HeatReady Schools

Click on the HOW-TO TUTORIAL below for navigating this webpage and becoming a HeatReady School!

What are HeatReady Schools?	Those that are increasingly able to identify, prepare for, mitigate, track, and respond to the negative impacts of school ground heat. The overarching goal is to improve the safety and protection measures of children exposed to extreme heat during the school day by creating a HeatReady Schools Tool. Because most areas prioritize city-scale efforts to tackle rising temperatures, we are focusing on community-scale efforts to improve heat readiness for greater urban connectivity.
	ASU Partners & Paideia Academies planting vegetables in their LEHR garden! Students playing during recess and cooling off in the shade!

Why are HeatReady Schools important?	Schools are generally hubs for their surrounding community; they connect parents, teachers, children, residents, and families, meaning all are impacted by school heat conditions, preparedness, and policies. Children are the leaders of our future and one of the most vulnerable populations to extreme heat! As temperatures rise both indoors and outdoors, educational performance and cognitive development are negatively impacted by extreme heat.
	Playground structures are often made of materials that absorb heat, which has resulted in kids burning their skin! Youth are vulnerable to extreme heat, both indoors and outdoors!



Who is the HeatReady School Tool intended for?	Your school can choose your own HeatReady Champion! Someone who is able to take lead on organizing/initiating action at your school to improve heat readiness. Our general suggestions for that HeatReady Champion role include, but are not limited to: Principals, Vice Principals, nurse and/or health aides, PTA members, teacher's committees, sports coaches, etc.
Some of Paideia's Lighthouse Team planting trees on their campus! Students and staff working to create more shade in hot areas!

How do I use the HeatReady School Tool & website?	1. Begin by seeing what level of Heat Readiness your school is at right now! Download the Tool (electronic) (printable) Complete the Survey below (insert link, tell them where to find on this page.) Fill out your Tool. Organize your actions on your HeatReady Schools Tree. Contact ASU partners for your school's printed large poster! 2. Use this webpage as a FREE resource for support along your HeatReady School journey! Use the brainstorming board to communicate with ASU partners & other schools to share ideas for HeatReady improvements. Check out what conversations are happening right now in the media. Connect with other schools that are also working to become HeatReady! Share your challenges and successes, offer tips, and ask questions using our forum. 3. Finally, fill out the "let us know how we're doing"* in the BOTTOM RIGHT to give us feedback on your experience (takes <5 mins to complete!).*

ASU partners are excited to work with your school on becoming more Heat Ready

ASU partners Jenni Vanos (left) and William Walker (right) collecting personal
temperature data with MaRTy!

Click on the HOW-TO TUTORIAL below for navigating this webpage and becoming a HeatReady School!

What are HeatReady Schools?	Those that are increasingly able to identify, prepare for, mitigate, track, and respond to the negative impacts of school ground heat. The overarching goal is to improve the safety and protection measures of children exposed to extreme heat during the school day by creating a HeatReady Schools Tool. Because most areas prioritize city-scale efforts to tackle rising temperatures, we are focusing on community-scale efforts to improve heat readiness for greater urban connectivity.
	ASU Partners & Paideia Academies planting vegetables in their LEHR garden! Students playing during recess and cooling off in the shade!

Why are HeatReady Schools important?	Schools are generally hubs for their surrounding community; they connect parents, teachers, children, residents, and families, meaning all are impacted by school heat conditions, preparedness, and policies. Children are the leaders of our future and one of the most vulnerable populations to extreme heat! As temperatures rise both indoors and outdoors, educational performance and cognitive development are negatively impacted by extreme heat.
	Playground structures are often made of materials that absorb heat, which has resulted in kids burning their skin! Youth are vulnerable to extreme heat, both indoors and outdoors!



Who is the HeatReady School Tool intended for?	Your school can choose your own HeatReady Champion! Someone who is able to take lead on organizing/initiating action at your school to improve heat readiness. Our general suggestions for that HeatReady Champion role include, but are not limited to: Principals, Vice Principals, nurse and/or health aides, PTA members, teacher's committees, sports coaches, etc.
Some of Paideia's Lighthouse Team planting trees on their campus! Students and staff working to create more shade in hot areas!

How do I use the HeatReady School Tool & website?	1. Begin by seeing what level of Heat Readiness your school is at right now! Download the Tool (electronic) (printable) Complete the Survey below (insert link, tell them where to find on this page.) Fill out your Tool. Organize your actions on your HeatReady Schools Tree. Contact ASU partners for your school's printed large poster! 2. Use this webpage as a FREE resource for support along your HeatReady School journey! Use the brainstorming board to communicate with ASU partners & other schools to share ideas for HeatReady improvements. Check out what conversations are happening right now in the media. Connect with other schools that are also working to become HeatReady! Share your challenges and successes, offer tips, and ask questions using our forum. 3. Finally, fill out the "let us know how we're doing"* in the BOTTOM RIGHT to give us feedback on your experience (takes <5 mins to complete!).*

ASU partners are excited to work with your school on becoming more Heat Ready

ASU partners Jenni Vanos (left) and William Walker (right) collecting personal
temperature data with MaRTy!

HeatReady Schools en Conexión con el Tiempo - The Weather Channel en español.

Share HeatReady Schools en Conexión con el Tiempo - The Weather Channel en español. on Facebook Share HeatReady Schools en Conexión con el Tiempo - The Weather Channel en español. on Twitter Share HeatReady Schools en Conexión con el Tiempo - The Weather Channel en español. on Linkedin Email HeatReady Schools en Conexión con el Tiempo - The Weather Channel en español. link

Están los colegios listos para afrontar #emergencias por #calor? Podemos crear conciencia en los #niños acerca de los peligros del clima extremo y prevenir muertes? La cultura frente a los peligros del calor en los estudiantes más jóvenes ha sido poco explorada dentro los programas de las ciudades. Mary Muñoz nos habla de la iniciativa HeatReady enfocada a ayudar a la comunidad educativa en estas áreas.
Haz click aquí para aprender más acerca de esta iniciativa.
ABC15 AZ: HeatReady™ Schools program aims to keep kids safe on campus

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PHOENIX — School may be out for summer break but in some districts, students will be right back in the classrooms by the end of July, just as we’re hitting some of our highest temperatures of the year.
Max Villagomez is a first-grader at Paideia Academies in Phoenix, who, like most kids his age, loves playing outside. There’s not much that will slow him down, not even the heat.
However, the sizzling temperatures we experience during at least a portion of the school year can impact the health and learning experience of students across Arizona.
The Heat Ready Schools program aims to mitigate the heat risk by helping schools create a safer environment for their students.
Read more by clicking here!
PBS interview: Hottest City and Coping with Heat

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"Phoenix, AZ experienced over a hundred days of 100-degree weather. The mayor of Phoenix, Kate Gallego, describes new urban technologies that the city is implementing to battle the dangers of extreme heat. And at an even more local level, two researchers from the Arizona State University are going into elementary schools to offer feasible, actionable heat-preparedness strategies for teachers and students."
Click on the photo or hyperlink below to watch the full story!
How Is America's Hottest City Coping With Rising Heat?
Planet Forward story: Protecting children from extreme heat

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Project lead and recent Masters of Sustainability graduate, Adora Shortridge, was interviewed on what heat means for children's health and how we can prepare valley cities for the warm seasons during school!
Click the photo or hyperlink below to see the full story.

Research project looks for solutions to protect children from extreme heat