Rainbow DJ LabRas Tafari Inc. · Rainbow Beach Park, Chicago
Proposed:The Lab is not running yet. No class runs until every item on the launch checklist is complete.
Rainbow DJ Lab › Safety › Sunscreen & Hydration

Sunscreen & Hydration

How the Rainbow DJ Lab protects children from sun and dehydration during outdoor summer classes at Rainbow Beach Park.

Status

These policies were adopted by the Ras Tafari Inc. board on October 17, 2026. The Lab is proposed. Outdoor classes would happen only in summer, on the park lawn, as the Chicago Park District approves.

Sun

Before class (parents)

  1. Put on broad-spectrum sunscreen, SPF 15 or higher (CDC guidance) before your child arrives, on all exposed skin.
  2. Send a hat with a brim that shades the face, ears and back of the neck, and sunglasses that block UVA and UVB if your child has them.
  3. Send your child's own sunscreen, labeled with their name, for reapplying.

During class (staff)

What Who When
Stations set up in shade (trees, canopies) Staff Before children arrive
Reminder to reapply sunscreen Lead adult About every 2 hours in the sun, and after heavy sweating. Classes run 2 hours, so this falls near the end
Children apply their own sunscreen Child During a break
A Little DJ's sunscreen is applied Their own grown-up (who stays with them) As needed

Staff do not rub sunscreen on children's skin. Junior and Teen DJs put it on themselves. Staff can squeeze it into a child's hand and help by pointing out missed spots. This keeps contact appropriate (see our Youth Protection Policy).

If your child's own sunscreen runs out, we will use a Lab-supplied broad-spectrum sunscreen only if you said yes to that on the Medical & Allergy form. That form also asks about skin sensitivities.

CDC notes the sun's UV is strongest from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (daylight saving time). When we can, we schedule outdoor classes outside the midday peak.

Water

  1. Send a full, refillable water bottle labeled with your child's name.
  2. Water break every block, outdoors and in. Children never have to ask permission to drink.
  3. The Lab will keep extra drinking water on site for refills during outdoor classes.
  4. We never withhold water, not as a consequence and not to save time (Discipline Ladder).
  5. Water is better than sugary drinks or sports drinks for most kids (CDC). Drinks with caffeine or "energy" drinks aren't allowed at class.
  6. Bottles are not shared between children.

Bodies need more water in hot weather and during activity (CDC). On hot days we follow the heat tiers in Lakefront Weather.

Signs we watch for

  • Dehydration: dry mouth, headache, dizziness, tiredness, crankiness, not needing the bathroom.
  • Sunburn: red or painful skin.
  • Heat illness: see the heat section of Lakefront Weather. Confusion, fainting or a seizure means 911.

What you'll be told

  • Before each outdoor session: a reminder to send sunscreen, a hat and water.
  • At pickup: if your child got sunburned, seemed dehydrated or needed a cool-down rest.
  • Right away by phone: any sign of heat illness.

Sources

  • CDC, Sun Safety: https://www.cdc.gov/skin-cancer/sun-safety/index.html
  • CDC, About Water and Healthier Drinks: https://www.cdc.gov/healthy-weight-growth/water-healthy-drinks/index.html
  • CDC, Heat and Health: https://www.cdc.gov/heat-health/
  • National Weather Service, Heat Safety: https://www.weather.gov/safety/heat