The first day of school can be an exciting, stressful and chaotic day for parents and students.
To help your son or daughter get off to a good start, make sure all of the necessary preparations have been made.
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The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends taking the following steps before the first day of school:
- Make sure your child is registered for school, and that you are certain of when the first day of school is and what time the school day starts and ends.
- Help your child be prepared for lunch time by knowing when it is, how much it costs, the process for buying lunch and if your child will need a snack during the school day.
- Make sure you've filled out all of the necessary health and emergency contact forms.
- Make sure your child knows how he or she is getting to school, either by showing them their bus stop and telling them which bus they need to take, or by helping them find a short and safe route to walk to school.
- Discuss afterschool arrangements with your child so he or she knows where to go when classes get out and who will be at home waiting for him or her to arrive.
- Make sure you tell your child that it's normal to feel anxious before the first day of school and that other kids are probably nervous, too.
- Tell your child the positive aspects of starting school, that it will be fun and they will see old friends and meet new ones.
- If your child is really trying to avoid going back to school, talk to them about why he or she doesn't want to return. If the situation becomes severe, or if you're really concerned about your child, make the school's principal, guidance counselor and school nurse aware of the problem.