Advocacy Aisle: Elijah's Law
Elijah’s Law, the first of its kind in the United States, requires all daycare programs and public schools to implement guidelines to prevent, recognize, and respond to anaphylactic reactions.
For parents, dropping our children off at a daycare center means placing our trust in caregivers and educators to properly care for them. Parents of children with food allergies know they must work closely with staff to ensure that they are well informed of the child’s food allergens.
But what if there is turnover in staffing? Or the center does not have access to the resources and training it needs to properly prepare for a potential life-threatening allergic reaction?
That’s why our partners, Thomas and Dina Silvera of the Elijah-Alavi Foundation, work tirelessly to advocate for Elijah’s Law.
The law is in response to the tragic death of their three-year-old son, Elijah Silvera, who was fed a grilled cheese sandwich at a New York City preschool in 2017, despite having a known severe dairy allergy.
“To pass this law, Elijah's Law, is important not just to my family, but also for all families who have children suffering with severe food allergies," Silvera said. “What my son Elijah has taught us is that challenges are simply an opportunity to use our superpowers, and that limitations are invitations to change the world as we know it.”
So far, school districts and day care centers in New York, Illinois, and Virginia are required to follow protocols to prevent, recognize and respond to life-threatening allergic reactions thanks to Elijah’s law being passed at the individual state level. The law states that childcare institutions must have policies for education around possessing and administering epinephrine, requiring that at least one employee be trained and have access to epinephrine at all times.
More than 40 percent of children with food allergies and more than half of adults with food allergy have experienced a severe allergic reaction such as anaphylaxis according to Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE).