Elementary Schools
Policy
In districts that have adopted a comprehensive sun safety policy, we have encountered some schools that seemed to be unaware of it. If your district does have any written board policy relating to sun protection elements please ensure they are implemented at school, including communication to staff and parents. Sample sun safety “Dear Parent” letters are posted here.
Hats
California’s sun safety law permits children to wear a hat at school for sun protection, with schools being given permission to define or limit the type of hat that is allowable. In Australia, where most elementary schools require uniforms, a sun hat is included in the uniform. In the U.S. most schools do not require uniforms or hats. However, simply declaring hats to be allowable (with no encouragement or incentive) typically results in very few children wearing them. Students are inhibited, fearing they might be ridiculed by their peers. Check our unique Hats Program for suggestions on ways to overcome this challenge by creating an incentive to wear a hat.
Sunscreen
Some teachers feel uncomfortable to directly apply sunscreen to young students, and some have expressed the fear they might be accused of inappropriate touching. However, there are other teachers who are happy to monitor and assist with sunscreen application when needed, for example by very young children who aren’t capable. While hands-on assistance should not be required, it certainly should be allowed if the teacher is willing and the child’s parent has returned a signed permission slip.
As with hats, merely allowing sunscreen does not ensure that it will be used. Tips for encouraging its use are provided on our Sunscreen page.
Shade
If there is any existing shade on the school campus, allow and encourage students to benefit from it. Consider whether new or additional shade trees could be added. Outdoor areas where students are directed to eat lunch or congregate for more than a few minutes should certainly be located in the shade or covered by a shade structure. Shade structures are commonly installed to cover outdoor play equipment at elementary schools. We do endorse this, however, these structures can be very expensive. The same children who play on the shaded equipment may also venture into open areas during the same play period. The shade structure does not follow them around. We suggest a cost-benefit analysis. If funding is limited, you might find that more students would be better protected for less cost by providing tools and incentive programs (e.g., hats, long clothing, sunscreen) that improve personal sun-protective behavior. Of course, if affordable, it would be ideal to have it all.
Classroom Instruction
Both Sun Safety for Kids and the CDC highly recommend the inclusion of age-appropriate instruction on sun safety at each grade level. Dedicated volunteer medical students from our UV&Me program are available to provide a live interactive sun safety presentation for your classroom. We also offer our two videos, The Sun Show for Ages 6-8 and The Sun Show for Ages 9-11 for children in the elementary grades. Sunny Days Healthy Ways is an evidence-based sun safety curriculum for grades K-5. Sunwise, created by the U.S. EPA, is an educational program for K-8 offering a free tool kit for parents and teachers. The Sunwise program is currently managed by the National Environmental Education Foundation.
Scheduling
The intensity of harmful UV radiation varies with the time of day, reaching its maximum at solar noon. When possible, try to schedule children’s outdoor activities to take place before 10 a.m. or after 4 p.m. Between 10 and 4, perhaps there’s an option for indoor activities, such as in the gym, or in shaded areas. Try to avoid directing students to sit or stand in direct sun for a drill, assembly, or class if there is any option to assemble in a shaded or indoor area instead.
UV Index
UV Index is a forecast indicating the strength of the sun’s skin-damaging ultraviolet radiation on a given day. The higher the value, the faster a person’s skin will be harmed. While we can tell if the weather is hot or cold, or whether it’s pouring rain or just a drizzle, we humans cannot sense the level of UV radiation. It can be deceptively high on a cool Spring day. Make it a routine to announce the UV Index level along with other school announcements, especially from March through November or whenever the level is 6 or higher in your zip code. Just as you might remind students to “bundle up” on a very cold day, a simple sun safety tip such as “don’t forget to wear your hat today” could accompany the UV Index announcement when the level has jumped up. Visit the UV Index page on the US EPA website for more information and to download the app for checking the index level in your area.
Don't Fry Day
The Friday before Memorial Day has been designated “Don’t Fry Day” by the National Council on Skin Cancer Prevention. This particular Friday, the traditional kickoff to the summer season, is an ideal time to remind students and staff to protect against frying their skin. Unfortunately, this date comes too late on the calendar for observance at many schools. A highly recommended alternative date, when the UV Index is seriously rising, is the first day of spring.
UV&Me
Medical students at most universities are encouraged to participate in “service learning” which entails taking the knowledge they’ve acquired in medical school and applying it to volunteer community service. Sun Safety for Kids, as a nonprofit organization, provides an excellent service learning opportunity through our UV&Me program. We support medical students who volunteer to visit a school classroom where they deliver a presentation to teach and motivate the students (of any grade level) to respect the damaging potential of the sun’s UV radiation, and to protect their skin in order to prevent skin cancer. This program is particularly well suited for middle and high school classrooms where the medical student presenters are natural influencers due to their close proximity in age to the class members. For details, visit our website at UV&Me.org.
Spirit Wear
When a school sells or provides personal use items branded with the school name and/or mascot it typically consists of a baseball cap and tee shirt. Consider revising or adding to the catalog with one or more items that are sun-protective. See our Elements section for ideas that could provide students with the benefit of a little sun protection while they show their school pride.
PTA
The Parent or Parent-Teacher Association can be a very important ally in the endeavor to improve sun safety in the school. Parents can be asked to volunteer for sun safety awareness events and the association or its nonprofit affiliate can raise money for sun safety products and improvements, such as hats, sunscreen, trees, or a shade structure.
Role Modeling by Teachers
One of the best ways that teachers can convey the sun safety message is by letting their students witness their efforts to protect themselves. Wear not just your sunglasses but your hat or large visor for yard duty or other outdoor activities. Slip on a long sleeved top and of course let the children see you applying your sunscreen. Find a shady spot for yourself, and guide the students to shade when possible.
