YOUR OPINIONS

Hi everyone i was just wondering if you could change the no hat no outdoor play policy to make it more equitable for your children while at preschool.its one of my questions for my course and was just wondering what everyone else thought of it
TIA

Hi everyone i was just wondering if you could change the no hat no outdoor play policy to make it more equitable for your children while at preschool.its one of my questions for my course and was just wondering what everyone else thought of it
TIA

Huh?

Why would you want to change it, its for their own good to protect them from the sun. I think its a great policy and dont see how its disadvantaging anyone.

Huh?

Why would you want to change it, its for their own good to protect them from the sun. I think its a great policy and dont see how its disadvantaging anyone.

i agree, i wouldnt want to change it....

actually, i did kinda help my DD's kindy change there policy. At the moment the no hat no play thing is term 1&4 only, and the kids bring there own hat, but there is sooooo many kids who dont, so I suggested to them that when a child starts kindy, there is a one off $10 fee which is for a kindy hat, which has the kids names on it and it stays at the kindy, and once a week, someone takes them home with the other washing (tea towels etc) that way no child ever has to worry about leaving there hat at home and not being able to play.

so i reckon all kindy's should do that, lol.

I am not exactly sure what you are asking, but why would you want to change the policy? It is there for everyone's protection. And how is it not equitable?

At DD's daycare they are asked to bring a hat on 1 October which then stays at daycare until 30 April. So at least no child is at risk of forgetting theirs. However, I do feel that daycares/kindys/whatever should probably keep some spares there that could be borrowed, much like they do with all other clothes.

ETA: sorry Memmi, just read your post and realised that this is much the same as what you said. But yes my DD's daycare have always done this.

its one of my questions for my course and was just wondering what everyone else thought of it

I have worked in Montesorri kindy and they have a policy of hat every term either a sun hat or a warm hat. No hat no outdoor play. Great way to teach children the benefits of wearing a hat. Keeps the sun out in summer and the heat in in winter. Hope this helps. As a parent we want our children to wear a hat, the younger this is introduced the better.

I agree with everyone else. We live in Australia and a hat should be compulsory ALL year. The only part of the policy that could or should be debated is what each center does when a child doesn't bring a hat. I think it is a bit harsh for preschoolers to be sat out of play because their mum/dad forgot the hat but some centers sight hygiene as an issue for "school hats". Some of the solutions above would deal with this problem nicely.

Well, I don't agree with wearing a hat all year. Sure on the days where the uv index is high and in the cold, but all year? Thats being a little extreme and over protective. Although the purpose for the rest of the year isn't to protect them, its to enforce the policy of wearing a hat outside. Kids need sun. People need sun. Thats why we are seeing a vit d deficiency in Australia, because parents are now so paranoid of the sun - they cover them up.

Not sure how close some of the Montessori philosophies are to Steiner, but I know children need to wear shoes and hats in waldorf kindys- not just to protect them physically, but essentially to hold their soul in their body as it hasn't properly incarnated yet.

If I were sending my kid to kindy/school, I would be fighting it. No direct sun for 5 days a week all year. Not healthy.

Well, I don't agree with wearing a hat all year. Sure on the days where the uv index is high and in the cold, but all year? Thats being a little extreme and over protective. Although the purpose for the rest of the year isn't to protect them, its to enforce the policy of wearing a hat outside. Kids need sun. People need sun. Thats why we are seeing a vit d deficiency in Australia, because parents are now so paranoid of the sun - they cover them up.

Not sure how close some of the Montessori philosophies are to Steiner, but I know children need to wear shoes and hats in waldorf kindys- not just to protect them physically, but essentially to hold their soul in their body as it hasn't properly incarnated yet.

If I were sending my kid to kindy/school, I would be fighting it. No direct sun for 5 days a week all year. Not healthy.

Current school policy is not that they wear at hat all year, during the winter months no hat is required when the UV is lower. The schools are onto the fact children need Vitamin D but in warmer months policy is no hat no play and I'm happy with that. Australia has the highest rate of skin cancer in the world, its great to educate kids and protect them from a young age.

Well, I don't agree with wearing a hat all year. Sure on the days where the uv index is high and in the cold, but all year? Thats being a little extreme and over protective. Although the purpose for the rest of the year isn't to protect them, its to enforce the policy of wearing a hat outside. Kids need sun. People need sun. Thats why we are seeing a vit d deficiency in Australia, because parents are now so paranoid of the sun - they cover them up.

Not sure how close some of the Montessori philosophies are to Steiner, but I know children need to wear shoes and hats in waldorf kindys- not just to protect them physically, but essentially to hold their soul in their body as it hasn't properly incarnated yet.

If I were sending my kid to kindy/school, I would be fighting it. No direct sun for 5 days a week all year. Not healthy.

They are only at school for 30 hours a week, 40 weeks of the year (Actually missing 6 weeks during the hot summer months). Why would you bother fighting such a policy when the school is trying to get the kids into the great habit of covering up from the sun in a country where skin cancer rates are so high? I'm sure the hours after school, on weekends and school holidays, would be more than enough time to get sufficient sun exposure if it was such a concern.

Well, I don't agree with wearing a hat all year. Sure on the days where the uv index is high and in the cold, but all year? Thats being a little extreme and over protective. Although the purpose for the rest of the year isn't to protect them, its to enforce the policy of wearing a hat outside. Kids need sun. People need sun. Thats why we are seeing a vit d deficiency in Australia, because parents are now so paranoid of the sun - they cover them up.

I agree.

Our schools in NZ have the same policy, but I can't tell you the number of kids I have seen running around school at lunchtime without the supposedly mandated hats on. So I suppose the other thing might be what is the point of having the policy if you aren't going to enforce it...and are you replacing one issue with another; decrease in skin cancer rates but an increase in Vit D deficiency and all the nasties that come with that. I never would have known had I not actually been driving/walking past school when the kids were out.

DS1 is required to put sunscreen on before he leaves home in the summer months, so I'm not that bothered about whether he wears a hat or not when he is at school. I tend to wear one in summer, but only because it makes it easier for me to see when out without having to shade my eyes all the time. laugh Our boys do wear hats at certain times of day in the summer, but otherwise we are a hats optional family.

Why can't the policy be about everything in moderation instead of just instituting a blanket policy? So it might say "if you are out between say 11-3, or whenever the sun is 'strongest', you must wear a hat and outside those times they are optional".

Current school policy is not that they wear at hat all year, during the winter months no hat is required when the UV is lower. The schools are onto the fact children need Vitamin D but in warmer months policy is no hat no play and I'm happy with that. Australia has the highest rate of skin cancer in the world, its great to educate kids and protect them from a young age.

Sorry, I should have quoted the post before mine. It was in response to wearing one all year.smile I think there are some schools in SA where its an all year thing though, just thinking about it. Might be private schools though.....