Heat preparedness in childcare and schools

Who are the instructions for?

This guidance is intended for directors, teachers, childcare workers, and other professionals in early childhood education and care and comprehensive schools who are responsible for safeguarding the wellbeing of children and young people, as well as the health security of daycare centres and schools.

Children—especially infants and those under five years of age—are particularly sensitive to the adverse effects of heat. Children’s ability to regulate body temperature is less developed than that of adults, and they are more prone to dehydration. The risk of health effects is further increased by children’s physical activity and by their limited ability to protect themselves from heat. This guidance describes how health and wellbeing risks caused by hot weather and overheating of premises in early childhood education and care and schools can be prevented through proactive planning and preparedness measures implemented during heatwaves.

Preparing in advance

Assess the risks related to indoor overheating: identify which spaces are most prone to overheating during hot weather.
Install thermometers in group rooms and classrooms to monitor indoor temperatures.
Ensure that windows can be opened when necessary (if the ventilation system permits) and shaded using light-coloured blinds or curtains. Windows in easily overheating spaces can also be protected with window-mounted solar control films, awnings installed outside the windows, or shading vegetation. If indoor spaces overheat very easily during hot weather, installing cooling air‑conditioning units should be considered.
Outdoor and play areas should also include shaded spaces. Shade can be created, for example, with vegetation, canopies, and sunshades. Good design of play areas and equipment can also help create shaded areas and prevent equipment from overheating.
Prepare action guidelines for hot weather and train and instruct staff in advance—and always at the beginning of the warm season—on how to operate during hot conditions.
Monitor weather forecasts, heat warnings, and UV radiation forecasts in advance and take action in good time.

Measures during heatwaves

The Finnish Meteorological Institute issues a heat warning when the forecast indicates that the daily maximum temperature will reach 27 °C and the mean temperature to 20 °C. However, protection from heat and the sun should be considered already at lower temperatures. Preparedness measures should always be taken whenever indoor temperatures rise above normal levels.
Inform staff about heat warnings and remind them of practices and preparedness instructions related to hot weather.
Provide guidance to parents, pupils, and younger children—in an age‑appropriate manner—that on warm days a child or pupil should wear light but sun‑protective clothing and a hat, bring a water bottle, and, if necessary, use sunscreen and sunglasses.
Monitor the temperature of group rooms and classrooms in the morning, during the day, and, if necessary, also in the evening.
Prevent indoor temperatures from rising. Shade sun‑facing windows with blinds or curtains and keep windows closed during the day when the outdoor air is warmer than the indoor air. Turn off unnecessary lights and electrical devices, and ventilate the spaces in the evening/night or early in the morning by creating cross‑ventilation or by boosting mechanical ventilation. If possible, use air‑conditioning.
Fans may provide relief if the indoor air temperature is below 35 °C. As fans do not actually cool the air, at higher temperatures they cause more harm than benefit. In excessively warm conditions, a fan increases the body’s heat load. Fans also increase evaporation of moisture from the skin, so they should not be placed right next to a child or blowing directly onto the skin.
If possible, move to cooler rooms or, when the indoor temperature is higher than the outdoor temperature, go outside for a while to a shaded area.
Ensure and remind children and pupils to drink enough. Signs of dehydration in children include reduced urination and darker urine, a dry mouth, absence of tears when crying, irritability, and reduced physical activity.
Ensure adequate fluid intake and remind children or pupils to drink regularly throughout the day, even before feeling thirsty. Plain water is a good thirst quencher. Other suitable drinks during hot weather include diluted juice and milk. In addition to drinking, sufficient food intake is important to maintain proper salt balance. Drinking excessive amounts of water in a short period (several litres at once) is dangerous.
In hot weather, it is good to wear light, loose clothing made of natural fibres. Protection from direct sunlight should include cool long‑sleeved and long‑legged clothing, a wide‑brimmed hat, sunglasses, and, if necessary, sunscreen. Very young children, who are more vulnerable to heat‑ and UV‑related health effects, should be especially well protected from the sun. The best protection is staying in the shade and avoiding outdoor activities during midday. Sunscreen is not recommended for children under two years of age.
Protect yourself properly from the sun (Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority)
Take weather conditions into account in daily activity planning. If possible, schedule outdoor activities and physical exercise during the cooler parts of the day, such as early morning. Avoid strenuous physical exertion in hot conditions.
During outdoor activities and physical exercise, remain in shaded and cooler areas whenever possible.
If the yard or playground is very sunny, create temporary shaded areas using sunshades or canopies. Remember to ensure the safety of sunshades and canopies.
If a child is sleeping in a stroller, the stroller must not be left in direct sunlight. Ensure that air can circulate inside the stroller.
When traveling by car, protect the window with a sunshade. A child must never be left in a parked vehicle.
Watch for symptoms of heat illness and take action if necessary.
Heat illnesses
If symptoms are severe or do not subside, contact healthcare services (your local health centre, emergency care, or the medical helpline 116 117). The younger the child, the more readily medical care should be sought. If a child is very weak or lethargic, seek care immediately. In a life‑threatening emergency, call the emergency number 112.

Action limits for high indoor temperatures under the Housing Health Decree

Under the Housing Health Decree (545/2015), action limits have been set for indoor temperatures. Outside the heating season, the action limit for high indoor temperature in childcare facilities, schools and similar facilities is 32°C.

If the action limit is exceeded, the party responsible for the nuisance must take measures to evaluate the potential health hazard and, if necessary, remove or reduce it.

In problem situations contact the property owner and, if needed, the municipal health protection authority.

Housing Health Decree (Ministry of Social Affairs and Health Decree 545/2015, Finlex, in Finnish)

Guidelines for the application of the Housing Health Decree (PDF, available for download on the Finnish Supervisory Agency’s website, in Finnish)