As 2021 begins to unfold, many schools are beginning to transition back to in-person learning, which is great news for everyone. Of course, the highest priority remains keeping students, teachers, and staff as healthy as possible, especially since vaccines may likely not be available to students this school year. Thus far, in-person learning does not seem to increase the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Wondering how you can do your part as parents to keep your kids healthy as they transition back to in-person learning? Here are some tips for you:
- Make sure your child is up to date on their immunizations and wellness checks. As this is already good practice, it is especially important to ensure that your child has received all the necessary immunizations and is also getting their flu vaccine during the pandemic. When everyone does their part to take care of their health, we all win.
- Closely monitor your child’s health as they come and go from school. Most schools currently have a system in place to conduct temperature checks and ensure mask-wearing and physical distancing. Of course, if any flu or cold-like symptoms crop up at any point in time, be sure to keep your child home from school, and get them tested for COVID-19. Make a plan with your child’s teacher about when they can safely return. If you’re an at-home childcare provider, we offer a simple, easy and effective way to keep track of everything that pertains to your business, such as Client Billing, Attendance, Immunizations & Scheduling, and more.
- Implement “enrichment activities”. This is a fun one! To help lighten the weight of the world at present, be sure to intentionally and purposefully pencil in time to participate in fun activities with your kiddo. A few ideas include outdoor art classes, small-group fitness classes, or volunteering in your local community. This helps your child learn new skills, engage in acts of kindness, and be physically active, all of which boosts their overall health and wellbeing.
- Know behavioral health/emotional support is available. Part of creating a healthy environment in schools is knowing children have the support they need at any given time. The pandemic presents a multitude of emotions for children to wrestle with – grief, confusion, sadness, stress, worry, anxiety – but fortunately they don’t have to cope alone, but instead, at the hands of their school counselor or mental health specialist.
Together, we can all work to create and maintain a healthy in-person learning environment for students, teachers, staff, and parents, which is a system that allows everyone to thrive. As long as everyone does their part, that’s more than possible.