The earlier we teach healthy sun habits, the healthier our kids will be.
Just one blistering sunburn during childhood can double a person’s risk of developing skin cancer later in life. And more than half of a person’s lifetime sun exposure happens before age 20. As children spend most of their time at school, this is an ideal setting for learning and practicing sun smart behaviors.
Nevada Cancer Coalition’s Sun Smart Schools has been recognized by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as a success story and has been spotlighted four times on the national stage.
Sun Smart Schools provides educators and administrators the tools to teach and support sun smart behaviors through:
- Curriculum
- Technical assistance
- Guest speakers
- Model school and district policies
- Sunscreen and dispensers
Since the program’s pilot in the 2015-2016 school year, every school district in the state has adopted a sun safety policy. The official Sun Smart Schools program and has expanded to 95 schools in 11 of the state’s school districts, including public, private, and charter schools and grades K through 12.
Interested in Becoming a Sun Smart School? We invite pre-k, elementary, middle, and high schools throughout Nevada to participate in Sun Smart Schools. We are happy to work at the school or district level, and with private or charter schools. Contact program manager Lily Helzer for more information.