Policy statement:
Protecting the children within our care from the sun is something we take very seriously, therefore sun cream and sun hats are a vital way of preventing sunburn to reduce the risk of skin cancer in later life.
Our Sun cream policy is as follows:
To ensure all children are properly protected from the sun during their time at nursery, all parents always provide a bottle of sun cream that is clearly labelled, within use-by date, SPF50 sun cream, in the child’s bag. Should this not be readily available in the child’s bag, nursery sun cream will be provided and charges will be applied.
Sun hats must be provided by all parents, every day.
Procedure:
• We follow guidance from the met office weather and UV level reports and use the following procedures to keep children safe and healthy in the sun:
• Key persons will work with the parents of their key children to decide and agree on suitable precautions to protect children from burning, including more sensitive skin types and those that may be more tolerant to the sunshine, e.g. black and/or Asian colouring.
• Staff will make day-to-day decisions about the length of time spent outside depending on the strength of the sun. This will be based on the daily UV forecast found on the BBC weather app on the tablets.
• Sun cream should always be applied when the UV rating is moderate or above.
• Staff will bring children outside before applying sun cream to avoid unnecessary sitting around, prioritising children with sensitive skin.
• Sun cream will not be sprayed directly onto children’s faces as there is a danger of it going into eyes.
• Children are encouraged to drink cooled water more frequently throughout sunny or warm days and this will be accessible both indoors and out
• Children are made aware of the need for sun hats, sun cream and the need to drink more fluids during their time in the sun
• Staff should lead by example by ensuring they are following our sun safe procedure with sun cream, sun hats and drinking plenty of fluids.
Sunlight is important for the body to receive vitamin D. We need vitamin D to help the body absorb calcium and phosphate from our diet. These minerals are important for healthy bones, teeth and muscles.
Our body creates vitamin D from direct sunlight on our skin when we are outdoors. Most people can make enough vitamin D from being out in the sun daily for short periods with their hands or other body parts uncovered. Sun cream will stop the ultraviolet B (UVB) rays from reaching your skin, so part of your body should be uncovered and not have sun cream on. At nursery we find the right balance to protecting children from sunburn as well as allowing the skin to access the sun for the vitamin D benefits, e.g. hands will be left without sun cream but children will be fully monitored to ensure no hands are burnt. The benefits will be discussed with parents and their wishes will be followed with regard to the amount of sun cream applied.