible location in your facility and make your mitigation plan (if required) available to parents. Visit the Notification Requirements page for communication templates to help you communicate with parents and staff.
You will receive your test kit in the mail within four weeks after you register for lead in water testing. A LeadCare Illinois specialist may reach out if there are any issues with your registration, which could delay your test kit.
The following items are included in the test kit:
You will need to sample all drinking and cooking water sources used for child care operations in your facility. This may include:
Use the Fixture Photo Guide to help determine which fixtures need to be sampled.
For detailed instructions on how to test your facility’s water, visit the How to Test Your Water page.
It is important to return your samples to the IEPA lab as soon as possible. In order for the lab to accept your samples, return the samples within seven days of collecting them.
After sampling, place all bottles and the completed Chain of Custody form in the postage-paid return box. Be sure the Chain of Custody form is in the resealable bag and sample bottle lids are tightly closed before mailing them back to the lab as they can come loose in transit.
Within 30 days of your samples arriving at the IEPA lab, you will receive an email from LeadCare Illinois that shares your test results and next steps. Any fixture that tests below 2.01 ppb is not required to complete mitigation actions. Any fixture with a lead level at or above 2.01 ppb will require immediate and long-term mitigation to reduce lead levels below the action level. Visit our Understanding Your Test Results page for more information.
You are required to post all test results in a visible location in your facility and share them with your DCFS licensing representative. To communicate your results, visit the Notification Requirements page for instructions and to download letter templates that communicate your lead in water test results to parents and staff.
If your test results reveal lead levels at or above 2.01 ppb, licensing standards require you to develop and implement a mitigation plan to reduce lead levels below this threshold.
If any of your water sources test at or above 2.01 ppb, you must take immediate action to ensure a safe water supply and implement long-term strategies to reduce lead in drinking water below 2.01 ppb. For information on potential mitigation strategies, visit the Immediate and Long-Term Mitigation Strategies pages.
Once you receive your lead testing results, use the mitigation plan workbook to help you create a long-term mitigation plan if any of your results are at or above 2.01 ppb. You can also learn more about the components of a mitigation plan on the How to Create a Mitigation Plan page.
While LeadCare does not cover the cost of mitigation, the program will provide you with education on potential mitigation strategies, including low cost mitigation options.
Mitigation plans must be submitted to DCFS within 120 days of receiving test results indicating lead at or above 2.01 ppb. However, you must take immediate steps to ensure children have a safe drinking water supply while developing and implementing a mitigation plan.
If your initial testing results showed lead at 2.01 ppb or above, you will need to develop a mitigation plan and collect two rounds of follow up samples to ensure your lead levels are below 2.01 ppb. We encourage you to collect your follow up samples as soon as possible to ensure your mitigation actions worked. According to licensing standards, you are required to collect your follow up samples “no later than six months following the completion of a mitigation plan and a second test no later than one year after the completion of a mitigation plan.” Visit our Retesting page for more information.