As Canada faces more frequent and intense heat waves due to climate change, experts in health, education, and law are warning of a growing crisis: extreme heat in schools and childcare centers. With the Government of Canada predicting near-record temperatures in 2025, health organizations are urging immediate action to address the lack of preparation in these facilities.
The Canadian Partnership for Children’s Health and Environment (CPCHE) and the Canadian Environmental Law Association (CELA) have highlighted the risks children face in classrooms and childcare settings during heat waves. Their new reports urge coordinated efforts to safeguard children’s health and well-being in schools and daycare facilities across the country.
Children at Higher Risk
According to Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), temperatures in 2025 are expected to rival the extreme heat of 2024, which was the hottest year on record. While temperatures in 2025 may be slightly cooler, it is almost certain they will surpass previous records.
Extreme heat poses significant physical risks, including heat stroke, exhaustion, rashes, and other illnesses that can develop quickly. Children are especially vulnerable to these health hazards for several reasons:
- Children generate more heat during physical activity and have a lower capacity to cool down through sweating than adults.
- They dehydrate faster than adults.
- Younger children may struggle to express when they are feeling overheated, placing added responsibility on caregivers and educators.
Children with disabilities or chronic health conditions, such as asthma or heart problems, are at even higher risk. Research shows that even temperatures that are not considered “extreme” can lead to increased emergency room visits for children.
The impacts go beyond physical health. Hot classrooms can negatively affect students’ ability to focus, remember information, and regulate their emotions, making learning more difficult. Studies have shown that higher temperatures can lead to irritability, poor sleep, absenteeism, and lower academic performance.
One U.S. study found that for every 1°F (0.5°C) increase in temperature during a school year, student learning declined by 1%. Another study showed that on a day when temperatures reached 32.2°C, high school students performed 4.5% worse on exams compared to when the temperature was 21.1°C.
Heat Deepens Inequalities
The CPCHE’s call to action and CELA’s research highlight how extreme heat disproportionately affects children in low-income communities. These children often live in areas with fewer green spaces, more crowded housing, and limited access to cooling both at home and at school. Many schools in these areas lack air conditioning or proper outdoor shade, turning already hot days into serious risks.
Indigenous children face additional vulnerabilities due to the systemic underfunding of infrastructure on First Nations lands, which affects schools and childcare centers. The lack of proper facilities puts children’s health and safety at risk.
Without significant investment, Canada may leave thousands of children in dangerously hot classrooms, where the consequences are not just academic but also a matter of health and safety.
Overheated Classrooms and Playgrounds: A Growing Problem
Extreme heat events are becoming more common across Canada. By 2050, the number of days exceeding 30°C in some parts of the country is expected to double or even triple due to climate change.
CPCHE points out that Canada’s educational infrastructure is not keeping up with the changing climate. Media reports reveal that few schools in Quebec and Nova Scotia have air-conditioned classrooms. In Toronto, less than a third of schools have central air, and many schools in Winnipeg have no cooling systems at all.
During heat events, indoor temperatures can soar well beyond the recommended maximum for residential settings, which is 26°C. This limit is based on adult tolerances, not children’s. Overheated classrooms can discourage school attendance and disrupt education, especially for students whose homes also lack air conditioning.
Playgrounds and outdoor learning spaces can become dangerously hot due to pavement and artificial surfaces, trapping heat. A study in Arizona found that school playgrounds were some of the hottest places measured. Shade is often scarce, especially in lower-income areas, and the increasing use of artificial turf adds to the problem, as it can trap heat and pose additional health risks.
The CELA reports emphasize that the crisis is particularly severe in First Nations communities. Chronic underfunding has left schools and childcare centers in these areas ill-equipped to handle extreme weather. Indigenous children face greater exposure to poor air quality, wildfire smoke, and extreme heat, raising serious concerns about environmental justice.
Conclusion
As climate change intensifies, it is clear that Canada’s schools and childcare facilities must be better prepared to protect children from the harmful effects of extreme heat. Urgent action is needed to ensure that all children, especially those in vulnerable communities, can learn and play in safe, cool environments. Without immediate and coordinated efforts, Canada risks worsening health and education outcomes for its youngest citizens.
