A bipartisan bill to protect children is one signature away. Governor, sign it.

My son Elijah-Alavi was 3 years old when he went to preschool and never came home. He had a severe dairy allergy, and his caregivers knew it. Still, he was given a grilled cheese sandwich, and the people responsible for him were not prepared to recognize or respond to the emergency that followed. He went into anaphylaxis, and we lost him. Every parent who has dropped a child off at daycare knows the quiet act of trust that happens at that door.

You hand over the most important person in your life and believe they will be kept safe. For the millions of families raising children with food allergies, that trust carries a heavier weight. A single bite, a cross-contaminated snack, or a moment of hesitation can be the difference between a scare and a tragedy. Elijah’s death was preventable. That is the hardest truth I live with, and it is why Elijah’s mother, Dina , and I have spent the years since working to make sure no other family suffers as ours has.

Pennsylvania is now one step away from protecting its youngest children. House Bill 928, known as Elijah’s Law, has passed the Senate and is moving through its final legislative steps toward Governor Josh Shapiro’s desk. Sponsored by Representative Bridget Kosierowski, a Democrat, and Representative Kristin Marcell, a Republican, the bill passed the House by a vote of 197 to 6. It has earned support across party lines because protecting children is not a partisan issue.

The bill is practical. It requires childcare staff to be trained to recognize the signs of a life-threatening allergic reaction and to respond quickly. It allows childcare facilities to obtain and keep epinephrine on hand, the medication that can stop anaphylaxis in its tracks. It also calls for clear protocols and parent education, so families and caregivers are working from the same plan before an emergency happens, not scrambling during one. Some will ask what this costs. The honest answer is very little, and far less than the price of being unprepared.

Childcare providers already have resources to help them meet the training at the heart of Elijah’s Law. The Elijah-Alavi Foundation, which Dina and I founded in our son’s name, provides food allergy and anaphylaxis training resources for childcare staff. Code Ana, a nonprofit that prepares schools and childcare centers for medical emergencies, also offers resources providers can access. Through the Early Childhood Anaphylaxis Collaborative, a national partnership of allergy organizations, childcare leaders, and medical experts, providers can get ready-made tools built specifically for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers, whose reactions can look very different from an older child’s.

Pennsylvania also does not have to carry this alone. The state can access federal child care funding to support this work. The federal rules that come with this funding require health and safety training for childcare staff, including how to prevent and respond to emergencies caused by food and allergic reactions. The rules also require states to set aside part of the funding to improve the quality of care. That federal money can help childcare centers pay for training, emergency planning, and preparedness, so meeting this standard does not fall on small providers already working on thin margins. In other words, the tools are free, the funding is available, and the knowledge is ready to share. What has been missing is a requirement that every childcare setting be prepared. Hope is not a plan. Preparedness is.

Food allergies are not rare. They affect children in every community across the Commonwealth. Caregivers want to keep children safe, and Elijah’s Law gives them the knowledge and resources to do it. Parents deserve peace of mind. Children deserve protection. The people who care for them deserve to be prepared, not left to face a crisis without the means to respond. Governor Shapiro, We respectfully urge you to sign HB 928 into law. Doing so will help make sure that a child’s allergy is met with readiness instead of panic and that a parent’s trust is honored. I also ask Pennsylvanians to add their voices. Contact the Governor’s Office at https://www.pa.gov/form/governor/contact.htmland tell him that Elijah’s Law matters to you. Every message helps carry this legislation across the finish line.

We are deeply grateful to the advocates, organizations, legislators, family, and friends who have stood beside us on this journey. You turned our grief into action, and together we have shown what is possible when a community decides that children’s safety comes first.

Elijah’s legacy lives on in every child who will be protected because of this law. Let’s make this next step count.

Sincerely,

Elijah's Dad

Thomas Silver

Co-Founder Vice President

Elijah-Alavi Foundation