Daycare & Education
First Day of School: What the Teacher Needs to Know About Your Child
Send your kids off to school knowing you've provided their teachers with info your kids need to succeed. Credit: Getty Images
It's back-to-school time, when everything is shiny and fresh: New clothes, new notebooks, new backpacks, new teachers and, for many, new schools. The scrubbed-clean classrooms and empty desks are filled with promise.
To realize all that potential, though, schools need a little help from parents. For children to have their best chance at success, parents must make sure their kids' teachers and school administrators have all the information they need to give each student the best instruction possible.
"We have a partnership with parents and that partnership is to make sure that their children can be as successful in school as possible," Barbara Chester, president of the National Association of Elementary School Principals, tells ParentDish. "We need, as principals and teachers, the most accurate information we can get so we can best work together with the parents for their child's success."
Being the Class Mom Takes Time, Sensitivity and Tact
Are you planning to volunteer at your child's school this year? Credit: Getty Images
"I enjoyed getting to know the teachers a bit better than I would have otherwise," says this Rochester, N.Y., mom of one. "I really enjoyed being part of my daughter's classroom experience."
Now that the calendar is beginning to flip toward fall, it's time to start thinking about back-to-school, and that doesn't just mean getting back into the academic groove or buying school supplies. It also means thinking about how -- and if -- you plan to volunteer at your child's school.
There are plenty of ways to get involved, of course, including fundraising or participating in the PTSA and other formal school-based organizations. But if you're looking for a more intimate experience with your child's classroom, you may want to consider being the class mom.
Medical Mystery Surrounding Highly-Sensitive Kids ... Solved?
This book could help in diagnosing your child's sensitivities. Courtesy of Sensory World
You have a gut feeling that something's wrong with your child: He's often cranky, confused, overwhelmed, fatigued. At times you suspect a rare illness -- maybe autism or ADD? But his pediatrician gives him a clean bill of health, and his teacher says those other labels don't quite fit. Neurodevelopment expert Roya Ostovar may have the answer.
Her book, "The Ultimate Guide to Sensory Processing Disorder," introduces the little-known developmental condition. Children with the disorder cannot properly process stimuli received through the senses. Because sensory processing disorder is just now gaining wider recognition outside specialized clinical circles, it can be difficult to diagnose and, therefore, treat. Not only does "The Ultimate Guide" thoroughly explain the condition and offer many real case examples, it lists detailed, situation-specific strategies for children and their families that can produce life-changing results.
Nigeria Gets Its Own Version of 'Sesame Street'
Muppets Kami, left, and Zobi, are the two main characters in Nigeria's upcoming "Sesame Square." Credit: Sesame Workshop / AP
There are grouchy green creatures living in the trash cans. Children grow up alongside 7-foot-tall birds, cookie-addicted monsters and ambiguously gay couples (where one partner has a curious fixation on his rubber ducky).
The only cabbie in the entire country is a furry blue creature who won't shut up about yams. If he did, he might notice his cab doesn't even have a motor. His best friend is an HIV-infected orphan who also looks like the carpet of a Motel 6.
It takes all kinds. Especially on "Sesame Street," and if you thought New York was strange, wait until the show sets up shop in Nigeria.
Children throughout the world have grown accustomed to peaceful coexistence with Muppets. Somehow, living next to a Snuffleupagus doesn't seem that strange anymore, as many countries have their own versions of "Sesame Street" with their own unique characters.
Nigeria was not among them. Until now.
Proposed California Law Would Criminalize Truancy
It's all fun and games until the the truancy officer comes around. Credit: Getty Images
The bill pending in the California Senate would make truancy a criminal misdemeanor, subjecting parents of "chronically truant" children to fines of up to $2,000 and jail time of as long as one year, reports the Oakland Tribune.
During the last school year, the Oakland, Calif., school district reported more than 5,000 children in kindergarten through eighth grade -- 18 percent of enrollment -- missed at least five full days of school without excused absences, the Tribune reports. And about 2,000 children missed 10 days or more, unexcused.
In Contra Costa County, Calif., 5,600 children in nine elementary school districts -- 22 percent of enrolled students -- had at least three tardies or unexcused absences during the 2008-2009 school session, the newspaper says.
It's in the Bag: 10 Backpacks to Load Up on as Kids Head Back to School
Books, laptops, notebooks, gym clothes, folders, binders ... chances are good your child will be loaded down with supplies when she heads back to school. And, parents, when it comes to hauling them, you better believe that no ordinary backpack will do.
Luckily, there are so many options available -- traditional, messenger, wheeled -- that kids from pre-K to college can find the perfect match. But, if all those choices are a little overwhelming, Peter Cobb, senior vice president of ebags.com, has some advice.
"Consider how much your student needs to carry," he tells ParentDish. "If it's just file folders and a few books, look for a school bag that is sized appropriately for the age of your child. If your middle schooler or high schooler is carrying a ton of weight, look for more capacity or a wheeled option. If your college student needs to be constantly connected, I'd look for a laptop bag that suits your student's style. That might be an outdoors brand such as The North Face, or an edgier bag from someone like Ogio."
Take time to let your student pick their pack -- they'll be using it practically every day, after all.
"Backpacks are great ways to carry everything you need from books to athletic gear for practice after school," Cobb says. "Messengers are great for books, a laptop and folders, as well."
To get you started, we found 10 styles for tots to teens that will send your kids packing in style.
Does Obesity Plus Diabetes Equal Learning Disability?
Ever feel like everyone's picking on the fat kid?
Childhood obesity is such a national concern, with seemingly everyone -- including first lady Michelle Obama -- talking about it, that overweight kids must be getting tired of all the attention.
And now they're being told being fat could make them learning disabled.
Heaping an extra helping of bad news on their plates, WebMD reports being a chubby teen can lead to Type 2 diabetes which, in turn, can lead to a learning disability.
A study on the link between diabetes and learning was published online in Diabetologia.
Stylists Help Fill the Back-to-School Haircut Gap
Don't let Dad be the stylist. Credit: Corbis
Maslow tells us all human beings have basic needs: There's air, food, water, sleep and ... spiffy haircuts?!
Maslow may have overlooked that last one, but researchers/stylists at the Hair Cuttery, the largest family-owned chain of hair salons in the country, know a basic human need when they see one.
The New Britain Herald in Connecticut reports these stylists live by a simple motto: "Every child, no matter what their economic situation is, deserves a back-to-school haircut."
So Hair Cuttery stylists throughout the country have donated more than 500,000 haircuts to returning students in the past 11 years.
Kids May Be Away at College, but More Parents Are Keeping Them Close Through Chat
Is he calling? Oh, it's Mom. Again. Credit: Getty Images
Mama's gonna be in touch. A lot. Like, all the time. In fact, best take two.
Letting go of your children when they start off to college is never easy, but, thanks to today's ever-improving communication technology, parents can text, e-mail, BBM, Skype and call their little darlings all day long.
Julie Levine, whose daughter Katie Schwartz, 18, left home for college at Johns Hopkins University last fall, says the two text back and forth about 10 times a day.
First Lady Urges Congress to Act on School Meals
Michelle Obama is pushing for healthier school lunches. Credit: Pablo Martinez Monsivais, AP
In an op-ed essay appearing in Monday's edition of The Washington Post, Mrs. Obama wrote that the Child Nutrition Bill would require more fruits, vegetables and whole grains and less fat and salt in school lunches and breakfasts. And she said it would help eliminate junk food in vending machines.
"We owe it to the children who aren't reaching their potential because they're not getting the nutrition they need during the day," the first lady wrote.
Survey Shows Positive Signs for the Economy as Back-to-School Shopping Begins
Parents doing back-to-school shopping are showing stores the money. Credit: Steven Senne, AP
Another sign of the times: They plan to shop for bargains through Facebook and Twitter rather than cutting coupons.
The survey, conducted by researchers for Deloitte, a New York-based consulting and financial advisory firm, found that three out of every 10 parents surveyed (or 28 percent) said they would spend more money on back-to-school stuff this year than last year. That's good news for America's retailers.
Back-to-school ranks second only to Christmas as the most lucrative shopping season of the year. In recent years, retailers have been hit hard by the recession.
