More Monbulk students will be protected from the sun’s damaging rays after the Victorian Government provided funding for more shade in school playgrounds and outdoor areas.
Member for Monbulk James Merlino MP announced two schools in Monbulk will share in over $1.3 million of funding from the latest round of the School Shade Grants program.
“It’s great for kids to spend time playing outdoors and keeping active. These grants mean local school children can still enjoy the outdoors while having the necessary shade to be protected from the sun,” James Merlino said.
The program provides grants to build new shade structures, repair existing structures, or create natural shade by planting trees. Funding is also provided to purchase sun protective items including hats and sunscreen.
The children, teachers and families of the Patch Primary School will receive $24,647.50 to install a shade sail structure over the play area that is utilised by 3 classrooms, for play, group work, eating lunch and gardening. This space is currently utilised 7 days a week by students, nearby kinder, families and the community.
The Patch Primary School has a strong emphasis on nature-based learning. The Patch Primary runs a Forest Classroom program every week – this program brings together year 5 students and kinder children to spend time outdoors learning in nature. It is a unique and valued program that relies on a range of outdoor learning spaces that are naturally protected from sun and rain.
The children, teachers and families of Kallista Primary School will get $700 to purchase 50 bucket hats for the incoming prep class of 2022, and 7, 1 litre bottles of sunscreen.
Through this initiative the Victorian Government is helping children to be sun smart and prevent skin cancer, while still embracing the outdoors and keeping fit, active, and healthy.
Childhood and adolescence are critical periods during which exposure to UV radiation is more likely to contribute to skin cancer later in life. Schools play an important role teaching effective sun smart behaviours from an early age.
Shade alone can reduce overall exposure to UV radiation by up to 75 per cent when used in combination with other sun protection strategies such as sunscreen, hats, sunglasses, and protective clothing.
In 2018, melanoma was the fifth most common cancer in Victoria with 3,096 new cases diagnosed and sadly 291 deaths.
“Skin cancer is one of the most preventable forms of cancer in Australia. It’s important we give Victorians the protection they need to stay sun smart.”
The School Shade Grant program is complemented by the Community Shade Grants program, which provides shade for community organisations. The outcome of the current round of the Community Shade Grants will be announced soon.
So far, these programs have awarded 1715 grants totalling more than $16 million in funding across Victoria. Round seven of the Shade Grants Program will open in mid-2022.
“Our grants programs have helped hundreds of schools and community groups provide the protection Victorians need to prevent cancer. Now even more children in our area will be shielded from the sun’s harmful rays.”
It forms part of the Government’s ambitious Victorian Cancer Plan 2020-24 which sets out a target to halve the proportion of Victorians diagnosed with preventable cancers by 2040.
