The essentials in brief:
- Sunburn can leave deep marks, especially on children’s sensitive skin, and increase the risk of black skin cancer. This is why reliable sun protection is so important for children!
- Children should always come to daycare with lotion on.
- Educators should apply sunscreen afterwards, but this is not required by law.
- Many day-care centers inform parents about the individual regulations with letters to parents on the subject of sunscreen.
Due to climate change, we are experiencing more and more warm and cloudless days. That sounds wonderfully summery at first, but at the same time the number of hours of sunshine in which we are exposed to the UV rays of sunlight is increasing. This affects our health: Skin cancer cases have been increasing for years. Sunburn, especially in childhood, significantly increases the risk of developing black skin cancer (malignant melanoma) later in life.
This is why sun cream or sunscreen with a high sun protection factor is so essential for children’s skin care. And we as parents are responsible for protecting the sensitive skin of children. But who bears the responsibility in day-care centers and kindergartens?
Sun protection starts at home: bring the children to the day care center with sunscreen on
In most daycare centers, the children should be brought in the morning already sunscreened. This saves time for the staff and the parents know that their child also tolerates the sunscreen used well.
However, applying sunscreen in the morning does not offer sufficient sun protection for the whole day – not even with sun protection factor 50. During the course of the day, the children should therefore be reapplied at least once, preferably more often, to prevent sunburn. In everyday life, however, this cannot always be implemented by the staff.
A father reports opposite Bridget:
“It’s an absolutely hot topic. Whenever we raise the issue of sunscreen with the daycare management, they threaten to alternatively leave the children completely inside in the summer.”
However, it is too easy to blame the daycare staff entirely. Because they face the problem that a few parents do not want their children to be covered with sunscreen. If this happens anyway, it is a legal gray area for the daycare center.
“Protection against dangers”: Is there a law on sun protection in the day care center?
Kindergartens and day-care centers are legally obliged to protect children from potential dangers. This is firmly regulated in the Social Security Code (SGB). How this protection is interpreted, however, is left to the discretion of the day care center.
Parents often argue that protection from harmful UV rays is part of it. However, many day-care centers see things differently and see the greater danger in a potential allergic reaction on the part of the children to the sunscreen used. The situation is muddled.
“We’re not allowed to put lotion on the children!”
Fearing the legal consequences if sunscreen cream is applied to a child against the will of the parents or if an allergic reaction to the cream occurs, many day-care centers resolve the situation with a “We are not allowed to put sunscreen on the children”.
Lawyer and self-proclaimed Kita lawyer Holger Klaus says:
“Here one can again distinguish whether this is not in the well-understood interest of the child and / or the parents and is therefore permissible even in the absence of express permission”.
Letters to parents provide information about sun protection in the day-care center
He advises obtaining written permission from the parents in the spring – i.e. a declaration of consent – that their child may be sunscreened. In fact, many day care centers hand out such letters to parents in which they provide information about the regulations in the facility. It is also often suggested that each child bring their own sunscreen that they tolerate well and leave it in the child’s compartment over the summer. Only then will the child be creamed.
Some day-care centers put up a notice telling them who is allowed to put sunscreen on their children and which sunscreen they use.
Day-care centers take responsibility seriously: children are given cream
In many day-care centers, parents and educators pull together when it comes to children’s skin care. We know about the responsibility and how important sunscreen is to prevent skin cancer. 68 percent of Hallo:Eltern readers confirm that cream is regularly applied in day-care centers and kindergartens.
How are things going with your kids? You can vote here:
General tips on sunscreen and sunscreen
In addition to sunscreen, a hat and good sunglasses are important sun protection products for children. What is often forgotten is that UV radiation can burn the eyes and promote diseases such as cataracts or corneal inflammation (keratitis). When it comes to children’s sunglasses, make sure they protect against UVA and UVB rays. Best of all they have UV400 protection and dark category 3 lenses.
When choosing the right sunscreen, you can heed the following sunscreen tips:
- Choose a product with a sun protection factor of at least SPF 30, 50 or even 50+.
- The cream should protect against UVA rays as well as UVB rays.
- If the sunscreen is also used for a holiday by the sea or the next time you are in a lake, make sure it is water-resistant.
- Only buy dermatologically tested products that are especially suitable for children’s sensitive skin.