3 Shade Planning for America’s Schools Extended Periods of Physical Activity In adults, regular physical activity is linked to enhanced health and reduced risk for the development of many chronic diseases. Lifelong physical activity patterns are often developed in childhood and adolescence. In the section on preventing physical activityrelated injuries in CDC’s Guidelines for School and Community Programs to Promote Lifelong Physical Activity Among Young People, the use of shaded spaces or indoor facilities to reduce the incidence of heat-related illnesses is recommended. Not all schools have indoor facilities designed for active play; however, providing shade on existing outdoor play areas could reduce the temperature in those areas by as much as 10° to 20 °, increasing the period of time that students could engage in active outdoor play. School Grounds Aesthetics All too often, school grounds are an environment of concrete, asphalt, steel, turf grass, and chain link fences. In planning strategies to provide or increase shade on school grounds, schools have a second chance to improve the aesthetics of the school property, making the grounds more inviting to students, teachers, staff, parents, and visitors. A wellplanned shade implementation project engages the entire school community in making the school a more pleasant place to learn. Who Should Read This Manual? A school includes not just the principal, teachers, students, and staff, but also key stakeholders and decision-makers that comprise the school community. In addition to school officials, the school community includes parents, neighbors, and members of the broader community, all of whom have a stake in helping to protect the community’s children and adolescents from skin cancer. This manual was written as a reference tool for the entire school community, encompassing both the school district and the individual school. How Can This Manual Be Used? Chapter 1 School board members, superintendents, principals, and school health advisory councils can use this manual to acquaint themselves with issues relating to the damaging effects of solar UV radiation, skin cancer prevention, and planning for shade implementation at their schools. The first chapter gives information on both the short- and long-term effects of UV radiation on health and provides a rationale for developing sun-safe policies in schools. Chapter 2 The second chapter addresses strategies for providing shade at schools and includes some of the advantages and disadvantages of each strategy. School board members, superintendents, principals, school health advisory councils, and school shade planning teams will find this information useful in determining the strategies that will work best at their school. Chapter 3 The third chapter presents an overview of the process of planning a shade implementation project. School board members, superintendents, principals, and school health advisory councils can use it as a brief overview of the process. School shade planning teams can refer to this chapter for an introduction to the process and to chapters 4 and 6 for more detailed information to guide them through the steps of shade planning.
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