As the third consecutive school year to take place during the pandemic kicks off, staying healthy is on every parents’ mind. Kids returning to classrooms can also be a time for lots of germs getting passed around, so how do we help our children avoid getting sick? School nurses across the country share ways parents can keep kids healthy at school.
- Make sure your child is up-to-date on vaccinations - "Please, please vaccinate your children for COVID and all other vaccine-preventable childhood illnesses," says Robin Cogan, a school nurse in Camden, New Jersey. "We have taken a bit of a backslide on vaccinations for our children, we can reverse that negative trend this school year." So keep up with those doctor appointments and immunizations.
- Keep your child home if they don’t feel well - If they have a fever over 100.4 or symptoms like an excessively runny nose, don’t send them to school. Once they’re fever-free and have gone 24 hours without fever-reducing medication and their symptoms are gone, they can go back to school.
- Get to know your child’s school nurse - Gail M. Smith, director of health services for the Pickens County School System in Georgia, recommends parents introduce themselves to the school nurse and make sure they have all information needed about their child. Holly Giovi, a school nurse in Suffolk County, New York, says parents should also make sure their phone’s voicemail system is set up so they can be reached, in addition to setting up a backup plan in case they have a conflict when they’re needed.
- Set your child up for success - Do this by making sure they get enough sleep and are eating a solid breakfast, as well as following a healthy routine including brushing teeth, showering, playing outside and minimizing screen time.
- Communicate any changes in your child - Let school nurses know about anything that could impact your child’s mental and/or physical health. Like you, the school nurse wants to keep your kid safe, healthy and ready to learn, and keeping them informed helps ensure that happens.
Source: Good Morning America
Photo: Getty Images