Back to School
School can put stress on children and parents alike. Healthy habits can help support your child’s academic and athletic performances and support relationships with other students and teachers.
Focus on your Child’s Nutrition. 40% of daily calories for school aged children comes from added sugar and solid fats. Encourage them to have healthy eating habits. Inquire about your school’s breakfast and lunch programs availability and pricing. If you send in snacks or drinks with your child, choose healthier options. Families receiving TANF and/or SNAP benefits do not have to fill out an application if they submit to the school a direct certification letter provided by the Local Department of Social Services. SNAP and/or TANF recipients may also complete an application for free and reduced-price meals which only requires them to provide the case number, the names of the children and an adult household signature.
You can apply for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) online or by visiting your local department of social services. New York City has SNAP Centers. Visit their website for locations and hours.
Know the risks and symptoms your child may face, such as bullying, head lice, and infectious diseases, including “bugs” like norovirus outbreaks.
Vision problems can impact school work. Children often develop vision problems as they grow – squinting, holding handheld devices too closely may indicate a vision problem.
Make sure a good night’s sleep (8-10 hours) is a priority – watch for overuse of phones or tablets after bedtime. Set a strict bedtime and stick to it.
Get vaccinations up to date. Check with your school to ensure your child is properly vaccinated prior to the start of the new academic year.
Practice good hygiene at home, including hand washing, not touching faces with their hands and covering their mouth and nose with a tissue or the crook of their elbow when coughing or sneezing.
Allergies. If your child has severe allergies, be sure to notify any school officials, day care centers, parents or any others that may have regular contact with your child. Children who experience several allergy symptoms for extended periods may feel sluggish, sick, exhausted, foggy, temperamental, moody or lethargic. This persistent discomfort may bring about distractions in the classroom or mood changes that are sometimes mistaken for learning disorders or behavioral issues. The most common food allergies in children are to peanuts, milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, soy, tree nuts, and wheat. Severe reactions are more likely to occur to peanuts, tree nuts, fish, and shellfish, and can last a lifetime. Children often outgrow allergies to milk, eggs, soy, and wheat. Symptoms of mild or moderate allergic reactions include rash, facial swelling, tingling mouth, stomach pain, vomiting, and diarrhea. Severe allergic reactions can include difficulty breathing, tongue or throat swelling, fainting, severe stomach pain, vomiting, and diarrhea.
Online dangers. Be aware! Talk with your children about online predators and scams. Encourage them to talk with you if they are being pressured or cyberbullied.
Limit Screen Times Too much screen time may lead to sleep problems, lower grades in school, reading fewer books, less time with family and friends, not enough outdoor or physical activity
weight problems, mood problems, poor self-image and body image issues, fear of missing out, less time learning other ways to relax and have fun. Managing a child’s screen time is challenging for families. Your child is never too young for a screen-time plan. Consider the following as a guideline:
- Until 18 months of age limit screen use to video chatting along with an adult (for example, with a parent who is out of town).
- Between 18 and 24 months screen time should be limited to watching educational programming with a caregiver.
- For children 2-5, limit non-educational screen time to about 1 hour per weekday and 3 hours on the weekend days.
- For ages 6 and older, encourage healthy habits and limit activities that include screens.
- Turn off all screens during family meals and outings.
- Learn about and use parental controls.
- Avoid using screens as pacifiers, babysitters, or to stop tantrums.
- Turn off screens and remove them from bedrooms 30-60 minutes before bedtime.
Positive and healthy screen use is possible with proper guidance and consistency.
There are many more valuable tips available on healthychildren.org.
Plan a safe route to and from school, or to the bus. Check on policies regarding food on the bus. Eating on the bus can present a problem for students with allergies and also lead to infestations of insects and vermin on the vehicles.
