Blue Deal healthy indoor climate in childcare
Humankind signs Blue Deal Healthy Indoor Climate during Climate Summit Built Environment
During the Climate Summit Built Environment on 6 November, the Blue Deal healthy indoor climate signed - a national collaboration aimed at improving the indoor climate in childcare facilities. Humankind Childcare and development, Indoor climate Netherlands, TVVL, Binnenklimaattechniek Foundation, Healthy Indoors and AirTeq have jointly signed up to this ambition, setting a new standard for healthy, safe and future-proof childcare buildings.
Healthy environments for young children
A child's first years of life are crucial for health, development and well-being. Yet national, unambiguous guidelines for healthy childcare facilities are still lacking. With the Blue Deal Healthy Indoor Climate, government, knowledge organisations and industry join forces to change this.
Within the deal, the Binnenklimaattechniek Foundation fulfils a central role as developer of the Indoor Climate Label for Childcare and client of the Programme of Requirements (PoR) Healthy Childcare. These instruments enable measurable, verifiable and demonstrable improvements to the quality of the indoor environment and are thus an important step towards structural quality assurance in the sector.
“This is a huge milestone for the sector,” says Remi Hompe, chairman of the Binnenklimaattechniek Foundation. “After years of development, the Indoor Climate Label is now really going live. With it, we are taking a big step towards healthy, safe and future-proof childcare locations for every child.”
Humankind leads the way in healthy childcare
As the largest non-commercial childcare organisation in the Netherlands, it takes Humankind Childcare and development a pioneering role in the implementation of the Indoor Climate Label for Childcare. The organisation stands for a good start and equal opportunities for every child. By participating in the Blue Deal, Humankind is helping to roll out national standards and make the quality of its locations visible. Dion Roeffen, purchasing, facility and logistics manager at Humankind: “As Humankind, we think it is important to contribute to the development of the indoor climate label for childcare. This way, together we create a healthy and pleasant environment for our children and staff.’’
Healthy Indoors as a connecting platform
The independent consumer platform Healthy Indoors provides a link within the Blue Deal between parents, educational professionals and policymakers. Through accessible communication and user-friendly manuals, Healthy Indoors translates technical standards into practical knowledge, increasing awareness and support - both within the sector and among parents.
“With the Blue Deal Healthy Indoor Climate, we are working together on healthy childcare loca-tions. The Healthy Indoors platform - an initiative of Indoor Climate Netherlands, Nationale-Nederlanden, Heijmans, Velux and other partners - helps make knowledge and solutions accessible, so that a healthy indoor climate for every child is within reach,” said Margot de Heus, vice-chair of Healthy Indoors.
Measure, monitor and improve
AirTeq supports the Blue Deal as a technology partner. With their sensors and smart dashboards, indoor climate data - such as CO₂, temperature, humidity and particulate matter - are continuously measured and made transparent. This allows childcare organisations to actively monitor and improve the indoor climate based on real-time data.
Knowledge and training as a foundation
Indoor climate Netherlands focuses within the Blue Deal on the further development of indoor climate guidelines so that they become applicable within the childcare sector.
TVVL joins as a knowledge partner and further develops the Healthy Indoor Climate course for building managers and technical advisers. Thus, practical knowledge is linked to policy and training.
A Blue Deal for the future
The Blue Deal Healthy Indoor Climate can be compared to a Green Deal, but with a different focus. Whereas Green Deals revolve around energy and sustainability, the Blue Deal emphasises health, comfort and well-being.
The signing during the Climate Summit marks the start of a multi-year collaboration bringing together policy, science, technology and practice - with one common goal: a healthy indoor climate for every child in the Netherlands.
