Transition: Summer to School

It is that time of year again. The school supplies start piling into stores, suddenly all the clothes no longer fit, open houses and registration invitations start pouring in, paperwork and doctors appointments abound. Back-to-school time is upon us and there are too many things to get done as we prepare the children in our care to return to classrooms!

For some of us, this is old-hat, and we glide through these chaotic weeks like an ice cube floating in that summer lemonade. For others, we bounce around like an ice cube on a hot grill, wondering where to begin and how to make it through.

Incremental schedule changes, communication, and practice are your friend! These things are incredibly important for the children in your care. Summer schedules and routines can be vastly different from the routines and schedules the children in your care will need during the school year, especially when it comes to sleeping, eating, and down time (yes, down time).

Whether you are a professional back-to-school transitioner, or this is your first rodeo, here are some things to keep in mind:

• Communicate with the children in your care and their schools. Ask questions like:
  • What time does everyone need to get to school? What time does everyone need to leave the house in order to get there in time?
  • What time are meals and/or snacks?
  • What extracurricular activities is everyone participating in? When do these things occur, what kind of time commitment is required vs encouraged?
  • Will there be study halls, open periods, or rest times at school? If not, work where in the after-school day can you fit a 20-30 minute space for everyone to sit down and rest?
  • How much rest is recommended for each person? What time does everyone need to go to bed and wake up in order to get the rest they need?
  • How does the school schedule impact parent and caregiver schedules? Be sure to discuss this as well.  
  • Work together as a household to develop a school-day routine. Identify things that will help support these routines, for example:
  • Reminders, routines or announcements to help everyone remember things that are anticipated to be difficult to remember. For example, having an automated “the car leaves in five minutes” announcement coming from a device such as an echo show, or a calendar reminder that pops up on everyone’s phones “pack your lunch for tomorrow.”
  • Printed, drawn, or recorded schedules or routines. Especially for younger kids and those who may need consistent external reminders, checklists and printed routines (with pictures or multiple colors whenever possible), can be extremely helpful.
• Practice the new routines together at least one week before school starts and expect to need to be very consistent and methodical about continuing the new routines together for at least two weeks once school starts.  This will help get the jitters and bugs out of the new routines before proverbial crunch time, ease the transition into school, and set a foundation for a smoother year. If the new routines are very different from summer routines, start practicing at least two weeks before school starts beginning incrementally. 
  • If bed time during the summer was 10pm, and during the school year it is going to need to be 8:30pm, the first 2-3 days of incremental adjustment move bedtime to 9:30pm. After that, move the time back by 15 minutes every 2-3 days until you get to 8:30pm. Try to make these adjustments early enough so that you have several days in a row of bedtime being 8:30pm before the first day of school.
  • If wake up time during the summer was 10am, and during the school year it needs to be 7:00am, the first 2-4 days of incremental adjustment move wake up time to 9:00am. After that, move the time back by 15 minutes every 2 days until you get to 7:00am. Try to make these adjustments early enough so you have several days in a row of wake up being 7:00am before the first day of school.
  • If there often was nowhere to be by any particular time during the summer, or the leave time was drastically different, give everyone a heads up that you will all be practicing actually leaving the house by a specific time every morning. Start with an hour after you would normally need to leave the house during the school year and move back the time every day. For example if you need to leave by 7:45am during the school year, so the first 2 days practice leaving by 8:45am. Doesn’t matter where you go, everyone needs to leave the house by 8:45am. Take a 5-minute walk, head to the library, or even to get coffee, and then return home if nothing else is on the agenda for the day. Move the time back every other day until you reach 7:45am, and then maintain leaving the house by 7:45am for at least 5 days in a row before school starts and include a couple of days where you practice drop off by actually going to the schools.
  • Use these same steps when adjusting meal and snack times if this is needed. Include packing meals and snacks for the next day, if this is something that is necessary for the children in your care.
  • Have plentiful conversation (sharing back and forth) about nutrition and the role food and water plays in being able to remain alert, in control, and to feel well throughout the day. Water, proteins, fats, and carbs all play a big role in brain and body health and development. No one needs a lecture about them, there should just be lots of conversation about food as fuel and how to identify what foods and how much water each individual needs to feel better/worse/more capable, etc.
• Have conversations (not lectures, conversations) at various times throughout the coming weeks. Begin by providing and protecting time and safe space for feelings, even hard to handle feelings. Practice taking deep breaths, drinking water, talking about how you are feeling, and considering other peoples point of view. Model for the children in your care things that will help them navigate tough conversations and situations. Set aside time each day to intentionally have conversations and enjoy each others company.
  • How does a safe adult or friend behave? How do you know if someone is not safe, and what do you do if you find out someone who is supposed to be a safe person isn’t actually a safe person? What if someone who used to be a safe person changes or starts to become unsafe? How do you stay a safe person for yourself and others?
  • What are some things you do if some hard to handle feelings come up where there isn’t a safe person around to support you? What ideas do the children in your care have for when this might happen to them?
  • What is an emergency or an urgent situation that needs immediate attention? What can the children in your care do if there is an emergency or urgent situation while they are at school? What you will do if the children in your care ask for your support or help?
  • How do you advocate for yourself and others? How can the children in your care advocate for themselves, and others too?
  • How do you make wise decisions? What are the things you consider when you are making a decision? What are some of the things the children in your care may consider when they are making decisions? What opportunities can you offer to help them practice making wise decisions?
  • What are some things you want the children in your care to be aware or be mindful of as they return to school? How are you planning to ensure their needs are met during these transitions?
  • What ideas do the children in your care have that might help the school year go more smoothly? What kinds of things do they want to do together as a family once school starts?
• Seek support for yourself. Transitions, especially big milestone transitions like school starting or ending, can be tough for children as they are still developing. Which means, it can be very tough for those who are charged with caring for and supporting children. Children need to see their grownups take charge of making sure their own needs are met, too.