Lead poisoning is a serious preventable threat to a child’s development. Even small amounts of lead in a child’s growing body can have negative lifelong impacts on learning, behavior and health. Most children who have lead poisoning do not look or act sick. Children should have a blood test at 1 year and then again at 2 years of age or older with a blood test value of 3.5 or less. Do you know your child’s lead poison status?
Work with your Early Head Start and Head Start health, family services, and teaching staff to explore options for screening through your program and to help you obtain a blood lead test from your child’s medical provider. The test is usually free and is the best way to confirm if lead is present in your child’s body.
To learn more about lead poisoning, visit Childhood Lead Poison Prevention Program’s website at https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/lead/audience/parents.html.
