World Water Day

This article is from Children's Environmental Health

World Water Day is coming up this Sunday, March 22! Every kid deserves access to clean, safe, drinking water. And yet, it remains out of reach for too many US children, the communities in which they live, and the schools they attend every day.Children are especially vulnerable to hazards in drinking water. Compared to adults, they drink more water per pound of body weigh. Plus, their bodies, immune systems, and brains are still developing, and it’s harder for their systems to break down and get rid of harmful chemicals.Drinking water is unfortunately still a big route of lead exposure for kids at schools and child care facilities across the country. There is no safe level of lead for children. It can affect almost every organ and system in a child’s body and can result in permanent damage, even at low levels. This puts kids at risk of decreased IQ, developmental delay, decreased physical growth, damaged organs, and behavioral disorders. In some states, surveys show 75% of schools have lead in their water. To make matters murkier, not all states require or report on water testing for lead in schools.Learn more about healthier schools in our Partner spotlight below, or join in for National Healthy Schools Day on April 14.

Healthy Schools Network

For more than 30 years, Healthy Schools Network has been working to ensure that every child has access to a safe and healthy place to learn. The national nonprofit provides policy advocacy, coalition leadership, research, and technical assistance to improve school environments across the country.

“Children spend about 1,200 hours a year in school,” explains Executive Director John Reeder. “If we can ensure those environments are healthy and safe, we can make a significant difference in children’s health and learning.”

Today, there are approximately 50 million students attending schools facing serious infrastructure challenges. Many buildings are more than 50 years old, with outdated ventilation systems and lingering environmental hazards such as lead, asbestos, and poor indoor air quality. According to recent estimates, the United States faces a roughly $90 billion annual gap in school infrastructure investment.

Healthy Schools Network works to address these challenges through advocacy, research, and coalition building. Recently, the organization helped mobilize partners nationwide to support continued funding for EPA’s Tools for Schools program, successfully protecting (and even strengthening) key resources that help schools improve environmental health.

Each year, the organization also leads National Healthy Schools Day, which is coming up soon! In fact, we’ll be celebrating the entire second week of April, starting on the 13th.

National Healthy Schools Day brings together educators, parents, students, and advocates to raise awareness and take action to improve school environments. This year, Healthy Schools Network is celebrating with a week of virtual events featuring key stakeholder and policy leaders, like Congressman Bobby Scott who recently introduced the Rebuild America Schools Act of 2026. This legislation is poised to create a federal program for school investments, supporting healthier classrooms for all kids.

While national webinars and policy discussions are part of the week’s programming, Reeder says the most powerful impact often comes from local efforts. “The best part of Healthy Schools Day is when teachers, parents, and students organize activities in their own schools,” he says. “Those local actions are what really move change forward.”

Visit the National Healthy Schools Day webpage to get involved, host an event, or join one of the Network’s exciting seminars.  

Healthy Schools Network is also a proud longtime partner of Children’s Environmental Health Day, recognizing the importance of collaboration across the children’s environmental health movement.

“Joining initiatives like Children’s Environmental Health Day strengthens the entire movement,” Reeder says. “There’s real power in organizations coming together around a shared mission—protecting the health of children.”

His message is simple: every child deserves a school that is healthy, safe, and in good repair.