Chemicals are added to many consumer products to meet fire safety codes and prevent these items from catching fire quickly. Some of these chemicals can accumulate inside people’s homes. Children are more likely to be exposed to these chemicals because they play on floors, frequently put their hands and objects in their mouths, and spend a lot of time indoors.

We are doing a study of how these chemicals and early social environments affect children’s behaviors and development.

Who

Preschool/Child Care Teachers & Families

• Families that have a child between the ages of 4-5 years in preschool/child care with no history of brain injury from an accident, infection or genetic reason, speak English or Spanish, and plan on attending Kindergarten next fall.
• Teachers of participating children.

What

Participation in the Study

• Children will play games, and point to pictures and numbers with trained research assistants to assess early academic and self-regulation skills (approx. 15-20 min each time; 2 hours over 3 years)
• Teachers will complete a survey about themselves (approx. 15 minutes) and participating children (approx. 10 minutes per child). They will receive up to $30 in gift cards (up to $60 in gift cards for kindergarten teachers)
• Children will be asked to wear a wristband for a specific number of days each year and parents will complete a short form regarding activities while wearing the wristband.
• Parents will be asked to fill out surveys  (approx. 15-20 minutes each) and will receive a $60 gift card.

When

Each activity will happen once in preschool, twice in Kindergarten, and once in first grade.

Contact

For more information contact either:

Corvallis area

Megan Megowan
[email protected]
telephone: 541-737-3493

Central Oregon

Tiffany DeRuyter
[email protected]
telephone: 541-322-3121