Facing the heat
By Joan Lombardi, PhD
While the winter days now bring much cooler temperatures, as the year closes we all still remember the heat and other extreme weather events that have defined 2024.
Rising heat and other climate-related events, including recent hurricanes, have an impact on child development, both directly by impacting their health and well-being, and by increasing stress and economic conditions of those who care for them. We know that pregnant women and young children are particularly sensitive to heat stress. For example, according to UNICEF:
Heat stress in pregnancy can put the mother and baby at risk for health problems.
Children sweat less per kilogram than adults and have a higher metabolism, which means they get hot quicker.
Children spend more time outdoors than adults for play and other activities, putting them at greater risk for heat exposure.
While playing or exercising, children are less likely to rehydrate, so it is important to maintain health during intense heat.
Heat and other extreme weather can lead to learning loss due to program closures or lower attendance.
Extreme weather events are becoming more commonplace, raising concerns among parents and child care providers.
In August 2024, the national RAPID survey collected data from both parents and providers about their experiences with extreme weather events (see fact sheet). Results from the survey found:
Three out of five (61%) parents of children under age 6 have experienced at least one extreme weather event in the past two years.
Similarly, more than half (57%) of childcare providers report experiencing at least one extreme weather event.
A significant percentage of parents (84%) reported that their own physical health and emotional well-being is being negatively affected by extreme weather.
More than half the parents (56%) report their children’s physical health and emotional well-being is being negatively affected by extreme weather.
In this survey, as well as in other focus groups and informal conversations with child care providers across the country, a number of themes emerge. Outdoor play, an important contributor to a child’s health, is too often cut short. Both parents and providers are concerned about rising electricity costs due to reliance on more air conditioning, and the need to purchase new equipment to provide shade or renovate indoor and outdoor space. Caregivers worry about water shortages and fires during dry spells that can bring more respiratory issues and airborne diseases.
Facing these issues is the first step to addressing them.
We want healthy outdoor and indoor environments for young children and additional resources and support for parents and providers. Mitigating and adapting to the changing climate, and the ongoing environmental issues that have plagued too many communities for too long, will take focused action, including the following essential steps:
National, state, and community climate action plans should address the needs of young children, families, and early childhood providers.
Emerging early childhood legislation and regulations should include guidance and resources for families and child care providers to prepare and respond to extreme weather.
Environmental protection agencies should work together now with health, education, and human service agencies to help prepare parents, the early childhood community, and schools for summer 2025.
Together, these actions can help parents and childcare providers assure that improving environmental conditions and protecting the health and well-being of young children and families are key priorities.
Resources:
Further information on the impact of climate change on children:
Climate change and children’s health and well-being in the United States (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency)
Communicating the connections between climate change and early childhood (Harvard Center on the Developing Child, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and FrameWorks Institute)
Resources for parents:
Protecting children from extreme heat (American Academy of Pediatrics)
Heat wave safety tips (UNICEF)
Resources for the early childhood community:
The Children’s Environmental Health Network
The Children and Nature Network
Local Initiatives Support Corporation
Resources for health community and policymakers:
Global Climate Change and Children’s Health: Recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics
Joan Lombardi, PhD, is adjunct professor at the Stanford Graduate School of Education, senior advisor of the Stanford Center on Early Childhood, and chair of RAPID's National Advisory Council.