Why daycares get extra attention
Lead exposure is most harmful to children under six. It can cause developmental delays, learning difficulties and behavior problems. Little kids spend time on the floor and put their hands in their mouths, so lead dust on floors and windowsills reaches them easily.
Facilities in buildings built before 1978 may have lead-based paint under newer layers. As windows open and close and surfaces wear, that paint turns into dust you can’t see.
What the rules say
The EPA’s dust-lead action levels apply to homes and child-occupied facilities built before 1978. Since January 12, 2026 they are: floors 5 µg/ft², windowsills 40 µg/ft², window troughs 100 µg/ft². More in the 2026 limits guide.
The EPA’s Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) Rule also requires lead-safe work practices for renovation in pre-1978 child-occupied facilities.
Local rules add a certificate requirement:
- Philadelphia: a Family Child Day Care license requires a lead-safe or lead-free certificate, filed with the Health Department before the license is issued or renewed. The operator provides it, unless the building was built in March 1978 or later. If you rent the home you run it from, your landlord also owes you a certificate under the rental lead law, at the landlord’s cost.
- Norristown: Chapter 200 covers child day-care centers in pre-1978 buildings. See the Norristown guide.
Pennsylvania’s state child-care licensing rules (55 Pa. Code §3270.77 and the matching sections for group and family homes) don’t require a lead test, but they ban peeling or damaged paint and plaster and restrict how old paint can be removed.
Why a certificate helps beyond compliance
- Parents ask. More families know about lead and look for providers who can show their space was tested.
- Insurance and liability. A documented, passing test is a clear record that you took the hazard seriously.
- Peace of mind. You know where you stand, and if anything fails you know exactly which room to fix.
How testing works for a daycare
- We schedule around your hours: before opening, after close, or on a weekend.
- Visual check of the rooms children use.
- Dust wipes from a windowsill and the floor in every room children use (classrooms, nap rooms and play areas), plus a blank control. Centers are priced by the number of rooms.
- Accredited lab analysis at Accurate Analytical Testing LLC, in 3–5 business days or as fast as same day.
- Certificate and lab report when everything passes. If a spot fails, I tell you which one and how to fix it, and the re-test is 20% off.
Getting ready
Wet-wipe windowsills and floors, HEPA-vacuum rugs and play mats, and fix any peeling paint first. The prep checklist has the full list.
For more on how we work with child-care providers, see our daycares page.