March is National Nutrition Month, an annual nutrition education campaign led by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics to encourage everyone to develop healthy eating and physical activity habits. Here are some ways your PTA can celebrate. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics has a National Nutrition Month toolkit. The toolkit has PDF handouts on … Continue reading Celebrate National Nutrition Month in March
A Parent’s Guide to ADHD
Every child is fidgety or easily distracted at times, but perhaps you suspect it might be something more with your child. Perhaps your child has already been diagnosed with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). In either case, the Child Mind Institute has created a guide to ADHD for parents. Children with ADHD can struggle with settling … Continue reading A Parent’s Guide to ADHD
Helping Your Anxious Child
We covered how childhood anxiety is a significant and growing concern, and we’ve also reported on items from National Public Radio’s (NPR) Life Kit, created in partnership with Sesame Workshop. Recently, NPR and Sesame Workshop added an article on how to help your child when they are struggling with anxiety. The story is also available … Continue reading Helping Your Anxious Child
Talking to Your Teen About Vaping
Illinois PTA has highlighted the issues surrounding vaping and teens for many years and continues to focus on the issue in alignment with our 2018 resolution on Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS). We’ve also highlighted National Public Radio’s (NPR) partnership with Sesame Workshop that created their Parenting: Difficult Conversations podcast, a part of NPR’s Life … Continue reading Talking to Your Teen About Vaping
Use the Healthy Eating Toolkit to Build Healthy Habits at Home and School
Every parent wants their child to eat well and develop healthy habits, but with today’s busy lives, helping your child build those skills can be a challenge. Action for Healthy Kids has created a Healthy Eating Toolkit for parents and educators to help improve student learning, behavior, and emotional health. The toolkit is made up … Continue reading Use the Healthy Eating Toolkit to Build Healthy Habits at Home and School
Helping Your Teenager Get More Sleep
Teenagers need about 9 hours of sleep to function at their best, but only about 8% of American teenagers are getting the sleep they need and, according to a recent study in the Journal of Adolescent Health, more than half (59%) are suffering from severe sleep deprivation, meaning six or fewer hours of sleep most … Continue reading Helping Your Teenager Get More Sleep
Getting to Know Your Child’s PE Program
Physical Education (PE) at school can help children build lifelong healthy habits to exercise. Illinois was the first state to mandate daily Physical Education (PE) with at least 100 minutes per week, and in 2015, Illinois adopted Enhanced PE standards. But in 2018 that requirement was cut to three days with no minimum time requirement. … Continue reading Getting to Know Your Child’s PE Program
ENDS Update
In 2018, Illinois PTA Convention delegates passed a resolution on Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS). The resolution followed years of tracking the data and science surrounding ENDS use by youth, and Illinois PTA continues to keep its members informed about new developments. Once again, e-cigarettes are in the news, with reports of pulmonary illnesses and … Continue reading ENDS Update
News from National Convention—The Opioid Epidemic
One of the workshops at the 2019 National PTA Convention focused on the Opioid Epidemic. Misuse of prescription pain medication is one of the fastest growing health issues in the United States today, and the problem is on the rise at an alarming rate not just among the general population but among youth as well. … Continue reading News from National Convention—The Opioid Epidemic
CDC Offers Free Online Concussion Course
Concussions are a serious concern for children’s growing brains, and the risk is not just from playing football or soccer. Illinois PTA has published information on what parents need to know about concussions in the past. A new free online course from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is designed to help parents, … Continue reading CDC Offers Free Online Concussion Course
Summer Food Programs Help Fight Child Hunger
As school lets out for the summer, families’ thoughts turn to vacations, outdoor activities, and picnics, but for some, there is also thoughts of how to feed their family. For those families taking part in the free and reduced lunch program, the end of the school year means the end of the ten meals per … Continue reading Summer Food Programs Help Fight Child Hunger
Top 10 Water Safety Tips
With warmer weather finally here, many people are heading outdoors. If your outdoor plans include being around water, whether swimming, fishing, or boating, be sure to follow these top ten water safety tips from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). You can find these and other information on how to be safe around … Continue reading Top 10 Water Safety Tips
Help with 5 Tough Questions About Teens, Alcohol, and Drugs
With marijuana legalization legislation pending in the General Assembly, families may need to have more discussions about its use. While the proposed legislation would legalize marijuana for those over 21, Illinois PTA continues to follow the bill regarding parts that may affect those under 21, including drug education requirements, protections to prevent sales to those … Continue reading Help with 5 Tough Questions About Teens, Alcohol, and Drugs
Sun Safety
With the weather finally warming here in Illinois, families are spending more time outdoors. Today’s post on sun safety comes from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC). It is also available in Spanish. The sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays can damage your skin in as little as 15 minutes. Follow these recommendations to help protect … Continue reading Sun Safety
EncourageMe Program Helps Kids Develop Supportive Friendships
It’s not often that a Girl Scout Gold Award project receives national recognition, but that’s what is happening for Atlanta, GA Girl Scout Avery B. For her Gold Award (similar to the Boy Scouts’ Eagle Scout rank), she created the EncourageMe program—a program designed to help teach older elementary school students about supportive friendships. The … Continue reading EncourageMe Program Helps Kids Develop Supportive Friendships
6 Myths About Suicide
Suicide is once again in the headlines with the recent suicides of two Marjory Stoneman Douglas students who survived the mass shooting in Parkland, FL and the suicide of the parent of one of the children killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting. Parents can play an important role in preventing suicide by directly asking … Continue reading 6 Myths About Suicide
School Wellness Policies—Is Your PTA at the Table?
Do you know if your school district has a school wellness policy, and if so, what’s in it and what the district is doing to implement it? If your district participates in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast programs, they are required to develop such a plan and to permit parents to participate in … Continue reading School Wellness Policies—Is Your PTA at the Table?
E-Cigarette Update
When Illinois PTA first shared information about e-cigarette use among adolescents in 2014, we noted that use had more than doubled from 3.3% to 6.8% from 2011 to 2012. Today, the use of e-cigarettes or Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS) has risen to nearly 15% in 2018. The growth in the use of ENDS comes … Continue reading E-Cigarette Update
Make Your School a Healthy One with Game On
Action for Healthy Kids, who will be presenting at the 2019 Illinois PTA Convention, has created a flexible online program to helps schools become healthier environments for students, staff, and the communities they serve. The free Game On program focuses on both eating better and moving more. An online guide walks you through how to … Continue reading Make Your School a Healthy One with Game On
Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child
Children’s success in school isn’t limited to just academics. PTA has known this since our founding, focusing our advocacy efforts not just on children’s needs at school, but at home and in their community as well. Now, the education and public health sectors are aiming to better align their efforts to improve each child’s cognitive, … Continue reading Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child
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