Melanoma Prevention Foundation Provides At Home Learning Lessons

The Children's Melanoma Prevention Foundation (CMPF) is launching an online expansion of its national SunAWARE For Life educational programming for students and teachers to support at-home learning during the current school closure. The additional programming now includes 30-minute virtual classroom videos for Grades 3-5 and Grades 6-8, made possible by a grant from the South Shore Community Partners in Prevention (CHNA23).

In addition to the videos, online resources include a post test, children's books with lesson plans, and assorted collateral materials that support CMPF's national sun safety curriculum. The videos also include a Sun Safety Rap song written and performed by Natasha Dealecio and David Posso. All materials are available for free download.

CMPF is the only national foundation exclusively focused on preventing skin cancer by educating children and the people who care for them. The organization developed its SunAWARE school program to provide students with a better understanding of UV intensity and skin sensitivity, as well as proper sun protection and skin cancer recognition. Its goal is to prevent skin cancer, one child at a time, through education and advocacy. Over the last 17 years, CMPF has educated more than 1 million children in schools and the community.

Prior to the COVID-19 crisis, trained Foundation staff provided free, in-person sun safety awareness presentations at local schools and day cares, parks, tourist sites, sailing and recreation centers, and at professional conventions and symposia.

Founder Maryellen Maguire-Eisen said, "Our staff had more than 70 in-person school and community events scheduled on our spring and summer calendar when the stay at-home advisory was enacted."

She said, with the online resources, "Teachers can easily add our educational materials to Google Classroom and utilize the curriculum in a variety of ways. Students have the flexibility to view the videos independently, or teachers can download resource materials and use them to augment their lesson plans and create additional student assignments."

CMPF initially applied for the CHNA23 grant last fall when requests for in-person school visits had begun to surpass whatits staff could accommodate. Funding was provided to produce online
lessons for implementation in the Plymouth public schools.

Since the first of the year, the Foundation has worked with a team of educational advisors and PACTV in Plymouth to develop the video content and animated graphics for the online lessons.
In March, schools were unexpectedly closed and remote learning became the norm. The online SunAWARE programming has allowed the Foundation to redirect its focus and fill the at-home learning gap as teachers began searching for new web-based educational material for their students.

Topics include age-appropriate biology and life science information on: understanding the factors that affect skin sensitivity and skin types; understanding factors that affect ultraviolet radiation, highlighting the concepts of season, time of day, altitude, reflection, ozone layer, and weather, as well as high and low tech UV tools including "the shadow rule." The foundation stresses five easy SunAWARE action steps to promote sun safety, which are outlined in the fun and informative rap song.

CMPF will continue to work with the Plymouth school system while simultaneously reaching out to offer the new online learning resources to the multitude of schools and educators they've previously partnered with throughout the South Shore, North Shore and Greater Boston. Programming is already being utilized by the Woodward School in Quincy, with more to follow.

Maguire-Eisen said, "We educate children about sun protection and skin cancer prevention because we believe an ounce of prevention (or sunscreen) is truly worth a pound of cure. With skin
cancer rates skyrocketing and one person dying every 45 minutes from the disease, it is imperative that we protect our children from unnecessary risks. Early prevention is essential for a happy, healthy and productive life."

About South Shore Community Partners in Prevention (CHNA23)

• South Shore Community Partners in Prevention is a partnership between health care providers, hospitals, boards of health, schools, businesses, concerned citizens and elected officials to improve the health of our community. SSCPP's specific community reach includes Carver, Duxbury, Halifax, Hanover, Hanson, Kingston, Marshfield, Pembroke, Plymouth, Plympton and Rockland.

• Community Health Network Areas
(CHNAs) are coalitions of public, nonprofit and private sectors working together to build healthier communities through community-based prevention planning and health promotion. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) established CHNAs in 1992. Today, CHNAs involve each of the state's 351 towns and cities through 27 networks.

About Children's Melanoma Prevention Foundation

• Founded in 2003 and headquartered in Norwell, MA, the Children's Melanoma Prevention Foundation is dedicated to raising awareness about sun protection and skin cancer prevention,
focusing on melanoma prevention through free educational programming. Its mission is "preventing skin cancer, one child at a time through education and advocacy."

• Among other achievements, the Foundation:

- Played a pivotal role in securing state legislation preventing anyone under the age of 18 from using or operating an indoor tanning facility.

- Worked with South Shore Medical Center to educate new parents about infant sun safety.

- Partners with the National Park Services, Boston Harbor Islands and Boston Harbor Now to educate visitors, residents and Island staff about the importance of proper sun protection.

- Annually promotes "Don't Fry Day," a national day recognized on the Friday before Memorial Day, begun by The National Council on Skin Cancer Prevention. The program raises awareness to avoid unprotected exposure to the sun, wear sun protection clothing and sunglasses, apply recommended amounts of SPF >30 broad spectrum sunscreen, and check the skin regularly for
signs of sun damage, moles and more.

• CMPF Founder and Executive Director Maryellen Maguire-Eisen is an oncology and dermatology nurse with more than 40 years of experience. She's also an Adjunct Clinical Instructor at Boston University, an American Cancer Society Scholar and has been recognized by the American Nurses Association Massachusetts with their prestigious Community Service Award.

Skin Cancer Facts

• Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the US and one American dies from it every 45 minutes. (ACS, 2020)

• Skin cancer is most commonly caused by overexposure to UV radiation, either from the sun or indoor tanning devices. (CDC, 2018)

• Sunburns in childhood are associated with melanoma in adulthood. (Tsao, 2007)

• 50% of children sunburn annually. (CDC, 2019)

• 72% of melanomas in children are found in girls between the ages of 15 to 19. (Maguire-Eisen, 2016)

• The steepest decline in cancer death rates was in melanoma due to new therapies. (ACS, 2020)

• Melanoma accounts for 60% of the 11,480 skin cancer deaths expected this year. (ACS, 2020)

For more information,
visit
www.melanomaprevention.org.
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