Get Shade
Students spend anywhere from one to three hours outside during the school day. Shade can be a useful sun safety tool during recess or lunch breaks and while waiting for the bus or parents. Shade can be easily incorporated on school grounds with the use of trees and shade structures.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has developed a comprehensive guide for schools: Shade Planning for America's Schools, to help schools create and maintain a physical environment that supports sun safety. The manual was created to support school communities in their implementation of CDC's Guidelines for School Programs to Prevent Skin Cancer.
Adapted from the manual, here is a quick list of things you will need to do to get started:
- Identify Stakeholders
- Find groups that may have an interest in, or will be affected by, the resulting plan.
- Assemble the Shade Planning Team
- Representatives from the stakeholder groups should be included on the planning team.
- Conduct a Shade Audit
- The audit will help the planning team determine how much shade is currently accessible on the school grounds and if more is needed. The Audit consists of:
- Stakeholder Interviews
- Obtain a site plan and ask stakeholders about the outdoor environment.
- Interviewees can refer to activities in relation to designated zones on the plan and features of the school grounds.
- Interviewers can record the information directly onto the plan.
- Behavioral Observations
- Observe outdoor activities conducted on the school grounds and document the usage patterns of students, teachers, and staff.
- Environmental Observations
- Record the distances between the various buildings and play equipment.
- Name different zones, document any significant topographical features, boundaries of the school’s property, which direction is north, and whether it is magnetic north or true north.
- Make notes regarding the surfaces and finishes of each building and play area on the school grounds.
- Inventory each tree and planted area on the school grounds. Trees should be numbered on the site plan, and a separate set of notes should record the team’s findings.
- Measure the amount of shade being cast on the grounds.
- Assessing the Findings
- Analyze the quantity and quality of shade that is accessible on school grounds, and determine if and where additional shade is needed.
- Decide on Shade Design
- Based on the shade audit, the planning team should present its recommendations in text and graphic format to the Board.
- Find Funding
- At the same time that the planning team is finalizing the shade design, team members can explore potential funding sources and volunteer resources for the project.
- Make it happen
- Purchase the type of shade needed for the school grounds and implement its use where needed.
Some other ideas for incorporating permanent shade on school property:
- Assess your grounds to determine where shade is needed and what is feasible. Outdoor lunch areas, playgrounds, and school bus or parent pick-up areas are good locations for shade.
- Plant trees in open spaces where shade is needed and will be used.
- Establish an Arbor Day tradition, including a tree-planting ceremony and educational activities promoting the benefits of trees. Local nurseries may offer discounts to schools.
- Erect temporary and permanent shade structures in open spaces where shade is needed and where it will be used.
- Cover playground equipment with shade cloth.
- Mount umbrella stands on picnic tables in outdoor lunch areas.
- Encourage students to use shaded areas.
- Plan outdoor activities for shaded areas.
- Hold fundraising activities to purchase shade structures or trees.
Click here for a list of companies that sell shade structures.
