ARK for childcare centers
Childcare is where a first reaction often happens, because a child too young to have been diagnosed is eating new foods in a room full of other children. New York City has required licensed programs to keep epinephrine on hand since May 2026, and a statewide New York mandate has passed both houses. Elsewhere it is permitted more often than required. Neither free-medication program covers childcare, so the medication is obtained by prescription or standing order. ARK is the storage cabinet that keeps it in plain sight, at adult height, near the door.
Why a stock supply matters in a childcare room
One in thirteen children has a food allergy. In a room of twenty, that is one or two.1 In young children a first reaction is often the first sign there was an allergy at all.2 Neither of the free-medication programs covers childcare, so the medication has to be obtained by prescription or standing order, and then it needs somewhere to live.
What your state allows childcare programs
Childcare stocking: where things stand
| Unconfirmed[UNCONFIRMED] | 25 |
|---|---|
| Permitted[PERMITTED] | 15 |
| Policy / training required[POLICY / TRAINING REQUIRED] | 6 |
| No law[NO LAW] | 3 |
| Required[REQUIRED] | 2 |
Counts are read from our dataset at build time, last verified 2026-08-28. Every jurisdiction links to its citation and source.
How to get it for your program
The prescription
Written in your organization's name, not a named person's. That is what makes the supply undesignated: it belongs to the building, not to one child.
The standing order
Two states hand a childcare program this second document: California and Utah. Everywhere else a prescriber signs one for you, and most will.
The devices
No free program covers childcare. EPIPEN4SCHOOLS and neffyinSchools are K-12 schools only, so childcare centers purchase standard auto-injectors through a pharmacy or medical supplier under the state entity law that governs them. Licensing rules, rather than the school statute, usually set what you must have on hand.
A precision point worth knowing
Several states made schools device-neutral while leaving the entity law auto-injector-only. Colorado, Idaho, Minnesota and Illinois all split this way, so a school down the road may be able to stock nasal spray when you cannot. The map carries the distinction; check the row that governs you.
Two states hand a childcare program its standing order
Register with the health department there instead of finding a prescriber. See which ones.
Where it goes in a childcare room
The main room, at adult reach, on the wall nearest the door. If the program has more than one room, one cabinet per room, because the medication has to be reachable without leaving the children.
The cabinet
$85 per cabinet, volume pricing available. Tamper-resistant but not locked, fits EpiPen, Auvi-Q, neffy and most other brands, with a tamper-evident safety strap included.
Not sure how many you need?
Tell us your square footage, number of buildings and floors, and we'll put together a configuration and a quote.