How to prepare your child for school?

For parents, the back-to-school season can be more than just shopping for school supplies and new clothes. It is about setting your child up for success in the upcoming school year. Many things can impact your child’s academic performance—from the foods that they eat to the friends that they make. Did you also know that the air that they breathe can affect their success in school?

The good news is that improving the quality of the air that your child breathes is not as out of reach as you may think. By learning about the factors that can negatively impact the indoor air quality in your child’s school, and what can be done to counteract them, you can help create the best possible learning environment for your child.

Common factors that can affect the air quality in schools With most children in the United States spending between 800 and 1,000 hours in school each year, according to the Education Commission of the States, school buildings should be considered as a potential source of exposure to airborne pollutants. In fact, EPA studies have found that half of the approximately 115,000 schools in the United States have indoor air quality problems. Indoor air pollution stems from a variety of sources, many of which have to do with school maintenance practices.

HOW TO PREPARE YOUR CHILD FOR SCHOOL？

• Masks up

Children should also be taught the proper way to take their masks on and off – by touching the sides of the masks, not the front.

• Wash Well

Teach your children to wash their hands or use hand sanitizer thoroughly.

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Get Moving

Whether in a classroom or learning virtually from home, physical activity is very important for children.

• Start a Social Circle

“We know that socialization is so important for children, and that’s one of the reasons why the (American Academy of Pediatrics) is still pushing for children to go back to in-person education. But I think you can do that with a smaller group of even two or three children,” Dr. Winters said.

• Monitor the Ambient Air Quality