Preschool in a really old building - lead poisoning?

[sora]

Hi,

There is a nice preschool very close to my place. But it is in a building built in 1940s, when paint has lead in it. I looked around carefully especially the windows as the old windows produce lead dust whenever they open and close. The paint was in a good condition around the windows. The teacher said it is repainted every year. Even some of the windows are replaced. The floor was laminate.

The teacher has been running the preschool about 30 years in this location. I noticed some of her toys look really ancient - like antique toys you can find in a flea market. I suspect some of them could have lead paint.

I really want to send my child to here except the possible lead poisoning. Old buildings also have lead pipes that leach lead in water. That scares me too.

Am I overly concerend about this issue? My child is 3.5 so she won't suck on toys but she often chews her fingernail so that concerns me.
Would you feel comfortable sending your child to this preschool if you like everything else?

[staceychev]

My child had severe lead poisoning, so I'd be really wary. I'd be more concerned about the "ancient toys," though, than the facility itself. (That being said, I think that the concern about lead paint in toys, while not baseless, is also overly emphasized. Of course, kids can get lead poisonng from toys, but it's much more likely to come from the facility or contaminated soil.)

My instinct is to start by calling your county's health department and ask what the requirements are that she would be meeting to maintain her license.

[Geofizz]

I generally find that the best approach is to be upfront:

"I really love your preschool, and I've love to send my child to your school. I am, however, concerned about lead poisoning in paint and older toys. What have you done to assure that the school is safe for small children?"

[daytripper75]

I had the water at my dd's school tested. I just took a couple of vials into the washrooms and filled them quietly. They came back fine. I got the kit from Sears for free, the test was free too.

[artgoddess]

I would just ask them. "I notice this is an older building, how often have you tested for lead paint?"