TRENTON – New Jersey Public Advocate Ronald K. Chen today announced that his office has arranged free lead screening for children who attended a lead-contaminated Gloucester County child care center that closed its doors in late 2007.

The owner of the Children’s First Learning Center in Mantua faced criminal charges earlier this year for submitting fraudulent lead test results to the state Department of Children and Families in June 2005, just two months after an April inspection showed there were several areas in the center where lead dust exceeded acceptable levels. DCF reported the fraudulent claim to the state Division of Criminal Justice.

In June, the center owner pleaded guilty to an accusation leveled by the Division of Criminal Justice charging her with the fourth-degree crime of recklessly creating a risk of widespread injury or damage.  Under a plea agreement with the state announced in June, the owner faced probation and a fine of $5,000.

Chen, who was also appointed the state’s acting Child Advocate effective July 15, said that the Office of the Child Advocate (OCA) will offer the screening to any children who attended the child care center, which opened 1999.

The lead screening is being made available between noon and 7 p.m. on Thursday, August 21 in partnership with the state Department of Health and Senior Services, the state Division of Criminal Justice Environment Crimes Bureau, the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) and the Gloucester County Health Department. The location of the screening site is undisclosed to protect the children’s confidentiality.

The OCA is contacting the families of 44 children who may have attended the child care center between April 2005 and August 2007, when the center closed, to offer them the free testing. The contacts are being made over the phone and by mail, said Chen. 

“Lead poisoning, while entirely preventable, can have serious and irreversible health effects, especially in young children.” said Chen, whose department drew attention to the issue of childhood lead poisoning earlier this year when it unveiled an investigation that showed high rates of lead contamination in homes in five New Jersey cities where children had previously been poisoned.

The parents being contacted directly by the OCA are being notified of the free lead screening and are being offered information and educational materials on lead poisoning prevention and sent applications for the NJ FamilyCare children’s health insurance program.

Parents and/or guardians of children who attended the Children’s First Learning Center in Mantua can make an appointment for testing by calling the Office of the Child Advocate at 609-984-1188, or toll free at 877-543-7864.

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