​Keep on voting with your dollars and your time. So far, over 148 million people voted in the U.S. 2020 presidential election. So regardless of who you voted for, you were a part of the highest voting turnout since 1968, according to the Associated Press.
So, what does voting with your dollar mean?  Spending and investing your money is a powerful way of voting each day to support local communities, fair wages, and a healthy planet. Where you shop and what you buy sends a direct message to help business owners.

• Another powerful action is keeping your money in your wallet and not buying what you don’t need. Every dollar you don't spend, is a dollar you can put in a community bank or credit union, where your dollars will be used to finance jobs, housing and social services that every community needs.  Or, it can be donated to a charity that is taking action on climate change and other existential crisis. Also, the money you use to buy necessities, treat yourself, or spend on gifts for others is a vote cast for your values. 

Here are some more tips:

•  Every time you buy at a local business, you tell the world your community is worth more than a big-box store sale. 
• Every time you buy organic, you tell the world you want more farmers to grow healthy, safe food. 
• Every time you buy certified fair trade, you fight poverty. 
• Every time you buy from a business owned by women or people of color, you help build an inclusive economy. 
• Every time you don’t buy something, you tell the world you don’t need more stuff to have a good life.

Now, how can you vote with your time? You can better your community and your life by volunteering for causes you care about. It’s been proven that helping others is good not only for the recipients of your help, but for enhancing your own well-being, too.  Here you go:

• If you love animals, get vetted to help at a local shelter or help with pet adoptions.
• To help our environment, plant a garden, compost, share plants or seeds, help keep parks and playgrounds clean, use less concrete and more natural landscape designs.
• Help fight hunger and homelessness by donating used clothing and non-perishable food or volunteering at a local food bank or organization for helping others.
• To help education, donate books and unused school supplies, volunteer for adult education programs or join a PTA to have your voice heard at school board meetings or on school committees.
• HELP the elderly by signing up with an organization and getting clearances to help run errands, make deliveries or help run events.

Whatever you do, just keep voting by doing what you can to help.  Spend your money and time, so it helps you and  others with better health, environments, learning, play and safety. Sustainability needs to be sustained and we can’t solve the same problems with the same energy or thinking that caused the problems.
Dennis Smiddle – Executive Director of FANS 4 HELP ( a new 2020 nonprofit).

FANS 4 HELP Crowdfunding with ioby - 
ioby.org/project/fans-4-help-all-about-fitness-arts-nature-and-science-health-environment-learning-and-play  Thank you for your consideration and please share.

FANS 4 HELP - can help provide attractive, functional and cost saving modular building products to help protect people in schools, child cares, offices, public places and play spaces where we live, work, eat, learn and play. Plus, in 16 different colors and translucent to show out your school spirit and to call out for community unity.-www.everblocksystems.com/?fbclid=IwAR2zoImu-xSuopfP_24WOspSdVMSCQh6dgELl0rr9p7tsrLUDNQPpr5Nyjc

Chrysanthemums (Chrysanthemum morifolium)Florist’s chrysanthemums or “mums” are ranked the highest for air purification. They’re shown to eliminate common toxins as well as ammonia.
Treat yourself to a fresh pot, as this flower only blooms for about six weeks. Or you can fertilize the pot again in the spring when new growth appears. But without the flowers, it won’t be purifying the air. If you don’t want to wait, you might want to just get a new pot.
Plant care: Check the soil’s moisture every other day, and keep it damp.
Toxic to animals: Even though it has a friendly name, mums are toxic to both cats and dogs.
Eliminates: formaldehyde, xylene, benzene, ammonia
 

  -https://www.pccd.pa.gov/schoolsafety/Documents/School%20Safety%20and%20Security%20Assessment%20Criteria%20-%20adopted%20Sept%2026%202018.pdf?fbclid=IwAR382-zgzch8js-GaSbaDlKaSrJWbdHP92IUyTHi5WAOJoFhAV-m7mSJ_44

​Nonprofit to rethink playground space - Published in the Observer-Reporter by Katie Anderson  Jul 31, 2020 Updated Aug 10, 2020 

Dennis Smiddle, owner of a playground maintenance company, Fans of Play, recently started a nonprofit called Fans 4 Help. The nonprofit, which advocates for more natural and open playground spaces, will seek grants to fund the design and installation of those types of playgrounds in school districts and community parks.
“One of the best ways for children to learn is through play,” Smiddle said. “There’s a mindset that play is all about playground equipment, but that’s structured play – it can only really do what it was designed to do. There’s a lot more to play than swinging, sliding and climbing.”
According to Smiddle, a retired state inspector of child care facilities and playgrounds, children need access to playtime in more natural environments, “where kids can get outside in open spaces and make up their own games and use their imagination.”
Especially since the COVID-19 pandemic, more open spaces on playgrounds make more sense, Smiddle said. He said traditional playgrounds with slides and swings and climbing areas are difficult to maintain and keep sanitized.
“Every playground has a capacity,” he said. “It’s very difficult to social distance on a playground.”
The nonprofit will offer design services, consultations and playground products that meet the mission of his company, like raised-bed gardens, sandboxes and balance beams. In the name of the nonprofit, “Fans” stands for fitness, art, nature and science, while “Help” stands for health, environment, learning and play, Smiddle said.
“It’s more of an empowering concept,” he said. “People can design their own playgrounds, where you don’t have to rely on these big playground companies.”
Smiddle said school districts and municipalities typically purchase playground equipment through catalogs because “it’s easy,” and because people don’t realize other options are available. However, he said the concepts he uses are safer for children, more cost effective and they “reduce liability.”
“I’m hoping to get funding and build awareness so that communities can start to change the playground mindset to a more natural concept to help protect children and provide more beneficial playground opportunities for learning and play,” he said.
 

​As a retired PA Child Care Licensing Representative with 20 years of experience and having done over 2,000 child care inspections, I know a little bit about health and safety. Also, as an expert safety witness with the Expert Institute, my expert opinions are based on studying the differences between Guidelines, Regulations, Accreditation, Standards and Practices (best).  
The following are just a few key health and safety differences between PA Certified Child Care Centers and PA Public Schools.

1. PA. Child Care Centers are inspected by the state, at least annually, whereas PA Public Schools may never receive an on-site inspection following the original opening of the school. (CDC Covid19 guidelines require a consistent and constant inspection process).
2. PA Child Care Center regulations are primarily concerned with health and safety compliance and with stringent oversight.  PA Public Schools are more curriculum focused with little oversight for health and safety. (CDC Covid19 guidelines are primarily concerned with health and safety).
3. PA Child Care Centers are constantly and consistently monitored by unannounced inspections and a complaint investigation process to help ensure complete compliance with all regulations.  Public schools are seldom, if ever inspected by the state and complaints are usually handled internally or more privately. (Covid19 guidelines are voluntary but more monitoring or oversight helps ensure more compliance and safety).
4. PA Child Care Centers are measured for safe spaces and assigned a capacity for each child care space.  PA Public Schools are not measured or monitored for safe child care space capacities. (CDC Covid19 guidelines recommend social distancing and more safe space allows more social distancing).
5. PA Child Care Centers are required to take children outdoors daily, weather permitting.  PA Public Schools are not required to take children outdoors.

(CDC Covid19 guidelines recommend outdoor activities over indoor activities).

1. PA Child Care Centers and child care workers have been following strict hand washing and safe sanitation policies for over 30 years.  PA Public Schools and teachers do not monitor strict hand washing and safe sanitation practices. (CDC Covid19 guidelines stress frequent hand washing and safe sanitation practices).
2. PA Child Care Centers are required to follow specific staff - child ratios and group sizes.  PA Public Schools do not follow strict staff - child ratios or group sizes. (CDC Covid19 guidelines stress avoiding crowds and limiting group sizes to help reduce a potential virus from spreading).
3. PA Child Care Centers follow strict food handling and provides refrigeration requirements for food brought from homes.  PA Public Schools do not provide recommended food handling and refrigeration for all foods. (CDC Covid19 guidelines stress healthy diets and immune systems to help fight viruses).
4. PA Child Care Centers have been using nature and play based curriculums for decades whereas, PA Public Schools are just beginning to recognize these Health, Environment, Learning and Play benefits.

(CDC Covid19 guidelines are based on nature and science research).
In conclusion, in order to open more safely, PA Public Schools can learn and benefit greatly by following the Health, Environment, Learning and Play regulations and practices that PA Certified Child Care Centers have been following for decades.  Also, the PA Department of Human Services already has great resources and systems in place that can complement the PA Department of Education Public School systems.
Dennis Smiddle – Executive Director of FANS 4 HELP (a new 2020 nonprofit).
631 Highland Ave.
Canonsburg, PA 15317

​As a former PA Child Care Licensing Representative with 20+ years of experience, I am very familiar with both child care and school regulations.  Pennsylvania Child Care regulations are primarily concerned with health and safety practices, whereas school regulations are primarily concerned with curriculums.  Opening schools and child cares safely during this unprecedented Coronavirus pandemic, must concern everyone with the best practices for health and safety.  Fortunately, these best practices can be found in a comprehensive resource entitled, Caring For Our Children.
Since 1995, the National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care and Early Education (NCR) has maintained and continues to develop national health and safety standards for early care and education settings.  While the PA Department of Human Services and the PA Department of Education may do good work in their respective areas of expertise, their oversight and guidance are focused on minimum health and safety compliance.  However, this is a time when everyone must be concerned with the best practices for caring for our children and the time for an action plan is now.
As the executive director of a new 2020 nonprofit, FANS 4 HELP, I can show everyone how to connect with, Caring For Our Children, a collection of national standards that represent the best practices, based on evidence, expertise, and experience, for quality health and safety polices and practices for today’s early care and education settings.
Dennis Smiddle is a former PA Recreation Therapist (15 years), PA Child Care Licensing Representative (20 years), a former Certified Playground Safety Inspector (6 years) and Keystone Stars Playground Safety Trainer (6 years).
Dennis Smiddle
631 Highland Ave.
Canonsburg, PA. 15317
(724) 825-5121
 

​The time to practice Health & Safety is always now and FANS 4 HELP can show everyone how.  With our blog, we will help everyone to get a GRASP on evidenced-based and expert information on Health & Safety Guidelines, Regulations, Accreditation, Standards and Practices (Best). Eventually, we will plan on issuing a FANS 4 HELP seal of approval for recognition of compliance with FANS 4 HELP.  But for now, we will start sharing easy to follow evidenced-based information from experts in the fields of health, environment, learning and play.  
For today, we would like to share some Health & Safety advice for Park and Playground Hygiene.  Due to the present existential treat of the Coronavirus, many parks and playgrounds are being temporarily closed.  These stringent actions are probably the best practices, at this time.  Still, FANS 4 HELP is sharing this well-written article on Playground Hygiene for your information and we still encourage everyone to get as much outdoor activity and play while following all of the Coronavirus updates and best practices for health and safety. 
Full Article on Playground Hygiene -  https://www.aaastateofplay.com/guide-to-playground-hygiene/?fbclid=IwAR0o0DLVFoA_gN6aKmTuR7fAw3rkadl_IU2w5gJoP-9yGUfmyqVa-oE7qK8
Thank you, Dennis Smiddle, -    https://www.expertinstitute.com/expert/playground-safety-expert-witness-e-099110/