Get Back to School Ready: Emergency Preparedness Edition

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Reading Time: 4 minutes

From school supply shopping to re-acclimating your kids to an early morning routine, there is a lot of preparing that goes into the start of the new school year. As school supplies are packed into backpacks and the finishing touches are put on that first day of school outfit, don’t forget to take the time to build an emergency kit, make a family communication plan, and know how you will reunite with your kids if there is an emergency.

A little preparation now can make a big difference later! Here are some tips for preparing your kids for emergencies to stay safe if the unexpected occurs.

Make a Go Bag (or two).

A go bag, or disaster kit, is a collection of basic items designed to provide survival essentials in the case of a short-term disaster (it is recommended to have enough supplies to last for at least three days in your go bag). When assembling your kit, collect the items together with your child and talk to them about what they need in their go bag and the importance of each item. Items like a book, puzzle, and a favorite stuffed animal or blanket is a great comfort item to consider when assembling your kit.

Remember, everyone has different needs, so be sure to keep that in mind when assembling your go bags! You never know when a disaster or emergency might strike, so consider making multiple go bags and storing them both at home and in your vehicle. Check out these printable go bag checklists and start building your go bags today!

Make a family communication plan.

If a disaster or emergency strikes, knowing how to contact one another and reconnect if separated is an important part of emergency planning for you and your family.

In the case of an emergency at school, it’s always good to know what kind of emergency plan is in place at your child’s school. If you don’t know what the school’s emergency plan is, ask for it and get familiar with it. Know how your child’s school will contact you and make sure the contact information they have on file is up to date. Know what relocation sites have been preidentified by the school in the case of an evacuation. If your child rides the bus, know what alternative routes they might take and where the new drop of location(s) will be in the event of an emergency.

Have a family discussion to determine who would be your point of contact during an emergency. It’s always a good idea to pick one primary emergency contact that lives locally and another that lives out of town. Unless you are in danger, send a text. Texts may have an easier time getting through than phone calls, and you don’t want to tie up phone lines needed by emergency workers. Knowing where to go and how to get there is also essential. Decide on safe, familiar, accessible places where your family can go for safety or to reunite. If you have pets or animals, think about animal-friendly locations. Consider places in your house, in your neighborhood, and outside of your city to you’re prepared for any situation.

Practice, practice, practice! Write down your contacts and plans. Make sure everyone in the family has copies and keeps them in a safe space, like in a backpack or wallet. Your family’s needs change over time, so regularly meet to review, practice, and update your plan.

Keep emergency contact information up to date.

Revisit your child’s emergency contact list every school year and make sure the contact information your child’s school has on file is accurate. Practice with your child to help them memorize emergency contacts, important phone numbers (like 911), and addresses. Remember, schools might not always be able to access the student’s emergency contacts in some situations. You can also make a backpack emergency contact card for your child, so they always have the information on hand when at school. And don’t forget that ICE (in case of emergency) contacts should be saved on all the family cell phones. Entries should start with ICE and then have the name of the contact.

Make sure your child is up to date on their immunizations.

Start the school year off right by making sure your child is up to date on all their recommended immunizations. Immunizations help keep your child healthy and protects those around them, too. Skagit County Public Health offers the immunizations required for children entering school, childcare, and other learning programs, in addition to influenza and COVID-19. There is no cost, and no insurance is required. For assistance scheduling an appointment, please call (360) 416-1500 or visit www.skagitcounty.net/Departments/HealthDiseases/main.htm.

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Back to School: Create a Schedule that Works

Reading Time: 4 minutes

Along with Skagit school districts’ back-to-school reopening plans, each school has provided students with a schedule. While it is very important to become familiar with this academic schedule, it is also important to develop a schedule at home that will work for your student, as well as the rest of the household. Here are some ideas that may help bring a sense of clarity to your weekly routine. 

1. Compartmentalize your day

For anyone who’s been working from home the past several months, you have probably weighed the costs and benefits of compartmentalizing your day. When the work day bleeds into the work evening, then into the work weekend, it becomes really important to define your time—for your mental health, if nothing else.

The same holds true for your child! Create a routine in which your student gets up, gets dressed and has breakfast, then progresses into their school day. While it can be tempting, it is important to change out of pajamas (at least from time to time!) and put on some day-time clothing. Compartmentalize the day into natural chunks of time: morning classes, lunch, afternoon classes, and end-of-day. The late afternoon should include a period of free time to allow your child to decompress from the day and to wrap up their school work.

2. Take breaks and eat well

Along these same lines, be sure that your student takes breaks and sets aside a time to have lunch. It can be easy for kids to snack while they work, and to eat lunch at their study space. However, it is good for the mind and body to take a breather and spend some time in a different part of the house or outside.

For breaks, it may be helpful to take 15-20 minutes every few hours (or more often, for younger children). Be sure that your child knows that taking a moment to breathe, stretch, and come back to their work is extremely important (even adults need to do this!). If your child is really struggling with a project or assignment, encourage taking a quick break.

3. Get organized

It may be helpful to work with your child on reviewing their weekly academic calendar and any due dates that they may have for assignments. A planner (either paper or digital) could be a great tool for some students, while others may need something that is easily accessible and clearly visible. Just like in a school classroom, your child may find it helpful to have a whiteboard by their desk with a list of assignments, or even a large calendar with due dates clearly marked. This may also be a good thing for you, as the parent, since you can keep track of your child’s schedule from afar.

4. Get active…daily!

This is critical for your child’s physical and mental health. When the weather still permits, encourage your child to go outside to take a walk or bike ride. For younger kids, their local playground may be re-opening! Be sure to talk about keeping distance from others, even when outside, and wear a mask if in a more crowded area.

When the weather starts to turn chilly and/or rainy (or smoky), find some things to do indoors that get their blood flowing! Exercise and dance videos can be fun, and even stretching can be done in small spaces. Doing the same activities every day can get tiresome, so encourage your student to try different ways to get moving. And if you can, do it with them!

5. Encourage socialization

Your child might be excited to get back to school, even if it is remote and online. It may be the first time in a while that they have seen some of their friends and peers after a long COVID summer, and this re-engagement might be a seriously needed mood-booster. But don’t be surprised if by October your student is feeling burned out on online schooling. This kind of socialization might not be enough for many children, and it is okay to admit that!

When your child is feeling antsy or moody, encourage some socialization with friends. While it isn’t advised to schedule in-person meetups with large groups of friends, an occasional get-together between “besties” can be really good for your child’s mental health. Arrange a playdate outdoors for young children (being mindful of the 5-person per week limit), and for older students, maybe a study session outdoors? Take care to maintain social distancing and have your child wear a face covering. While it isn’t “school like usual” with the variety of opportunities to interact, a few social activities a month can go a long way to promote health and wellbeing.

6. Be flexible!

Expect the need to shake things up. A routine is awesome and a schedule is great, but sometimes things just don’t go as planned, and it is okay to modify it if necessary. There will be days that your student is rocking it and crossing off one assignment after another. However, there will also be days when PJs and a bubble bath are the most important thing. Both are okay. 

What we are asking of our youth right now is unprecedented, and we must always keep our children’s health at the forefront. If you ever feel like your child is struggling, connect with their teacher (or other school staff) and ask for some advice. You don’t need to take on these challenging times alone.

Back to School: Set Them Up For Success

Reading Time: 3 minutes

For this week’s edition of the “Back-to-School” blog, I wanted to write about communication. While our routine schedules are out of whack and our minds may be racing with all the new information about remote learning, parents can further the success of their children if they engage in ongoing and healthy communication during this new school year.

Here are some things that you can do to help prepare your at-home learners this fall:

1. Reflect on last spring

It is okay to talk about trying times—we learn and grow from them. Ask your child about how they felt the spring went: what worked with distance learning and what didn’t? What would have made the transition from in-class to at-home better?

For some students (and adults), the quick transition from one system to another may have been really tough, and the thought of starting back this fall in a remote setting may bring up fear, anxiety, and frustration. While you discuss what a good system would look like for your student, make sure to reassure them that a lot of time and preparation has gone into each school’s reopening plan. This fall will not look like last spring!

2. Get to know their teacher and other school contacts

Many teachers are taking the time to introduce themselves to students individually this fall. Some educators are writing personalized letters, others are setting up Zoom meetings, and others are even meeting in-person with incoming students while adhering to social distancing. Take advantage of these opportunities and encourage your child to get to know their teacher—and have the teacher get to know them! That way, the first day of school will seem less intimidating, and you will already have introduced yourself in case there are any issues that need troubleshooting early on.

3. Review the lesson plan or syllabus with your child

This goes for itty bitty kindergartners all the way up through high school! While you may not need to read the syllabus to your 17-year-old, it can be helpful to look through some of the main highlights with your student. For some students, it may even be helpful to work through a schedule or project calendar together (something I will be blogging about next week).

Take a bit of time to check out the various online platforms that your student will be using, and ask the teacher if you have any questions or concerns. The schools are here to work with you, and if you don’t feel like you are getting the support you need, reach out!

4. Talk about how your student learns best and make a plan

You probably already know this from raising your child, but this knowledge can be really helpful when moving to a full-time remote learning set up. Does your child work better in groups? Does your pre-teen need to do something active every day to get the blood flowing? Does your teen struggle with asking for help? Try to make a daily schedule that incorporates some of these needs, and even communicate to the teacher about your student’s specific learning type.

5. Give positive feedback

During a regular school year, there are so many opportunities for feedback, praise, and celebration. Between awards nights, sports play-offs, recitals, and parent/teacher evenings, your child is most likely used to looking forward to these moments of celebration. While teachers and school staff are working tirelessly to provide some normalcy to an otherwise bizarre situation, it will be hard to provide these same types of opportunities for each child.

As the parent, be sure to find moments to celebrate your child’s successes (no matter how small) and praise them for their hard work. Provide constructive feedback as they work through their projects and assignments, and congratulate them on a job well done. Consider tacking up completed projects on a “display wall” in the house, or reserve a moment over dinner each week to discuss accomplishments. Whatever it is that you do, your child will have a moment to shine.

Checking in throughout the school year with your student won’t guarantee that they will get all As or prevent the inevitable frustrating moments. But it will ensure that your child knows that you are there for them during these difficult times.

Next week I will be posting about creating a schedule. See you then!