This post originally appeared as a blog on the Face It® Movement to end child abuse website.

The 2017-18 school year is officially underway, and back-to-school time can mean a lot of changes for students and their younger siblings, parents, and teachers. Even when the change is positive and brings along new opportunities, it can often bring about stress.

Face It is sharing five tips for a safe and successful transition back to school with a focus on talking to your kids and community, offering to help, and asking for help.

  • Take a few minutes on school days, before or after, to ask if your child is nervous or excited about school, if they feel safe, and if there is something that they learned or want to learn.
  • Build a parent-teacher relationship with open communication about skill building, appropriate developmental expectations, and helping your child regulate emotions and behaviors.
  • Offer to watch the children of your friends or family when they could use a break. Parents can take turns caring for each other’s children while another parent takes time to relax.
  • Practice self-care. Stretching, exercising, or mindful breathing can be the difference between a calm response to stress or a total meltdown.
  • If you need help or find yourself feeling overwhelmed, reach out to trusted adults in your community for help with chores, school activities, or child care.

“At the Club, we’re focused on ensuring the over 4,000 youth in our out-of-school programs have the skills they need to succeed, and that success begins with a safe environment to learn and grow in. Everyone can play a role in keeping kids safe from abuse, which is why our staff is trained on how to recognize and report child abuse,” said Jennifer Helgeson, President and CEO of Boys and Girls Clubs of Kentuckiana and a partner in the Face It movement.

As another school year begins, Face It will be sharing resources and tips that promote strong community ties, which are key in helping to ensure stable support systems are in place for our students, parents, and teachers. Providing needed supports and reducing stress among adults can help to keep kids safe from abuse and neglect.

To learn more about the Kosair Charities® Face It movement to end child abuse, visit http://faceitabuse.org. Check out more back-to-school information and a tool for kinship caregivers in our previous blog post here.