I learned a lot when I visited Bentonville, Ark., for the grand opening of the Helen Walton Children's Enrichment Center, which is a beautiful new campus dedicated to the education of kids ages birth to 4.

The center itself has been in Bentonville, for more than 30 years, but the team there recently was able to fundraise to build this fantastic, $16 million space to nurture and develop children and their families. 

It is built with an eye toward making sure that the environment that young children are in for 8-10 hours a day is as healthy and beautiful as possible. They eliminated six major classes of chemicals in the construction and furnishing of the center. Every plaything is made of natural materials -- no plastic toys are on site. From the drywall to the paint to the carpet and crib mattresses, the space seeks to minimize the presence of chemicals. 

“The idea is to be a model of what is possible,” said executive director Michelle Barnes.

The team there created the Growing Up Healthy Guide. It outlines what the team learned about the impact of commonly found toxins on the health of a child. It’s also linked here https://hwcec.org/parents/growing-up-healthy/