Early Childhood Anaphylaxis Coll. urges daycare centers to learn about food allergies

April 28, 2025, Allergic Living: Collaborative Aims to Step Up Allergy Readiness at Childcare Centers  

Niagara Falls, NY

The readiness to recognize and promptly treat severe food-allergic reactions in children is essential. Yet, there has been growing concern in the food allergy community about just how prepared many U.S. early childcare centers are to do that. 

To help childcare employees become aware, confident and ready in case of anaphylaxis, the Early Childhood Anaphylaxis Collaborative (ECAC) recently launched. Organized by pharmaceutical company Kaléo, the ECAC’s founding partners include food allergy nonprofits, educators and advocates, including Allergic Living.

“It’s critical that as stakeholders in this space we equip, not just families to be prepared for allergy emergencies, but any caregiver of those children,” says allergist Dr. Alice Hoyt. 

The collaborative’s goals are to equip childcare leaders with the education and tools to recognize and promptly treat severe reactions in young children. This includes guidance on having stock epinephrine for these kids, in states that permit it. 

Hoyt runs the Hoyt Institute of Food Allergy in Louisiana and is also the chair of Code Ana, a nonprofit that trains schools and childcare centers for medical emergencies. Her biggest concern with early childcare centers is the lack of understanding of what a food allergy is and how it appears in a young child. 

“If people can’t recognize a reaction is occurring, they cannot promptly treat it. And if you can’t promptly treat a reaction, you’re setting a child up for a bad outcome,” Hoyt says. “There is much in the realm of education that we need to provide to early childcare professionals, so they can be prepared to respond.”

The new collaborative is encouraging others to join – from parents to physicians and childcare providers. Members get access to shareable materials, including how symptoms of a severe reaction may present differently in young children and older kids.   

Childcare and New Food Allergies

Dina Hawthorne, president of the Elijah-Alavi Foundation, is a founding partner of the ECAC. She and Hoyt spoke to Allergic Living following a panel presentation at the Association for Early Learning Leaders conference. She calls efforts like that panel “extremely important as these are the owners and directors of the programs.”

She’s enthused that the collaborative will create a standardized method of “communicating what’s necessary and what’s needed” when it comes to managing food allergies in childcare settings. 

The new ECAC website notes that one in 10 allergic reactions occur in childcare centers or schools. When it comes to the youngest children, a big concern is that many still have food allergies emerging. 

The website cites a study that found up to one-third of food-allergic reactions in childcare centers happen in young kids who don’t have a known food allergy. 

“These young children are the most vulnerable, and in many cases, they’re the ones with the least amount of support or protections,” says Hoyt. “So it is critical that we grow the enthusiasm for encouraging early childcare centers to be prepared for allergy emergencies.” 

She notes that almost all states now allow K to 12 schools to keep stock epinephrine. That’s epinephrine prescribed to an entity (like a childcare) for use when any person is having an anaphylactic emergency, diagnosed or not. Hoyt notes that with the exception of some states that passed laws, this is often not available at childcare centers. 

“We must ensure childcare providers can recognize the signs and symptoms of anaphylaxis and have an emergency response plan that includes access to undesignated, stock epinephrine,” she says.

The collaborative focuses on responding to severe allergic reactions in childcare settings.

Hawthorne’s foundation focuses on educating those on the front lines of childcare and promotes Elijah’s Laws. These laws, passed in New York, California, Illinois, Virginia, Maryland and Arkansas, spell out strict allergy management protocols. The protocols include staff training, personalized emergency anaphylaxis plans and maintaining stock epinephrine.

From her experience speaking to childcare centers, Hawthorne is struck by the lack of caregiver confidence to act on symptoms and respond in an anaphylactic reactions. She’s eager to see the ECAC help with that education. 

Noting the vulnerability of young children with food allergies, she says: “Before they can walk or talk, they need that support. That’s what the collaborative is here to do.”

Hoyt agrees. “It’s fantastic that this collaborative has been brought into existence with so many motivated, caring stakeholders,” she says. “The mission is to keep these young children safe.” 

The founding partners of the ECAC include: the Association for Early Learning Leaders, Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, Code Ana, Elijah-Alavi Foundation, Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Connection Team, Kaléo, Kids with Food Allergies and Allergic Living.