(ChemotherapyAdvisor) – More than 1 million students worldwide have been reached through “LIVESTRONG at School,” a program that provides teachers with tools necessary to educate about cancer and offer support, according to a presentation from the Lance Armstrong Foundation at a conference on non-communicable diseases in children (NCD Child) in Oakland, CA, held March 19-20.
An estimated 1.6 million new cases of cancer will be diagnosed in the US this year. Children in classrooms confront cancer daily, whether in themselves or in a grandparent, parent, family member, friend, or teacher. In fact, 25% of cancer survivors in the US have at least one school-aged child at home, and a third of breast cancer survivors in the US have dependent children. Some 3 in every 4 families in the US will help care for a family member with cancer.
“LIVESTRONG at School,” which is free and available online, features age-appropriate materials for children from kindergarten to 12th grade. Included are lesson plans, printable worksheets, videos of cancer survivors, classroom posters, and family resources.
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“Teachers have reported increases in students’ knowledge about cancer and cancer survivorship as a result of using the program,” the presenters reported. More than 90% of teachers reported their students learned something new about cancer and cancer survivorship; that they would use the curriculum again; and that they would recommend the curriculum to a friend.
Project partners include the LIVESTRONG experts in cancer survivorship; Scholastic, Inc.; and Alpheus Media, a LIVESTRONG partner that films cancer survivors globally. Since the program’s online launch in fall 2009, materials have been downloaded more than 56,000 times.
