Days of Sunshine Care
Days of Sunshine Care
NaShae Johnson
Eglin Air Force Base, Florida
NaShae Johnson is a green fiend…a 20-something year-old dynamo for green living. To Johnson being green is not about being trendy, it is a lifestyle that she embraces for the health of her family, the earth, and the children entrusted in her care. She owns and operates Days of Sunshine Care on Eglin Air force Base in Florida, in addition to taking night classes.
Johnson’s passion for being green started with a family trip in 2006 to Nakinski, Alaska where she had her first exposure to organic foods. The following year going green became a whole house project. She found out about the Eco-Healthy Child Care endorsement from Jennifer Croce of GreenBaby Daycare, also an Eco-Healthy endorsed child care program. Johnson immediately sought the endorsement to have the support of others around the country, like herself, who are committed to healthy child care environments.
Johnson says it is easier to be green than you think. She uses both sides of paper, has the children help her with the recycling, and serves organic and whole foods all available for purchase at the commissary. She serves organic milk; it is even written in her contract. She chooses energy efficient products—computers and fluorescent light bulbs—and regularly peruses Freecycle.org for free items for her child care. She got a high chair that way. She is hoping to have paperless sign-in in the future. Johnson wanted to switch to a peroxide-based bleach* instead of a chlorine-based bleach because it would be easier on the children’s lungs. However, the base requires chlorine bleach for sanitizing. With the base’s approval, she was able to cut the ratio of chlorine bleach to water that she was using by 50%.
Johnson’s advice to other child care providers who want to go green is to do as much research as you can. She shares what she learns with the children in her day care and with their parents. For example, at Days of Sunshine Care the children learn to turn the water off while they are brushing their teeth. Johnson shares, “They go home and teach their parents!” Johnson has a yahoo group just for her parent community where she shares tips for going green. Parents are turning off lights, lowering thermostats, monitoring water use, and watching their bills drop in the process. They are asking Johnson what else they can do! For Johnson it is all about the children, though. She says, “The kids are our tomorrow. Teach them while they are young. Keep them healthy. They will pass it on.”
*You can find peroxide-based bleach at all the same major retailers that sell chlorine-based bleach. The price is comparable. Look for the word “oxi” on the label.
