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Elkay Pro Filtration Helps Primrose School of Chapel Hill Deliver on Its ‘Healthy Bodies, Happy Hearts’ Promise
About eight miles from the banks of the Haw River, the 40 teachers and staff at the Primrose School of Chapel Hill at Briar Chapel work to provide a premier early education and childcare experience. Creating a safe, healthy environment for the school’s 165 children, aged 6 weeks to 5 years old, is job one.
Primrose School of Chapel Hill | Chatham County, NC
The Objective
“We want the absolute best for our students, and we know our county water supply is not up to that standard,” said executive director Amber Best. “We had parents tell us, ‘If it’s coming from the county, I don’t want my child having the water at the school.’ So we had a policy where all kids were required to bring in a bottle of water from home every day.”
In a matter of hours, the bottles would be empty, with the school’s kitchen sink offering the only option for refilling.
“We wanted something that was better and healthier for our students and our staff.”
The Challenges
Decades of industrial discharge of PFAS into the Cape Fear River and runoff from urban development across Chatham County, NC, continue to create challenges to ensure the health and safety of the Haw River, a major source of drinking water for the county’s 85,000 residents.
The Zurn Elkay Solution
Together with the school’s owners, Best explored all the alternatives, from buying cases of single-use plastic bottles to ordering a regular delivery of five-gallon jugs. Limited storage and the school’s commitment to environmental sustainability demanded a better, more efficient solution, and one that could address the sediment and PFAS contamination plaguing Chatham County’s drinking water.
Elkay Pro Filtration met all her expectations and more. Commercial grade Elkay filtration is certified to reduce sediment and PFAS to well below the EPA’s maximum allowed levels, making the county’s water cleaner, healthier and safer. Each filter cartridge can handle up to 10,000 gallons before needing replacement, a huge selling point for a school without a full-time facility manager.
The Results
Best said the Elkay Pro Filtration unit isn’t just an amenity, it’s a resource that ties into the school’s curriculum.
“We incorporate ‘Healthy Bodies, Happy Hearts’ curriculum into our nutritious breakfast, lunch and snack program for all of our kids,” she said, “and now we’ve added teaching how drinking water is important to grow healthy and happy. That’s reinforced with their daily ‘field trip’ to the bottle filling station, which helps their social development and gross motor skills as well.”
The kids aren’t the only ones who’ve benefited from the improved water quality. Faculty and staff—including Best—are encouraged to stay hydrated throughout the day.
“I never brought water to work, just my Dr. Pepper,” she said, “but now that we have the Pro Filtration bottle filling station, I fill up my bottle at least twice a day.”
Once installed, the new unit provided students with the clean water they needed, while also showing parents that the school was willing to do what’s best for their kids.
“The parents have just raved about how we’ve taken this next step,” Best said. “We now make it a part of our tour for prospective families, especially for those new to the area, pointing it out and saying, ‘This is to make sure all students and staff always have access to cleaner, healthier drinking water.”
I never brought water to work, just my Dr. Pepper, but now that we have the Pro Filtration bottle filling station, I fill up my bottle at least twice a day.
Amber Best
Executive Director
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