Sun Safety Resources

Skin cancer is a largely preventable disease when sun protective practices and behaviors are consistently applied and used. An important audience for promoting sun protective practices is young children through early childhood education since one severe childhood burn can increase the risk for developing skin cancer later in life. Teaching sun safety at an early age instills lifelong habits that can prevent skin cancer.

The Sun Safety Alliance (SSA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to reducing the incidence of skin cancer in the U.S. by motivating people to adopt and practice sun safe behaviors. The SSA recognizes that it is vital to educate children, early childcare staff, parents and other caregivers about the importance of adopting sun safe behaviors to prevent overexposure which often leads to skin cancer. That is why the SSA is committed to projects that provide resources to facilitate sun safety education in early childcare settings.

Currently, the SSA, in association with the Entertainment Industries Council, and with support from the Sabra Dalby Rightmire Foundation for Melanoma Education and Research, has launched the Sun Safety Alliance Sun-Safe Childcare Project in Crème de la Crème® Early Learning Centers of Excellence® nationally.

The SSA’s Sun-Safe Childcare Project materials include a staff training module, children’s learning activities, and parent education materials. Reproducible children’s take-home booklets and parent information sheets reinforce children’s sun safe knowledge in the home, and encourage parents to adopt sun safe practices.

The Sun Safety Alliance’s website includes downloadable sun safe activities for infants-preschoolers, Safe Fun in the Sun activity book, and parent information sheets.

Resources

Sun Safety Alliance, EIC East 1760 Reston Parkway, Ste. 415; Reston, VA 20190; 703-481-1414; www.sunsafetyalliance.org. You can view Early Childhood Education resources at www.sunsafetyalliance.org/resources.html

To order materials for your early childcare and education program, contact Dr. Charlotte Hendricks, Project Director, 2312 Chandawood Dr., Pelham, AL 35124; 205-663-7402; www.childhealthonline.org