As North Texas experienced temperatures in the 90s in mid-July and throughout August, summer vacationers sought out pools and water playgrounds to cool off. With the school year in full swing, getting kids outside is still a priority, but persistent high temperatures combined with infrastructure issues make it difficult to meet this need for students and children.
Texas is no stranger to extreme heat. The Dallas-Fort Worth area hit a high of 107 on Aug. 19, nearly a week after students returned to school in the Fort Worth Independent School District. Air conditioning issues also disrupted the first day of school last year in Fort Worth ISD, as 25 campuses experienced cooling issues in parts of their buildings. Given that heat has been shown to lead to learning loss in students and medical complications in young children, it’s a problem that’s becoming increasingly difficult to ignore. But as temperatures continue to rise across the United States and around the world, extreme heat is disrupting the suite of benefits that children get from spending time outdoors.
A working paper published in January by the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University delves into the specific ways extreme heat negatively impacts child development and health, as children are more vulnerable to extreme heat. Their smaller bodies warm up more quickly, their body temperature is regulated less efficiently because they are still developing, and they rely on their caregivers to provide them with water and cool environments.
The Harvard article notes that the dangers of extreme heat during pregnancy, infancy and childhood receive less attention than the dangers it poses to older people and those with heart and lung conditions. Premature birth and low birth weight, learning loss in school-age children, and heat-related illness and death are just some of the consequences.
Children sweat less than adults, which hampers one of the body’s most important cooling mechanisms. The body’s inability to cool itself properly can not only lead to kidney failure or seizures, but also to disruptions in learning loss, sleep quality and mental health, the article said. Learning loss plays a role when hot classroom environments distract students and teachers from concentrating, and the heat itself has been linked to slower cognitive function. Research shows that heat has a direct link to academic performance.
“An analysis of schoolchildren in the U.S., England, Sweden, and Denmark calculated that the temperature for optimal concentration is 72°F or lower. Student performance on psychological tests and academic tasks can be expected to increase by an average of 20% when classroom temperatures are lowered from 86°F to 68°F,” the article states. “Conversely, studies show that academic performance declines as temperatures rise. In New York City, for example, learning loss increased by 50% when school day temperatures exceeded 100°F, compared with days above 90°F.”
Excessive heat can also perpetuate existing inequities, said Dr. Lindsey Burghardt, the chief science officer at the Center on the Developing Child and an author of the paper. Burghardt is also the founder of the center’s Early Childhood Scientific Council for Equity and the Environment and a practicing primary care pediatrician.
Excessive heat disproportionately affects low-income communities of color that have been subjected to discriminatory zoning and lending practices like redlining. The article notes that lower-income students are more likely to attend schools with inadequate air conditioning compared to higher-income students. Additionally, Hispanic and Black households are less likely to have access to air conditioning compared to white households.
“Heat is so contextually important, and the way people experience it really depends on what resources they have to take mitigation and cooling measures, and that can really vary greatly depending on where you live,” Burghardt said.
The implications of this are far-reaching because of the educational and developmental value of children spending time outdoors. For example, vitamin D plays a vital role in their immune system and bone development, while free play allows them to build problem-solving, troubleshooting and multitasking skills. According to the National Association for the Education of Young Children, outdoor play also promotes better sleep, allows children to take appropriate risks and supports science, technology, engineering and math skills.
Audrey Rowland, founder and CEO of Green Space Learning and president of the Texas Association for the Education of Young Children, oversees a nature preschool in north Fort Worth where the daily schedule of 40 infants, toddlers and preschoolers revolves around the outdoors. Rowland and her staff monitor the heat index and air quality daily to determine whether to shift the children’s outdoor hours, but the outdoor spaces are built to withstand the Texas heat. They have large, mature trees for shade and artificial shade sails, along with a water pump and mister. The children also have 24/7 access to cold drinking water.
On days when air quality is poorer, Green Space teachers focus on activities that are more passive and require less energy, such as reading or making art, Rowland said.
“The difference in a nature kindergarten type of environment is that we can do so many things outside, so we have a regular kindergarten outside. There’s art, there’s science, there’s dramatic play. It’s not just running, climbing and playing,” she said. “Our classroom is also open to the playground. Especially in the summer, the doors stay open and kids can go in and out as they need to.”
Rowland noted how the issue has caught the attention of lawmakers in a handful of U.S. states that require schools to provide recess time every day, while making it illegal to take away that time as punishment. Additionally, initiatives like the National Schoolyard System, which is increasing the tree canopy on public school grounds across the country to provide shade and protect students from extreme heat, are creating the infrastructure needed to build resilience to climate change and its impact on children.
“Being outside is so critical for learning and development, for increasing those neurotransmitters, for increasing dopamine and mood,” Rowland said. “Creating strategies to be outside even when the weather is not ideal is just basic care for kids.”
Dr. Lisa Patel, clinical assistant professor of pediatrics at Stanford School of Medicine and executive director of the Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health, said the temperature at which humans can no longer adapt is 115 degrees Fahrenheit with minimal humidity, and many places around the world have broken that record. Transitioning to renewable energy and moving away from fossil fuels is a critical step toward avoiding a future where being outdoors is no longer sustainable, she said.
“We keep thinking that we’re going to be okay, that we can adapt to what’s coming, but there’s a point where we can technically adapt, but we’re talking about a radically different childhood. Radically different ways of living than what we grew up with. Is this the world we really want to live in? Always inside because it’s too hot to be outside?” Patel said.
States can also invest more in climate resilience, such as California’s $100 million investment that went toward creating spaces where people can go during extreme weather events like extreme heat, she noted. At the federal level, funding for the Centers for Disease Control needs to be dramatically increased, she said.
“We need to significantly increase funding for both the CDC and the Office for Climate Change and Health Equity to do this job of coming up with the programs and educational initiatives and the kinds of initiatives that we need to keep people safe,” Patel said.
