In Puerto Rico, access to a child care center is not only an economic challenge; It is a geographic and security challenge.
A recent investigation revealed that The location of the care centers on the island responds to a vulnerable infrastructure and planning that puts the communities most exposed to the disease at risk. climate change and to natural risks such as floods, coastal erosion, landslides, hurricanes and other atmospheric phenomena.
During the 3rd Symposium on Climate Education and Societyorganized by The Puerto Rico Bridge and which ends tomorrow, Saturday, the study prepared by Solange Otero Rivera at the Psychological Research Institute of the University of Puerto Rico Río Piedras Campuswhich warns that Most of these essential spaces operate in areas of high environmental risk, while rural areas face systematic exclusion of access..
“Many centers are located in areas where, in the event of an atmospheric emergency, communication and access would be extremely limited,” said Otero Rivera, a student in the Department of Geography of the Faculty of Social Sciences.
The analysis georeferenced, using the ArcGIS Pro tool, 315 private care centers outside the metropolitan area, registered by the Administration for the Care and Comprehensive Development of Children (Acuden), and revealed that its location is adjacent to main roads rather than climate security planning.
In the northern and coastal areas, centers are disproportionately exposed to flooding and storm surges. Likewise, municipalities such as Cabo Rojo, Lajas and Guánica are areas with the risk of tsunami and coastal erosion.
The study presented a clear pattern of concentration in urban centers and primary roads, which leaves the most remote communities in what is known as “care deserts.” According to data extracted from Acuden, it was identified that 66% of the municipalities are considered “desert areas” of childcare centers for children up to 5 years old..
On the other hand, in the Central Mountain Range, the risk of landslides and flash floods is constant. It was revealed how in the central region, specifically in municipalities such as Adjuntas, Jayuya and Maricao, families depend almost exclusively on secondary or tertiary roads to access these services.
The research proposes that Geographic isolation presents the risk that, if a center is an hour away on vulnerable roads, the service is no longer accessible to low-income families..
To address the identified crisis, the research proposes that agencies such as Acuden and the Family Department integrate the geospatial analysis in public policy planning. This would encourage the opening of centers in strategic “care deserts,” especially in the central area to reduce territorial isolation.
When locating new services, it was proposed to prioritize topography and avoid areas of high environmental vulnerability, ensuring that access to care does not depend on the resident’s geography.
Likewise, Otero Rivera urged the implementation of mitigation protocols and continuity of specific services for centers that already operate in coastal or mountain risk areas. Also, prioritize transportation in these areas to guarantee safe evacuations and resilient services in the face of atmospheric events.
“In environmental and climate resilience, we must try to move these centers from risk areas, because they are already too far in coastal areas and, as we have seen, the maritime zone is constantly changing. We must locate them where they are needed”he concluded.