Keeping California Children Cool: Strategies for Safe Schools and Homes
New UCLA report highlights actionable solutions for legislators to protect kids from heat
Air conditioning units on a roof. Credit: istock / alacatr
As heat waves become more frequent and intense, many California children face unsafe indoor temperatures where they spend most of their time— at home and at school. Access to cooling in homes and schools is now a public health necessity, not a luxury.
Building on years of research on heat resilience and school safety, the UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation has released a report offering policymakers a menu of strategies to expand access to cooling in homes and schools. The recommendations focus on the installation and maintenance of air conditioning and other mechanical cooling systems, offering practical, evidence-based options for state leaders seeking to protect children where they live and learn.
Children shouldn’t have to choose between their health and their education. Our research shows that California can take immediate, concrete steps to make schools and homes safer from heat.
— Lana Zimmerman, project manager and lead author of the report
Practical Solutions for Legislators
The report outlines a set of policy and regulatory actions California leaders can adopt:
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- Set indoor temperature standards for schools and plan similar action during the 2031 Building Standards Code update, or sooner as an emergency health and safety measure.
- Track cooling access in schools, as the state already does for homes.
- Coordinate agencies through a state-level advisory committee.
- Fund existing programs that support equitable access to indoor cooling by serving high-need schools, homes, and regions.
- Centralize public information and simplify funding processes for local governments and communities.
- Prioritize equity by investing in high-need regions and supporting workforce training for cooling system installation.
These strategies are informed by new data from the 2025 Luskin California Poll that reveal gaps in access to indoor cooling and public opinion on state action. These facts include that nearly half of parents say they’ve kept their kids home because of heat, and yet one in ten households with children lack working air conditioning (AC). Many more Californians avoid using their AC because of high energy bills.
“Expanding access to cooling is about more than comfort. It’s about health and equity,” said V. Kelly Turner, associate director of the UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation. “The solutions outlined in our report recognize that children in low-income households and communities of color are often the most exposed to heat and have the least resources to respond,” added Turner, who is also an associate professor of urban planning.
As California implements new investments in school modernization, clean energy, and community resilience, this research offers a timely guide for aligning those efforts. The report, Keeping Californians Safe with Cooling Systems in Homes and Schools, underscores that keeping classrooms cool and homes safe is essential to a healthy, equitable future for the state’s children.
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