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Home › Articles › Back to Preschool Headquarters › Preventing Back to School Stress

Preventing Back to School Stress

11 Simple Steps for Busy Moms

By Jodie Lynn

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. Take a trial run on getting up early at least five days before school. This helps with solidifying the new schedule and is proven to help prevent cranky kids.

5. Practice bus stop routes and bus stop etiquette. If your child is riding the bus, don't forget to walk with them to the bus stop and describe what type of behavior the school expects of your child at the bus stop and on the bus. If your child is not at least in the fourth grade, you may want to stay there until the bus comes. After the age of 10, he is not going to want you there, so train well up to that age. Never leave your child at the bus stop alone. Make sure other children are there. If there is a known bully, stick around but not right by your child or he will get teased and picked on.

6. If you take your child to school for an early arrival program for working parents, make sure you get to meet the director of this program and ask for typed rules. Go over them with a fine tooth comb so you will know exactly what to expect: arrival time, meals served, activities and exceptions to the rules.

7. If you are planning changes with anything at all, have a family meeting at least one week before school. This is the perfect time to implement a new school plan for the new year. For example, new homework rules, activities (not too many, I hope), as well as when and what to eat before school and afterwards. This is especially true if your child goes to an after school program. Although many of the schools are cutting back on the handy chip, soda and candy machines, others have new ones.

8. Make sure you get a student handbook before school. If your school does not offer this until after school starts, call and ask about the dress codes. Finally, schools are changing the dress codes, especially for short shorts, low cut tops, low-riding jeans and short skirts. Many have had it with the "you know who" look and are cutting back to a somewhat decent level of modest dressing.

9. Make plans for a tutor right away. If you know your child will need a tutor, ask the teacher if she is available for tutoring. If she does not offer tutoring, ask for recommendations. Don't wait until your child is failing and everyone is taken. Private tutors are still the best in my book. They are not at all as expensive as most of the learning centers, especially if it is a retired teacher.

10. Get your carpool team together now! Most schools will help with this. They actually have a list of parents who want to carpool listed by zip code and a phone number. This is especially important for working parents or for any parent who wants to drive their children to school as opposed to riding the bus. In fact, some areas do not have school bus service.

11. Buy a family planner. Purchase a family planner to get the whole gang organized. This will save your sanity, I promise! There are tons on the market. One that passed my family testers with flying colors is Family Organizer


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