SunSmart America Overview
Our mission is to save lives through education about the prevention
and early detection of skin cancer, especially melanoma.
The Foundation’s vision is “to educate children throughout the country and give them
the skills necessary to make healthy sun safety choices throughout their lives.”
As the Foundation grows we will continue to advocate for school districts throughout
the country to require sun safety education as part of their curriculum.

Introduction to the SunSmart America™ Curriculum
Welcome to the new SunSmart America™ K-12 Curriculum. These resources promote the SunSmart America™ message and provide teachers with information and a range of classroom activities on skin cancer and sun protection. These materials were developed with the help of The Cancer Council in Australia, Palm Beach County School District Teachers and Curriculum Specialists and the Medical Education Committee of the Richard David Kann Melanoma Foundation. This resource is available to teachers and schools throughout the country.

Elementary School
The SunSmart America™ K-5th grade resource offers primary teachers ready made curriculum lessons and activities to base sun protection learning experiences. This resource is cross-curricular, interactive and FUN!!! A study conducted by the Melanoma Foundation and the University of Miami found that the SunSmart Elementary School Curriculum increases students knowledge as well as changes their behavior toward sun safety.

Middle School
The SunSmart America™ Middle School resources promote the SunSmart message and provides teachers with information and a range of classroom activities on skin cancer and sun protection. The educational information is arranged in five cross-curricular topics. Each topic contains a SunSmart Education Lesson, Pre & Post tests and several activities.

High School
The SunSmart America™ High School resources promote the SunSmart message and provides teachers with information and a range of classroom activities on skin cancer and sun protection. The educational information is arranged in five cross-curricular topics. Each topic contains a SunSmart Education Lesson, Pre & Post tests and several activities.
History of SunSmart America™
In 1998, the Foundation bought the rights to the Australian SunSmart program and adapted it to educational standards in the United States. The curriculum, called SunSmart America™ consisted of age-appropriate lessons for grades K-12 and is widely used in the Palm Beach County School District and in School Districts across South Florida.
In 2003, the Foundation was awarded a grant from the Health Foundation of South Florida to begin a sun safety program in the Monroe County School District, educating the residents of the Florida Keys. In 2004, the Foundation in collaboration with the University of Miami, received a grant from the National Institutes of Health for $1.5 million to study the effectiveness of the Foundation’s award-winning SunSmart America™ Elementary School Curriculum.
Over the years, the Foundation has received many accolades and awards for its curriculum and programs. Just to name a few, the Foundation is an eleven-time winner of the American Academy of Dermatology’s Gold Triangle Award. The Melanoma Foundation has also been featured in several news articles and medical journals for its work in the area of raising sun protection and early detection awareness.
The Richard David Kann Melanoma Foundation’s staff has educated hundreds of thousands of students, families, staff, and communities, to make critical sun safe choices for healthy lives. We have presented in public and private schools, community groups, professional associations, and businesses in Palm Beach County and throughout the state of Florida.
In 2009, The Foundation’s staff, Board of Directors and Palm Beach County School District Curriculum Specialists revised and updated the SunSmart America™ Curriculum to include up-to-date medical and scientific information.
SunSmart America™
SunSmart America™ has been adapted from a very successful program developed by the Anti-Cancer Council of Victoria, Australia. Australia has one of the highest incidences of skin cancer in the world. Through a decade-long public health, and education campaign in that region, an 11% decrease in the incidence rate of skin cancer has been realized. The success of the Anti-Cancer Council program has been recognized world-wide.
An Important Message to Educators
We all are aware of the multitude of factors that draw our youth to take part in potentially dangerous behaviors. Unhealthy peers pressures, lack of accurate information, and strong advertising, and media influences. All combine to contribute to poor decision-making. We can make a difference by giving our students the knowledge, and skills necessary to make healthy choices, now and throughout their lives.
The Palm Beach County School District and the Richard David Kann Melanoma Foundation are presently working to make sun safety education constant, and systematic. Eventually reaching students beginning in Kindergarten, and moving up through all grade levels. The decision to begin sun safety education at the school level was based on the fact that skin damage begins to surface among youth in this age range. Lives may be saved by teaching students, prevention and early detection techniques that they can use now and always.
SUNSMART AMERICA™ instruction is easily integrated into most subject areas, through lessons that have been developed by a team of science teachers from the Palm Beach County School District. Science, Health and Biology classes, in particular, have been specifically selected to integrate sun safety education into lesson plans on account of the parallel content.
Skin Cancer Prevention Progress Report 2016
Current Events
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SAMPOSIUM 2019: Bringing students together for education, awareness and the prevention of melanoma
On October 12, over 100 students representing seven Palm Beach County Florida schools gathered at the Keiser University Flagship Campus in West Palm Beach for the 2019 RDK Melanoma Foundation Students Against Melanoma SAMPOSIUM. The purpose: to bring peers together...

Why Israel’s skin cancer rates are dropping
In these hot summer months when we’re all outdoors and enjoying the sun, it’s more important than ever to protect against skin cancer. While the sun offers us much needed vitamin D, there are also unfortunately many harmful effects of too much sun exposure. In this...
The SunSmart America™ K-12 Curriculum and Resources help promote sun safety education, prevention and early detection of skin cancer.
SunSmart America™ Resources
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SunSmart America™ Training
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SunSmart America™ Schools
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Palm Beach County Teachers
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Contact the Richard David Kann Melanoma Foundation
The Melanoma Foundation is one of the first organizations in the country that has been on the cutting edge of skin cancer preventive education and the only organization in Florida. After extensive review of health education literature, the Foundation selected the successful SunSmart curricula from Australia on which to base its many programs and adapt to local educational standards and environment. The Foundation utilizes SunSmart America™ for grades K-12.
Richard David Kann Melanoma Foundation
v: 561-655-9655 | f: 561-655-9650
2751 S. Dixie Highway, Suite 2A, West Palm Beach, Florida 33405