How does your child’s school approach school discipline and school climate? The University of Chicago Consortium on School Research recently released a toolkit called Family Playbook: School Suspensions, Discipline & Restorative Justice. The playbook summarizes research and data on school discipline and includes actions you can take to learn more about how your child’s school … Continue reading Understanding and Advocating on School Discipline
13 Tips to Help Anxious Kids Enjoy Summer Camp
Child Mind Institute provides a lot of resources for parents and caregivers with a particular focus on those families with children dealing with mental health or disability issues. With summer camp season coming up, your child may have some anxieties about heading off to camp even if they aren’t typically an anxious child. Here are … Continue reading 13 Tips to Help Anxious Kids Enjoy Summer Camp
Have School-Aged Children? You May Be Eligible for Grocery Benefits During Summer
Summer EBT provides families with a monthly grocery benefit to feed their children for three summer months (June, July, August) when children are not receiving free or reduced-price meals at school. In summer 2024, families will receive a one-time benefit of $120 for the summer for each eligible child. Benefits are distributed on an electronic … Continue reading Have School-Aged Children? You May Be Eligible for Grocery Benefits During Summer
Plant-Based School Meals Have Arrived—Here’s How to Make the Most of Them
Today’s guest post comes from Madeline Bennett, MS, the Food System and Nutrition Policy Analyst at Balanced, which is part of the Plant-Based School Lunch Collaborative. She advocates at the federal level for regulatory and legislative initiatives that improve school nutrition for all. Today, she shares how families can access plant-based school meals made available … Continue reading Plant-Based School Meals Have Arrived—Here’s How to Make the Most of Them
New National PTA Connected Program Ready, Tech, Go!
We’ve highlighted the programs in PTA Connected from National PTA before. Now, in partnership with AT&T, National PTA has a new PTA Connected program called Ready, Tech, Go! The program is aimed at families trying to decide when their child is ready for technology of their own, known as screen readiness. As with all the … Continue reading New National PTA Connected Program Ready, Tech, Go!
How to Safely Watch the 2024 Solar Eclipse
Just under seven years ago, a total solar eclipse crossed over southern Illinois. Now, on Monday, April 8, 2024, another total solar eclipse will pass over southern Illinois. Unlike the 2017 eclipse that moved northwest to southeast, the 2024 eclipse will move from southwest to northeast, bringing the path of totality closer to northern Illinois. … Continue reading How to Safely Watch the 2024 Solar Eclipse
Helping Your Kid Make Decisions
Our children are born needing us to make every decision for them, and by the time they leave home, we hope that they are able to make all their decisions themselves (maybe with some occasional asked-for advice from Mom and Dad). Moving them along that path is often a challenge for parents. The Child Mind … Continue reading Helping Your Kid Make Decisions
How to Work with Your Child’s Teacher
With the winter break from school coming up, the school year is at a rough halfway point. It’s a good time to assess how your child is doing and to work with your child’s teacher regarding areas where your child is struggling. The Child Mind Institute has recently updated an article on how to work … Continue reading How to Work with Your Child’s Teacher
Soar into Summer with Reading Field Trips from RIF
Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) has been supporting childhood literacy since 1966. This summer, they are supporting summer reading through their Summer Reading Field Trips. RIF is inviting children across the country to explore their communities and the world around them through reading. The website has everything you need to help your elementary school child traveling … Continue reading Soar into Summer with Reading Field Trips from RIF
Social Media and Youth Mental Health
The US Surgeon General recently released an advisory on social media and youth mental health. The advisory notes that while almost all of those ages 13-17 use social media and it does provide some benefits to children and adolescents, it also presents a meaningful risk to them as well. The advisory also notes that the … Continue reading Social Media and Youth Mental Health
Social Media and Teen Brains
Last week, Mitch Prinstein, the chief science officer at the American Psychological Association (APA), testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee about the role that social media plays in children’s mental health. His 22-page testimony is incredibly informative, and National Public Radio (NPR) has ten key points that families should know. Read the full article for … Continue reading Social Media and Teen Brains
Living Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Legacy
Last week, our country celebrated the legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Amid all the social media posts mentioning the I Have a Dream speech and sharing other memorable quotes, we can lose sight of the challenge Dr. King put before everyone to do the hard work for peace and justice every day, … Continue reading Living Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Legacy
10 Questions to Ask When Hiring a Tutor
As kids have headed back to the classroom from remote learning during the pandemic, it has become clear that many students have not been able to keep up with their grade level. Some school districts around the country are helping kids get back on track with extra tutoring, and some families are choosing to do … Continue reading 10 Questions to Ask When Hiring a Tutor
An SEL Primer for PTAs
Social Emotional Learning (SEL) has been in the news a lot the past year, often criticized alongside Critical Race Theory (CRT). And like CRT, SEL is often misrepresented by those critics in terms of what it actually is. Should SEL become an issue in your school district’s school board elections in the spring, here is … Continue reading An SEL Primer for PTAs
6 Ways to Make Homework Time Productive
Regardless of your child’s age, they will have homework at some point during the school year. Whether it is finishing work from the school day, handling worksheets assigned to do at home, or tackling a big project that can’t be done in a single night, learning to make homework time productive is an essential skill … Continue reading 6 Ways to Make Homework Time Productive
October is College Changes Everything Month
Today’s guest post comes from the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC), highlighting College Changes Everything Month in October, new changes to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), and expanded financial aid eligibility for some students. High school PTAs and PTSAs can work with school guidance counselors to host FAFSA completion nights. October is … Continue reading October is College Changes Everything Month
Resources for Suicide Prevention Awareness Month
September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, and Illinois PTA has highlighted Safe2Help Illinois when it was first announced in 2020 and covered the new 988 Suicide Prevention Lifeline (an alternative to the 800 number) in our Weekend Update newsletter. As part of its efforts for Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, the Child Mind Institute is sharing … Continue reading Resources for Suicide Prevention Awareness Month
Team Up for Your Student’s Success
We’re big fans of Learning Heroes at Illinois PTA, not only for their fantastic family resources, but also for their enlightening research and commitment to meaningful family engagement. As the school year kicks off, Learning Heroes has launched their Ready to Team Up resources for families to help them partner with their child’s teacher for … Continue reading Team Up for Your Student’s Success
PTA Addresses Food Insecurity and Hunger
According to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), 37.2 million people in the US lived in food-insecure households in 2018. The pandemic has served to highlight how many families are struggling with food insecurity and hunger. In 2020, National PTA created a four-part webinar series designed to engage PTAs and families on food insecurity and … Continue reading PTA Addresses Food Insecurity and Hunger
Create a Plan for Summer Success
Remote learning during the pandemic worked for some students, but for others not so much or not at all. With the return to the classroom, many students have struggled to get back on track. If you’re looking to help your child catch up over the summer, the Summer Parent-Teacher Planning Tool from Learning Heroes can … Continue reading Create a Plan for Summer Success
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