As students head back to school, the Allan Labor Government is bringing attention to students and families across Victoria about the importance of being sun smart in the schoolyard as UV levels reach record highs.
The warning comes after the release of new research that showed the huge impact exposure to UV radiation during childhood can have on skin cancer risk.
Skin cancers including melanoma are preventable by using sun protection and informing children at a young age about the dangers of UV exposure.
Parents can follow a few basic guidelines on how to keep their children safe:
Teach them to apply their own sunscreen to know how to do it independently before and during school
Attach sunscreen to their backpack, so it can be an easy reminder to reapply at school
Label their child’s hat in order for them to grab it before heading outdoors
Encourage their child to search for shady spaces while outdoors.
The timely guidance comes as the Labor Government celebrates a major milestone, marking 30 years of supporting the Cancer Council’s SunSmart Victoria School Program that was established in 1994, with 90 per cent of primary schools now participating in the program.
Over the past three decades, Victoria’s teachers and educators have taken part in reducing the risk of melanoma and skin cancer, by using SunSmart policies that teach sun protection habits from an early age and reduce students’ UV exposure at school.
Minister for Health Mary-Anne Thomas said the program had kept children safe.
“Victoria’s lifesaving SunSmart program has been keeping children safe for 30 years – as the UV radiation increases, it is now more important than ever for kids to be taught and practice Slip, Slop, Slap, Seek and Slide,” she said.