The schoolyard is hot today. The forecast called for sunny skies and temperatures in the mid-70s, but no breeze blows on the playground as the blacktop cooks under the So Cal sun.

It’s no secret that California is getting hotter on average, but scientists, educators and policymakers still don't fully understand how that trend will affect school children. And heat literacy — an understanding of heat, heat effects and heat effects mitigation — varies widely among teachers, parents and kids.

To better understand the issue, the UC Office of the President (UCOP) has awarded $2.26 million for a four-year project examining heat exposure and its effects on elementary school children. Funded through UCOP’s Multicampus Research Programs and Initiatives, the study will bring together researchers from UC Santa Barbara, UC Davis, UC Irvine and UC San Francisco. The team, led by UCSB’s Elizabeth Ackert, will work with nine California public elementary schools to measure temperatures on site, investigate current approaches to heat adaptation, and collaborate on strategies for mitigating heat exposure for school children.

UC Irvine researchers Andrew Penner, sociology professor, and Emily Penner, education associate professor, will lead the Anteater effort in Southern California with an allotted $594,106 over the project’s four years of funding.

“We'll be partnering with three elementary schools to understand how the temperature on the ground might vary at different spots around the campus,” Emily says. “We're also looking at the heat plans that schools follow and guidance that they provide families as they adapt to the new challenges posed by climate change. Longer term, we'll be working with them to engage stakeholders and develop heat readiness plans.”

“I am so excited about the University of California’s commitment to bringing research to bear on society’s biggest challenges,” adds Andrew. “Understanding how schools can take what we know about the ways that heat affects kids to create climate resilient schools is a great example of a place where you need deeply interdisciplinary teams, and we are so excited to be a part of a team that brings together researchers from pediatrics, education policy, geography, and sociology.”

Read more about the full project, courtesy of UCSB’s Harrison Tasoff.

pictured top to right: Children are more sensitive to heat than adults, and chronic overheating can affect their experience and engagement at school;Yaoinlove via iStock. Emily and Andrew Penner via UCI social sciences.