Re-examining policies for sunscreen at Colorado day cares

The story of two Oklahoma boys who got severely sunburned while at day care has gone viral. It’s sparked outrage from parents and caused the KRDO news team to look closer at policies and procedures at day cares in southern Colorado.

The state regulates day cares, and says providers must get permission from the parents to use sunscreen on children. Regulations also say the child should be covered with sunscreen before going outside and the provider must tell the parent what kind of sunscreen they are using. Children over four years old can apply sunscreen to themselves as long as they are under supervision of a provider.

Kat Mathis takes her daughter to Little Sprouts Daycare in Colorado Springs. She said she’s happy there are state mandates because of stories like the burned boys.

“It’s appalling. That’s child abuse and neglect,” Mathis said. “But I feel good about my daughter at Little Sprouts because they closely watch her.”

Little Sprouts, as well as many other day cares like the Early Learning Connections Centers, go above and beyond state regulations and create their own policies.

“We apply children’s sunscreen twice a day and if we’re outside for any length of time, we reapply it at least every two hours,” Sharon Smith, a provider with Little Sprouts, said.

Diane Price at the Early Learning Connections Centers said they created their own policies because sun protection is especially important in Colorado.

“We have a unique situation because of the high altitude and direct exposure to sunlight so we need to be cautious all the time,” Price said.

Both Price and Smith said their policies have worked so far and they have not had any parent complaints.