Sunnyside Daycare Toronto Chooses Oxygen-Infused Paint to Create a Healthier Indoor Environment for Children and Staff
When Sunnyside Day Care in Toronto decided to refresh its indoor environment, the management team was presented with a choice that went beyond simply selecting a new wall color. That choice was, regular paint vs. paint enhanced with Oxygen, a mineral-based paint additive designed to support healthier indoor environments.
The daycare, which contracted Certapro Painters for its quality painting services, chose to incorporate Oxygen into Benjamin Moore paint that was used throughout the project.
For the managing director of Sunnyside Day Care, the decision came down to one priority: the health and wellness of their staff and children who spend many hours each day inside the facility.
“The health and wellness of our children are a priority. Once we understood the value Oxygen earth minerals played in helping keep our center clean, it was an easy decision.”
The project demonstrates a growing shift in how organizations are thinking about indoor spaces. Rather than treating painting as simply a cosmetic improvement, building owners and operators are increasingly looking at walls and ceilings as opportunities to contribute to a healthier indoor environment.
From “Wall Color” to “Healthy Buildings”
Derrick Caldwell, Managing Director of Certapro Painters in Etobicoke and an Oxygen ambassador, said introducing the Oxygen option to customers is remarkably straightforward.
“It’s easy to present the benefits of Oxygen. It takes our painting services to a new level by focusing on ‘healthy buildings’ over a simple wall color.”
Caldwell said the opportunity has particular meaning when painting environments occupied by young children.
“It makes us feel good about the work we are doing on each project, especially when it comes to small and young children – two of whom I have myself as a father.”
Oxygen is added directly to paint at the point of application, allowing professional painters to offer customers an enhanced paint solution without fundamentally changing the painting process.
A New Conversation About Indoor Air
Chris Shahabi, founder of Oxygen, believes childcare facilities represent an important starting point for the healthy-building movement.
“Children’s immune systems are developing, and Oxygen can provide an added layer of protection in daycares,” said Shahabi. “When we think about healthy buildings, we need to think beyond energy efficiency and aesthetics. We also need to consider the environment children breathe in every day.”
The Sunnyside Day Care project illustrates Oxygen’s broader vision: turning ordinary painting projects into opportunities to think about health, wellness and indoor environmental quality.
With children, teachers and staff spending many hours indoors each day, daycare centers, schools, healthcare facilities, homes and other occupied buildings are becoming increasingly important environments for healthy-building innovation.
About Oxygen
Oxygen, developed by Creative Oxygen Labs, is a mineral-based paint additive designed to be mixed into compatible paints during the painting process. The company’s mission is to help transform conventional walls and ceilings into components of healthier indoor environments.
Oxygen is being introduced through professional painters, distributors, property managers, designers and other building professionals who want to offer customers a “healthy building” option alongside traditional painting services.
