Tips for Back-to-School

Friday, July 30th, 2021Mindfulness, Prevention, Safety, Wellness
The 2021-2022 school year is quickly approaching and bringing with it unique challenges to parents, students, and school staff. This year, along with sleep and nutrition, new routines, and new teachers, parents should also consider the impact of COVID-19 on their back-to-school planning, including gaps in knowledge and social and emotional development. The physicians at Health by Design want to share the following back-to-school tips to help you prepare for a great 2021-2022 school year.

  • Be proactive and speak with your children’s school about areas they may be struggling with and expectations for the upcoming year.
  • Make appointments for any doctor’s visits that were missed over the last year (i.e., physicals, eye exams, dental exams, vaccines).

  • Let children socialize safely! If they are starting new schools, try to set up opportunities for them to meet other children in their upcoming grade.
  • Address fear they may be having in returning to in-person learning.
  • Do not minimize or ignore any mental health concerns. Speak to your child’s doctor and ask for help.

  • After a summer break, children will need to acclimate to a regular school schedule. Start by establishing standard lunch and snack routines.
  • Establish reasonable bedtimes to allow for appropriate sleep and an earlier start to the day. The National Sleep Foundation suggests:

  • Set the example for good hygiene at home with regular handwashing and wearing face masks when applicable.
  • Consider getting a COVID-19 vaccination as soon as you are eligible.

Avoid the last-minute rush and large crowds by purchasing school uniforms, clothing, masks, sanitizers, tissues, wipes, and school supplies now.

Make a card with essential information your child or an authority figure can access, including emergency contact information, list of medical conditions, medications, and allergies.

Download a blank “Backpack” emergency card here: https://www.cdc.gov/parents/backtoschool/Backpack-Card.pdf

Kids & Sleep

Quality sleep is necessary to perform well in school. It improves mood, enhances the ability to focus, and is essential for forming and retaining memories – an important component to learning. On the flip side, inadequate sleep puts kids at increased risk for health problems, including obesity, Type 2 diabetes, poor mental health, injuries, and attention and behavior problems that can contribute to poor academic performance.
Good sleep hygiene contributes to overall well-being and can help students perform their best. Try these sleep hygiene tips to set your students up for success.
  • Maintain a regular sleep schedule - Adhering to a sleep schedule helps prevent fatigue, exhaustion, and daytime drowsiness.
  • Provide a comfortable sleep environment - A dark, cool room that is quiet or has a soothing sound from a fan or white noise machine.
  • Encourage regular exercise.
  • Avoid too many extracurricular activities - A schedule full of activities may be fun, but free time and rest time are also important to children’s development.
  • Limit napping - Don’t take naps if they interfere with sleep at night.
  • Limit caffeine - It can keep your child alert and awake well after bedtime. The American Association of Pediatrics recommends against caffeine consumption in children less than 12 and no more than 100mg/d in children 12-18 years old.
  • Use the bed only for sleep - Encourage children to do homework, reading, and other school-related activities in designated locations.
  • Encourage children to avoid the following in the hour before bedtime: TVs, computers and laptops, cell phones, handheld video game devices, and other electronics that emit blue light.

Students with parent-set bedtimes experience less fatigue and lethargy during the day.

A Good Bedtime Routine Prepares the Mind and Body for Sleep
Consider these relaxing bedtime routine activities:
Helping Kids Get Back on a Sleep Schedule After Summer or Holiday Breaks
  • Gradually adjust sleeping and waking to the desired times for school so that by the first day of school, they are adjusted to the new sleep schedule and are ready to go.
  • If your child cannot fall asleep after twenty minutes, allow them to get out of bed to do a quiet, sleep-inducing activity, free from blue light. When they are sleepy, help them get back into bed again.

COVID-19 Information for School

COVID-19 Vaccination for Children
If your child qualifies for a COVID-19 vaccine, consider vaccinating now! Do not wait until right before school starts since it takes two weeks after final vaccination dose before they are considered fully vaccinated.

As of June 2021, the following vaccines have received Emergency Use Instructions (EUI) in the United States:
  • Pfizer-BioNTech for ages 12 years and older (two-shot regimen)
  • Moderna for ages 18 years and older (two-shot regimen)
  • Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen for ages 18 years and older (one-shot regimen)
Variants will continue to be an issue contributing to the spread of Covid until transmission is reduced. The best way to reduce transmission and the formation of new variants is for the most people to get vaccinated. The vaccines that are available now are still effective against severe disease.
We are still in a global pandemic. Despite the COVID-19 risk level being low in certain areas in recent weeks, an increase in cases is expected as children too young to be vaccinated return to school and the spread of worldwide variants evolve.

The CDC has an operational strategy to help K-12 schools address COVID-19 prevention and recommend schools use “layered prevention” strategies such as:
  • Universal and correct use of masks
  • Physical distancing of sitting arrangements in the classroom and cafeteria
  • Staggered start times for activities and lunch
Here's What Parents Can Do To Help:
  • Ask your child’s school about their COVID-19 policies and procedures including their cleaning and disinfecting policy and procedures for positive COVID-19 cases and how you will be notified.
  • Educate children, especially young children, how to perform frequent handwashing. Encourage them to wash their hands to their favorite 20-second tune!
  • Teach children to sneeze or cough into the inside of their elbow and use a tissue to wipe their nose.
  • Remind kids to not share food or drinks.
  • If your child is sick, KEEP THEM HOME! And if their symptoms are consistent with Covid, get them tested.
  • Consider wiping down school supplies at the end of the day and teach your children to do the same.
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