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
Teaching Your Kids Safe Online
Our children are often referred to as digital natives—people growing up immersed in a digital world. And while they may be comfortable with technology and online activities, they are not born knowing how to be safe in that digital world. Just like our parents taught us how to be safe running around unsupervised in our … Continue reading Teaching Your Kids Safe Online
Preparing for and Surviving a Tornado
This spring has seen a significant number of tornadoes across Illinois and the country. Today’s guest post comes from Ready.gov on how to prepare for, survive, and recover from a tornado. Tornadoes can destroy buildings, flip cars, and create deadly flying debris. Tornadoes are violently rotating columns of air that extend from a thunderstorm to … Continue reading Preparing for and Surviving a Tornado
12 Bullying Myths
Bullying at school is nothing new, but a lot of what we think we know about isn’t necessarily true. Great Schools has put together a list of 12 myths about bullying along with the facts that bust those myths. Those myths are: You’ll know when your child is being bullied. Bullying is always physical. The … Continue reading 12 Bullying Myths
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
New Guide on Improving School Climate
We all want safe and supportive schools for our children, and a key part of providing that environment in s healthy school climate. Last month, the US Department of Education released a new guide to help parents and educators improve school climate. The guide is designed as a series of Frequently Asked Questions about school … Continue reading New Guide on Improving School Climate
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
That Google Doc May Not Be Your Kid’s Homework
Today’s teenagers aren’t passing notes in class any more—at least not physically. And while it looks like your kid is diligently working away at their homework, they may actually be chatting with friends. That’s because kids are now getting around the inability to have their phone out in class, the use of blocking software at … Continue reading That Google Doc May Not Be Your Kid’s Homework
New PTA Partnership Helps Families Advocate for Safer Schools
School shootings are in the headlines far too often, causing us to worry that our child’s school might be the next one. Accompanying that worry is often a feeling of not knowing how to change anything to make your child’s school safer and perhaps the thought that it would never happen here. That was Alissa … Continue reading New PTA Partnership Helps Families Advocate for Safer Schools
New Study Links Youth Suicide with Gun Ownership
Suicide is the second leading cause of death for youth ages 15 to 24. A new study to be published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicineindicates that the single largest predictor of youth suicide is gun ownership. The report covers a state-by-state analysis of gun ownership in 2004 (the last year the Centers for … Continue reading New Study Links Youth Suicide with Gun Ownership
New Report Provides Additional Data Supporting Illinois PTA’s Emerging Adults Recommendations
Since the release of our 2017 Report on Young Adults Involved in the Justice System, Illinois PTA has been a leader in speaking out for differentiated treatment of those youth ages 18 to 25 involved in the justice system. Last Thursday, Illinois PTA President Brian Minsker participated in the Juvenile Justice Initiative(JJI) Reimagine Justice Summit … Continue reading New Report Provides Additional Data Supporting Illinois PTA’s Emerging Adults Recommendations
Celebrating Legislative Successes in 2018—Child Safety
Illinois PTA Advocacy Day in Springfield is coming on February 6, 2019, and as a lead up, we are taking the opportunity to reflect on the substantial legislative gains Illinois PTA made on issues affecting our children and youth in the areas of health, including mental health, safety, gun control, social and emotional learning, and … Continue reading Celebrating Legislative Successes in 2018—Child Safety
National PTA Response to Federal School Safety Commission Report
After eight months of public input, commission meetings and field visits across the county, the Federal School Safety Commission released its report on ways to keep students safe at school. The report includes several recommendations aligned with National PTA positions and A Framework for Safe and Successful Schools–joint recommendations written and endorsed by our nation’s … Continue reading National PTA Response to Federal School Safety Commission Report
National PTA Response to Federal School Safety Commission Report
After eight months of public input, commission meetings and field visits across the county, the Federal School Safety Commission released its reporton ways to keep students safe at school. The report includes several recommendations aligned with National PTA positions and A Framework for Safe and Successful Schools–joint recommendations written and endorsed by our nation’s leading … Continue reading National PTA Response to Federal School Safety Commission Report
Helping Your Child Cope with Stress
Life can be stressful at times, even for kids. Concerns about grades, peer pressure, friend issues, bullying, traumatic events, and more can lead to stress. Some stress can be productive—cortisol, the “stress hormone,” increases blood sugar, metabolism, and memory function, and provides a temporary boost to physical and mental ability. Those brief periods of stress … Continue reading Helping Your Child Cope with Stress
8 Actions Parents Can Take to End Bullying
It can be difficult as a parent to help your child through being bullied, and even harder when it turns out your child is the bully. Add in cyberbullying, which wasn’t even possible when most of today’s parents were kids, and it can be easy to feel at a loss about what to do. With … Continue reading 8 Actions Parents Can Take to End Bullying
Helping Your Child Deal with Peer Pressure
When your child first heads off to school, you are the most important person in their world and they look to you for guidance. Their teachers in the early grades fill that role as well. But by the time they turn 11, children start caring more about what their other kids think of them than … Continue reading Helping Your Child Deal with Peer Pressure
New Survey Reveals How Teens’ Social Media Experiences
Common Sense Media, a non-profit dedicating to helping kids thrive in a world of media and technology, has just released a new report detailing their survey of teenagers and their experiences with social media. The report, Social Media, Social Life: Teens Reveal Their Experiences, covers a nationally representative survey of over 1,000 kids ages 13 … Continue reading New Survey Reveals How Teens’ Social Media Experiences
School Bus Safety Tips
As kids head back to school, it’s a good time to give them a quick refresher on school bus safety. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) regulates school bus safety and notes that children are far safer riding on a school bus than they are in the family car. The following information is from … Continue reading School Bus Safety Tips
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