A healthy start to the school year ahead

Summer is flying by and school starts just after Labor Day. We want to make sure that our children’s transition from the pool to the classroom is as smooth and healthy as possible. Do you have any recommended to-dos for August?

The beginning of school is an important time for children, and there are plenty of steps you can (and should) take to help them get off to a healthy start. Whether it’s the first day of kindergarten or the last year of high school, a few simple back-to-school preparations can help make the beginning of a new academic year smoother for your children.

First, it is important to be caught up on immunization shots. New York City’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene requires children to be current on their recommended immunizations before they can attend school. These requirements apply to public, private, and parochial school students alike, so even if you are certain your child is up-to-date on his shots, it is advisable to make sure that the school has the updated immunization record on file.

Some of the necessary immunization shots include the hepatitis B vaccine; the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (which prevents pneumonia and meningitis), the diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis vaccine; the polio vaccine; and the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine. Children entering middle school should receive a second diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis vaccine; and the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine. More information about vaccinations required for students by grade is available on the website of the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

The end of the summer is a great time to schedule your children’s physical examinations, dental exams, and, if necessary, allergy checkups. It is also important that you communicate any special medication needs to the school. If your children need to take prescription or non-prescription medications during the school day, your healthcare provider may need to complete a form that notifies the school and provides any requisite instructions.

Ensuring a healthy lifestyle for your child is important outside the doctor’s office as well, especially when it comes to nutrition. It’s good to start reinforcing the habit of healthy eating before the school year begins. Studies have shown that children who eat breakfast are more attentive in class, earn higher grades, and have fewer behavioral problems.

If your children are running short on time in the mornings, you can prepare simple, nutritious breakfasts that they can eat while on their way to school. Some easy ideas include sliced fruit with whole-wheat bagels and cream cheese, multigrain toast with peanut butter or shredded cheese, and plain yogurt with granola as a topping.

A child’s emotional needs are also important. Starting a new grade or a new school can be anxiety-inducing at any age. Children may be nervous about finding their classroom, making new friends, or completing college applications in the months ahead. The most important thing you can do as a parent is to listen to their concerns and help them find solutions. For instance, extracurricular activities such as drama, dance, or sports teams encourage children to make new friends, helping them to avoid the end-of-summer blues and realize that the school year can be as much fun and exciting as summer vacation.

For more information about making the transition back to the classroom easier for your children, as well as any health requirements at your children’s individual schools, contact the schools’ nurses or guidance counselors, or your children’s healthcare providers.

Relevant Directory Listings

See More

Westchester School for Special Children

<p><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #ffffff;">The </span><span style="font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #ffffff;">Westchester School</span><span style="font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #ffffff;"> is a New York State approved, non-public </span><span style="font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #ffffff;">school</span><span style="font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #ffffff;"> that provides educational and therapeutic services to students from New York City, </span><span style="font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #ffffff;">Westchester</span><span style="font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #ffffff;"> County, Long Island, and Connecticut.  </span><span style="font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #ffffff;"><span style="font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">The school views all children, regardless of functioning level or handicapping condition, as children with potential for growth and development. Historically, educational programming, particularly for the severely handicapped was primarily concerned for easing the burden of those who cared for these children. Changes in legal standards and socio-philosophical perspectives made this an excessively limited and limiting approach. The rational for program and selection of educational objectives is based upon the developmental needs of the individual child.</span></span></span></p>

Enabling Devices

<p><strong>Enabling Devices is a family-run business that designs, manufactures and sells adapted toys and accessible devices that make life more joyful and fulfilling for children and adults living with disabilities.</strong></p> <p> </p> <p>It started with a train set, a mercury switch, and a young boy whose therapist thought he couldn’t play with toys. In 1975 our founder, Dr. Steven Kanor, walked into a room at United Cerebral Palsy/Long Island and saw a boy sitting in a wheelchair, his head resting on his shoulder. When he asked where the toys were, the OT said, “He doesn’t have the motor skills to play with toys, and he can’t lift his head.” But Dr. Kanor was not interested in what the boy couldn’t do. He was interested in the boy's potential. The next morning, he was back. He’d brought a train set, which he’d connected to a mercury switch. The switch, the first capability switch he’d designed, was attached to the boy’s ear. When the boy raised his head, the switch made contact and the train ran around the tracks. After several weeks of playing with this toy, the boy was holding his head up straight, even when the train was not running. Dr. Kanor was elated.</p> <p>Since that day, he never stopped innovating, never stopped trying to make our products better, never stopped designing new devices. Today, our design team is just as passionate, just as creative, and just as committed to innovation as the man who founded this company. Enabling Devices is the place to find toys, devices and tools that help build more joyful, fulfilling lives. We have an extensive selection of adapted toys, capability switches, Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) devices, adapted electronics, mounts, iPad products, sensory items and products for the visually impaired.</p> <p>Over the years, the important constants remain. We’re still the same small, family-run company Steven Kanor founded in 1978, with the same values of personal connection and deep product knowledge. We’re still committed to providing caring, individualized service to each customer. And we’re still grateful for the privilege of sharing in your journey.</p>

The Gillen Brewer School

<p dir="ltr"><strong>The Gillen Brewer School is a private special education school on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, NYC, serving children ages 2.8 to 11 years old</strong>. Our mission is to educate and support students to become confident, independent, and engaged learners. </p> <p dir="ltr">Our individualized, academic-therapeutic approach to education incorporates speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, counseling, and social groups throughout each child’s daily schedule. Students are immersed in learning which is developmentally appropriate and socially engaging. </p> <p dir="ltr"> </p> <p dir="ltr">Our teachers and therapists are cross-trained in each academic and therapeutic speciality in order to provide a holistic and integrated program. Students benefit from small class sizes, and enjoy specials such as art, music, physical education, science, and technology. </p> <p dir="ltr"> </p> <p dir="ltr">Central to our program is the home-school partnership, in which Gillen Brewer staff work closely with families to support the whole child in achieving their goals. </p> <p><br />Our Admissions Team is here to discuss how The Gillen Brewer School can partner with your family. Contact us at <a href="mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]</a> to schedule an in-person tour today!</p>