On scorching summer days last year, Lyndsay MacKay would visit her 16-month-old son’s childcare facility to find him in a diaper, his skin clammy, and his hair sticking to his head. She would often see him exhausted, sometimes even dozing off during meals. Despite the caregivers’ efforts to keep the children cool with ice cubes, popsicles, dimmed rooms, and cool cloths, MacKay believed the children were still struggling to cope with the heat.
As an early childhood education professor and a concerned mother from Toronto, MacKay is part of a growing movement advocating for regulating indoor temperatures at daycares to a maximum of around 26 degrees Celsius, similar to standards set for long-term care facilities in Ontario. The push comes as infants, toddlers, and preschoolers, like the elderly, are more vulnerable to heat-related illnesses due to their higher metabolic rates and less efficient sweat glands, making it harder for them to regulate their body temperature.
Dr. Kirstin Weerdenburg, a pediatrician at Halifax’s IWK Health Centre, emphasized the importance of caregivers recognizing signs of heat exhaustion in young children, such as fatigue, flushed skin, irritability, and difficulty walking. While most heat-related issues can be managed at home with hydration and a cool environment, severe cases may require medical intervention, including IV fluids for dehydration.
Amy O’Neil, the executive director of Treetop Children’s Centre in Toronto, stressed the necessity of air-conditioning in childcare facilities for children’s safety rather than just comfort. Despite the significant cost of installing air conditioners, O’Neil believes it is a crucial investment to prevent heat-related health risks among children.
While there have been discussions at the policy level, little progress has been made in implementing regulations on maximum indoor temperatures in daycares across Canada. Current regulations in various provinces lack specific temperature limits, with some jurisdictions only requiring licensed daycares to provide a safe environment without explicit temperature guidelines. Advocacy groups like For Our Kids in Nova Scotia are pushing for better regulations to ensure children’s well-being in childcare settings.
As temperatures continue to rise due to climate change, experts recommend revisiting temperature guidelines regularly and monitoring indoor temperatures in daycares to safeguard children’s health. With hotter summers predicted in the coming years, ensuring adequate cooling measures in childcare facilities is becoming increasingly crucial to protect children from heat-related illnesses and discomfort.
