Slip, slop, slap and wrap – it's a popular rhyme at TopKids on Ngatai Road. The childcare centre in Otumoetai is the latest of more than 20 Bay of Plenty BestStart centres to become SunSmart accredited.

With summer in full swing, the Waikato/Bay of Plenty Cancer Society and BOP BestStart early childhood centres are collaborating to ensure the region's centres become some of the first approved SunSmart centres in New Zealand.

Waikato/Bay of Plenty Cancer Society of NZ SunSmart Schools Coordinator Samia Rose, Waikato/Bay of Plenty Cancer Society of NZ health promotion manager Melanie Desmarais, Cancer Society health promoter ambassador Jessica Ghaemaghamy and BestStart business manager Katherine McElhinney.

'Skin cancer is an ongoing problem in NZ,” says Jolene McMullen from TopKids on Ngatai Road. 'Working closely with the Cancer Society, we know we can help prevent this with robust programs and education.

'Young children are so wonderful at learning new skills and taking on board new ideas, by educating children around sun safety this young, we hope that taking care of their skin will just become what they do with ease.”

The Cancer Society and the Bay's BestStart centres have been working alongside teachers and children to ensure they know the best way to keep safe through the summer months.

BOP BestStart centres have had to ensure they were implementing a sun protection policy that meets the Cancer Society's minimum criteria, with almost all 23 centres now in the process of being SunSmart accredited.

Jolene says children and teachers at TopKids on Ngatai Road apply broad-spectrum SPF 30 sunblock every two hours between 10am and 4pm as advised by the Cancer Society.

'We also encourage the use of preferably broad brimmed, legionnaire or bucket hats and thanks to the Cancer Society, we have a supply of hats for children who have no hats or have forgotten theirs.”

The Bay of Plenty centres have appropriate shaded areas to ensure children can play safety in the hot summer months, says Jolene.

'We ensure that being SunSmart is woven through our curriculum. Children have the opportunity to meet Cody the SunSafe turtle, read books about keeping safe in the hot sun and lots of other ideas.

'Lastly we make sure that we're following the slip, slop, slap, wrap model from the Cancer Society.”

Kidicorp professional services manager for BOP Michela Homer says the initiative is the first of its kind with early childhood centres in NZ and has led to deeper understanding of what's needed to ensure children get the best of NZ summers, while keeping safe.

'We believe that education starts young and have been truly grateful to be working so closely with the wonderful Waikato/Bay of Plenty Cancer Society team to ensure that our children are well educated in understanding how to keep themselves safe in the heat.”