Involve The Community
By working with staff, parents, students, and community leaders, schools can build sun safety partnerships, which can help in the planning and implementing of sun safe school policies and environmental changes. Raise parental and community awareness by developing sun safety events, contests, and media stories. Furthermore, grassroots community efforts can lead to political and legislative support for sun safe school environments to promote public health.
To build sun safety partnerships:
- Include sun safe hats, sunglasses, and shirts in school spirit activities.
- Develop fun learning events such as Sun Awareness Day or Arbor Day. These events could include hat fashion shows, poster contests, tree-planting ceremonies, and class contests to promote sun safe behaviors.
- Inform parents about the school’s sun safety policies when they enroll their children.
- Encourage parents to provide students with sunscreen for daily use.
- Encourage parents to ensure that their children have cover-up clothes, sunglasses, and sunscreen on before going to school.
- Encourage parents and staff to set good examples by wearing cover-up clothes, sunglasses, hats, and sunscreen.
- Educate parents, students, and staff about sun safety by inviting a local dermatologist or meteorologist to give a presentation at school.
- Send a copy of the sun safety information sheet home to parents or add it to an issue of your school newsletter. A Spanish translation may be beneficial for some schools.
- Encourage school districts to include ramadas, trees, or shaded areas in new school construction or remodeling plans.
- Distribute a media release on your school’s sun safety efforts.
- Encourage community members such as local coaches and recreation center staff to promote sun safe behaviors within their community.
Get Parents Involved
Parent participation is essential for the success of school-based health education programs, and can support and encourage the sun-protective behavior change of their children. Parents can also contribute to the development of a sun safe school through fund-raising, and can encourage businesses and community groups to donate to the cause.
Raise funds or use donations to:
- Make the playgrounds sun safe.
- Buy sunscreen in bulk for sporting events and physical education classes.
- Buy equipment for indoor sports.
- Buy sun safe promotional items for student recognition.
- Plant trees.
- Build permanent shade structures.
- Build a gymnasium or indoor sporting facility.
