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Free Lead Safety Programs for Child Care Providers
Putting Safety First
Keeping children safe starts with clean water and healthy spaces. Through a set of no-cost programs led by Elevate Energy (Elevate), Illinois Action for Children is helping child care providers across the state access free lead testing, education, and home or facility improvements designed to reduce lead exposure, support compliance with state requirements, and provide safer learning environments for children.
LeadCare Cook County
LeadCare Cook County helps licensed and license-exempt child care providers in suburban Cook County reduce lead in their drinking water at no cost. The program offers free lead service line identification and replacement, lead-reducing water filters, and follow-up testing. All work, including any necessary restoration, is provided at no cost to providers, making the process simple and streamlined. Replacing lead service lines is the best way to tackle lead at its source and provide a safer environment for children. LeadCare Cook County is closing enrollment on July 31, 2026, or sooner if all spots are filled.
LeadCare Cook County is administered by Elevate in collaboration with the Cook County Bureau of Economic Development with funding through the American Rescue Plan Act funded by the U.S. Department of the Treasury.
LeadCare Illinois
LeadCare Illinois helps child care providers and school leaders take action to protect children from lead in drinking water with free testing, training, and mitigation support. Getting started is easy: register to receive a free test kit by mail, collect your water samples, and get clear results and guidance to help you understand whether your water is safe from lead. If lead is found, the program provides support to help you take the next steps toward safer water for children. Eligible facilities may also receive reimbursement for mitigation costs, making it easier and affordable to respond quickly.
LeadCare Illinois is administered by Elevate in partnership with the Illinois Department of Public Health. Funding is provided in whole or in part by the Illinois Department of Public Health.
Elevate’s Preventive Lead Abatement Program
The Preventive Lead Abatement Program helps eligible home-based child care providers in Chicago and suburban Cook County reduce lead-based paint hazards in their homes at no cost.
The program is available to home-based child care providers operating in homes built before 1978. Services begin with a lead risk assessment and may include professional remediation, such as paint stabilization, window replacement, and other improvements that help make your home safer. This program allows child care providers to focus on caring for children while improving the safety of their spaces. The program is administered by Elevate with remediation work completed by licensed contractors.
Elevate is a nonprofit organization that works nationally and is headquartered in Chicago. Elevate designs and implements programs to ensure that everyone has clean and affordable heat, cooling, power, and water in their homes and communities — no matter who they are or where they live.
