Back to School Tips for Parents

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Children's Services Council of Palm Beach County for Back to School Tips for Parents. The opinions and text are all mine.

Happy Back to School Season! I am still in shock that B is in Kindergarten. The good news she is loving it! Over the last month I have spent a lot of time working to get B ready for the big day. I wanted to share my top 5 tips for parents with back to school season. These tips work for more than just back to school. They are great for any big life changes for you or your kids.

I am also excited to announce that I have partnered with Children's Services Council of Palm Beach County, CSC for the rest of the year. They are an amazing organization that I have had the pleasure of working with through some of the partner organizations, like Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies Coalition of PBC, Inc and Literacy Coalition of Palm Beach County, Inc. These two organizations are part of the 50 program/initiatives that they fund. In addition, CSC funds:

More than 220 child care programs through their Strong Minds system.
160 after school programs are a part of their Quality Improvement System.
The funding of the CSC, their provider agencies and their child care site created more than 1,600 jobs.

So, I will be bringing you lots of tips and tricks though the end of the year, don't forget to subscribe to my email so you don't miss any of the upcoming posts.

Back-to-School Tip #1: Be Prepared

Use the tools that are at your disposal like the EveryParent app where you can get tips and advice from local experts. Personalized parenting info, resources and connections to people who can help. Download the app today!
Take your kids school supply shopping with you so they can pick out their favorites supplies.
Remove as many of the unknowns as possible. If you are moving to a new school schedule a tour over the summer so your kids can start to familiarize themselves with the campus and where they will need to go throughout the day.

Back-to-School Tip #2: Be Positive

Change can be stressful no matter how old you are. The start of a new school year can be exciting but can also bring up fears. It is best to talk about these fears and to share how you will be there to support your kids no matter what comes up. And focus on the good parts of the new school year.

Reconnect with friends and setup playdates with kids that will go to the same school.
Focus on the things you know your kids love. B loves music and science, so I made sure to highlight how she will have classes on both at her new school.

Back-to-School Tip #3: Be Realistic

As a parent we want to protect our kids. It can be tempting to promise our kids that everything will be great. But you don't want to set the expectations too high and set your kids up for disappointment.

Don't over promise and set expectations that are too high.
It is ok for kids to be nervous. You can share how you are nervous too and how you are going to be learning together.
Encourage your kids to try new things or pursue things you know they will be good at. A friend with 4 kids gave me the best advice when she said, "our goal as parents is to find what our kids are good at and encourage them to pursue it."

Back-to-School Tip #4: Be Proactive

You are your child's best advocate and you know them best. Show your commitment to their welfare and step up as their advocate as needed.

Ease into back to school schedule. Two weeks before starts test out your new routine. Routines help kids feel more comfortable.
If you think something is an issue schedule an appointment with the teacher and get the bottom of it, so it does not escalate.

Back-to-School Tip #5: Be Consistent

Kids love routines. You can establish routines including nighttime, after school and morning routines.

Keep your routines consistent with some flexibility as needed.
Setup a family calendar. We have a master calendar hanging on the wall on the way to our garage. Once a week we review the calendar as a family, we also meal prep at that same time. I have found that having everyone on the same page has helped everyone in our family feel like they are in the loop.

About Children's Services Council of Palm Beach County

Children’s Services Council of Palm Beach County is an independent special district established by Palm Beach County voters in 1986. Today, Children’s Services Council of Palm Beach County provides leadership, funding, services and research on behalf of Palm Beach County's children, so they grow up healthy, safe and strong.

Mission: To plan, fund and evaluate prevention and early intervention programs and services, and promote public policies that benefit all Palm Beach County children and families.

Vision: All children grow up healthy, safe and strong.

Goals: Their four goals are that all our children are:

Born healthy
Safe from abuse and neglect
Ready for kindergarten
Able to access quality after school and summer programming.

Back to School Tips for Parents