Many childcare owners often rent their facilities and have a hard time meeting all of the licensing codes required by law. An example of some of the codes these childcare facilities face are like the grounds do not have enough play area; the steps are too high, or the restrooms do not meet ADA standards. One of the most costly codes to adhere to are plumbing codes. Meeting these types of licensing codes include installing new restrooms, or placing hand-washing stations in rooms or areas that do not already have plumbing. We have found an excellent solution to meeting these hand-washing standards- portable sinks. Yes, portable sinks. Hot and cold running water that can be placed in any room. It was by chance that I heard about them.

Since being in childcare means you have to keep your credits current, the local referral agency offered a one-day classroom accreditation, where you could earn points towards your yearly credit total. At the seminar we learned about these portable sinks and how they helped others meet hand-washing code. Renting my own facility meant after licensing changed the hand-washing code for infant and toddler rooms, it was going to cost me over $5,000 to install the plumbing for one sink. I was floored, I did not even own the building, and did not have enough in the bank to even begin to hire a plumber. I did not know what I was going to do until I went to the childcare seminar and learned about these portable sinks for hand-washing.

The agency facilitating the seminar was also offering information on education grants that could be used for improving facilities that educated and fed children. The $1,000 grants could be used for any improvements in childcare facilities that included health and safety. I asked my accreditation teacher if these could be used to purchase a portable sink, she said yes. I ordered my portable sink from Child Care Catalog, and found they could ship my sink direct to me. The next time my licensing agent arrived for a visit, I passed my inspection with flying colors. One of the best things about this sink, is that I am moving into new, larger facility in a few months, I can take the portable sink with me.