Dear Parents,

At this time of year, it is a good idea to review cold weather precautions with your children. Extra care is needed, especially in young children, to ensure that frostbite does not occur. Frostbite behaves like a burn and requires medical attention. The reality of frostbite in children is that it can occur even before temperatures and wind chills dip into extreme numbers if there is exposure to unprotected skin, and the exposure is long enough. So, monitoring temperatures and wind chill by themselves are no guarantees against frostbite.

Parents are the ones ultimately responsible for ensuring that children are properly clothed and not allowed to remain outdoors in extreme weather conditions of any sort. Therefore, it is important to monitor your children's outerwear everyday during extreme weather conditions. Also, please consider making emergency plans with your children in case you are not home before the bus comes to pick them up so that they know where and how to get help if they think they are staying outside waiting for a bus longer than you intended. Children should be instructed not to remain outdoors for longer than five minutes when temperatures dip into the teens, especially on a windy day. Of course, then should come in even sooner if they are very cold, feeling pain or numbness in their hands, feet, ears or noses or if their clothing, especially boots or gloves, becomes wet. If you are not able to be home while they are waiting outside for the bus, please arrange a place for your children to go in the event the bus is delayed, the child gets cold or wet, or feels pain or numbness anywhere.

Educating your child about the risks of cold weather so they know when to ask for help, providing a place for them to seek shelter in an emergency, and making sure that they are well protected with proper winter clothing are the best ways to ensure that they are safe from severe weather extremes.

Winter outings such as sledding wonderful exercise and a lot of, skating and making snowmen provide fun for children if precautions are taken. Please help your children enjoy this beautiful season. HAPPY WINTER !