What is the SunWise Program?
SunWise is a free national sun safety education program
for children k-8. The program was created by the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency. In Arizona, the SunWise
Program is housed in the Arizona Department of Health Services
Office of Children’s Environmental Health. The program
includes 60 sun safety activities for children k-8. Activities
are categorized by age: k-2, 3-5 and 6-8. View and print the
activities on the SunWise Materials page.
Why is sun safety important?
Arizona ranks No. 2 in the world in skin cancer
incidence rates (Australia is No.1).The majority of a person’s
lifetime sun exposure occurs by the time he or she is
18.Therefore, reducing sun exposure during childhood is
crucial to lowering skin cancer rates.
Is SunWise education now a law?
Yes, the SunWise
Program is now a state mandate for all k-8 public and charter
schools. This means that all k-8 public and charter school
educators are required to incorporate the SunWise Program into
their existing curricula.
How do I get the Sunwise Curriculum?
Every activity card lists the
estimated time, learning objective, directions and discussion
points to confidently and successfully teach your students sun
safety without any prior knowledge. Activities range from 20
minutes to an hour.
For SunWise curriculum activities, simply email Sharon.McKenna@azdhs.gov.
Note: "SunWise" and "SunWise, a School Program that
Radiates Good Ideas" are trademarks of the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency."
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