Time to Start Thinking About Back to School

At the Lynch/van Otterloo Y, our Early Learning Center is in full swing preparing to start a new year. We are preparing our community for a new round of little ones, getting ready to teach the Y’s mission of healthy living, social responsibility, and youth development to a new generation.

Mom Sarah Fox is sending her daughter, Grace Marie, to school at the Y this fall. Grace Marie is the granddaughter of the school’s namesake, Marie Wolverton.

“I’m excited to send her to school at the Y,” said Fox. “I’ve never sent her anywhere and it’s hard to do, but I’m glad she’ll be here. The sense of community at the Y makes it feel more like I’m sending her with family than to school.”

Education in the first few years of life is crucially important, and developing those social and interpersonal skills early has obvious benefits down the road.

According to an article from NPR, studies show that preschool and early learning education can be the most crucial training for entering the workforce later on in life. Economist James Heckman discovered the value of “soft skills,” or the set of skills which allow us to learn what we are being taught, to learn new things.

“You might not think of soft skills as skills at all. They involve things like being able to pay attention and focus, being curious and open to new experiences, and being able to control your temper and not get frustrated. All these soft skills are very important in getting a job. And Heckman discovered that you don't get them in high school, or in middle school, or even in elementary school. You get them in preschool.”

Children in preschool and early learning take home valuable skills, such as conflict resolution, sharing, and how to successfully negotiate and talk out their differences. These are skills that help them to get through a day of preschool now, and that they will undoubtedly need to get through a day of work in their 30s.

If they learn these skills now, according to Heckman, they'll have them for the rest of their lives. But research shows that if they don't learn them now, it becomes harder and harder as they get older.

So if you are gearing up for school, remember how important it is to start early! The Y has a few tips to make the transition into school a little easier on everyone.

• Ease children back into a school year routine gradually. During the last two weeks of summer, re-introduce a school year bedtime. Begin waking late sleepers earlier and earlier, closer to the hour they'll need to rise when school begins.
• Don't neglect mealtimes! Younger children, in particular, need to adapt to new meal routines before the school day demands it of them. Plan meals and snacks to accustom little ones to rituals of the school day before the school year begins.
• Consult your school district's website and note important dates such as the first day of school, open houses and teacher conferences. If your child participates in activities such as sports, dance or music lessons, check those websites for the upcoming year’s calendar.
• Create a family calendar (either online, through websites such as Google, or on a paper calendar in a central location in your home).
• Check your local school district’s website to find out whether there are necessary school supplies you need to buy for your child. Also look to buy any needed equipment for your child’s extracurricular activities.
• Go through your child’s closet and take inventory of the clothing your child has and what you will need to purchase to complete his or her fall wardrobe.
• Create a family binder or a find a place where you can store and file school information sheets, permission slips, etc.
• Decide what you are going to do with the schoolwork and artwork your child will bring home. If you decide to save it, ready a storage box or filing system.
• Plan morning and drop-off schedules, and after-school childcare. Also develop backup plans should you need someone else to see your child off to school and back home at the end of the day.
• Pick a designated spot where your child can complete his or her homework and stock it with pencils, papers, rulers and erasers.