Booster Partners with Dude Perfect

Getting students and families excited about a school fundraiser can have a tremendous impact on its success. If your community is motivated to take part in your event, you will raise more funds. Sounds simple, right? But tapping into that excitement isn’t always easy. Which is why we’re so pumped about Booster’s new partnership with Dude Perfect!  

Kids (and parents!) love these YouTube stars — with over 58 million subscribers! Dude Perfect brings big energy to everything they do, and it’s this energy that will have students more motivated than ever!  

Beginning in the fall of 2023, Booster will have exclusive Dude Perfect content to share with participating schools throughout each fundraiser. Plus, lots of fun official Dude Perfect swag prizes to keep participation strong all the way through the event.  

If you have a child who is a super fan of this ultimate Dude Perfect crew, ask them if they want to be in a personalized video with the Dudes. You’re going to get a very ecstatic “yes!” With Booster and Dude Perfect teaming up, now we can make that dream come true! Parents will upload their child’s picture to be featured in a Dude Perfect video, trick shots and all. 

To celebrate this new partnership, Booster is also hosting a giveaway! Enter to win VIP tickets to Dude Perfect’s Panda-Monium tour and give your child an experience they will never forget! The winner of these VIP tickets will get early access to the event, amazing seats and an exclusive photo opportunity with the Dudes themselves! To learn more and enter to win visit http://bit.ly/3Zl7e46

10 Ways to Share Notes from the Backpack with Your Community

National PTA’s podcast, Notes from the Backpack is helpful resource to share with families in your community! Since its launch in 2019, the show has released more than 60 episodes on a wide variety of topics from raising a curious kid to navigating the transition to middle school. As PTA leaders, it’s important to show the value of PTA to your community, and this podcast can help you do so! Beyond including the link to the show in your e-newsletter, what more can your PTA do to spread the word?

    1. Up Your Social Media Game. If you already promote the latest episodes of Notes from the Backpack on your social media pages, consider asking your school or district to do the same! Become an official podcast promoter here to ensure you receive all the latest graphics and promotional language.
    2. Embed the Notes from the Backpack Podcast Player Onto Your PTA Website! State PTAs and District, Council, Region PTAs can embed the podcast player directly onto their website for easy access. Check out how Washington State PTA includes the podcast player as one of its key family engagement resources. Email NotesFromTheBackpack@pta.org to learn more about how you can embed the podcast player on your website!
    3. Share Episodes that Connect to Relevant Events. May is Mental Health Awareness Month, making it a great time to share our Healthy Minds Miniseries and Pride month is ideal for promoting Helping LGBTQ+ Youth Thrive.
    4. Encourage Families to Listen to Episodes that Align with your PTA’s Advocacy Goals. If your PTA is advocating for increased school budgets, then it’s a great time to share Money Talks: School Finance 101. If your PTA is working to change the school’s discipline policies, consider promoting The Truth About School Discipline in America.
    5. Use Podcast Episodes to Educate About Community Issues. When schools face serious issues like bullying or gun violence, hearing directly from a researcher can help the community get on the same page. If your school is launching a new Social and Emotional Learning program, then What is Social and Emotional Learning Anyway? can serve as a helpful introduction!
    6. Host a Podcast Discussion. Think of it as a book club, but instead of a book, the conversation centers on the key themes and ideas from an episode of Notes from the Backpack. Consider using an episode like Raising Kids Who Embrace Race to start conversations about Diversity, Equity & Inclusion or tie it to academics with an episode like Growing Great Readers.
    7. Integrate Podcast Promotion into Your PTA Programs. National PTA Programs provide access to engaging, educational and fun opportunities and the podcast can be a great supplement to these activities. If your community is participating in PTA Connected, encourage families to keep the conversation going with Social Media & Cyberbullying.  When it’s time for Reflections, hear directly from contest winner Julian Bass.
    8. Spread the word. Talk about the podcast when you’re catching up with parents at pick up, waiting for the PTA meeting to start, or socializing at a school event. Don’t forget to include the podcast as a resource in your workshops and trainings, too!
    9. Promote our Spanish Podcast episodes. If you have Spanish speaking families in your community, be sure they know about our Spanish podcast, Notas de La Mochila. We currently offer eight episodes in Spanish covering everything from cyberbullying to parent advocacy.
    10. Rate & Review the Show. Did you know that ratings and reviews help new listeners find our show? Open up the show on Apple Podcasts and leave us a rating and a note to share your favorite episode!

      New Generations United Report Highlights Grandfamilies’ Struggles with Food Insecurity

      Existing help for food insecure families tends to assume kids live with parents, not grandparents, and should be fixed to reflect reality. 

      Hunger hurts. Just ask Alice Carter. When she got a call from the Wyoming Department of Family Services (DFS) telling her that her daughter’s parental rights had been severed from her grandson, the department asked if Alice would take him. Without hesitating, she stepped up to raise him and later her granddaughter, too. Her decision was transformative and kept her grandchildren out of foster care. 

      At the time, Alice was a welder, a job that paid good money but required her to travel to work sites. Raising her grandchildren meant she had to quit her job because she couldn’t find reliable care for them while she was away at job locations. Alice lost her home because she couldn’t pay rent, and for more than a year, they lived in her car and struggled to find food. 

      “I tried to appear at friends’ houses around dinner time so they would include my grandchildren. Sometimes people would give us food that had been in their refrigerator for two weeks, but it was better than nothing. Someone gave us a bag of oranges and we ate nothing but oranges for four days,” Alice says.

      Sadly, Alice’s story is not unique. Generations United’s new report sheds light on families like Alice’s. It examines why grandfamilies, families in which children are raised by relatives or family friends without their parents in the home, often face high rates of hunger and food insecurity and recommends ways our policies can better support them. 

      The findings are startling. Generations United’s 2022 State of Grandfamilies report found that between 2019 and 2020, 25% of grandparent-headed households with grandchildren and no parent present experienced food insecurity. This is more than twice the national rate. It’s also 60% higherthan that of all households with children (25% vs. 15%). Yet at the same time, in 2019 less than half of low-income grandfamilies accessed the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program known as SNAP.

      In the report, grandfamily caregivers share personal experiences and struggles with feeding their families. The impact is severe and can harm the health, nutrition and economic security of children and adults.

      “You know, if you only have $10 to spend, you really can’t afford to go out and buy stuff for a healthy salad. You can buy beans and rice and chicken nuggets,” says Kathy Coleman, a grandfamily caregiver and director of the Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Resource Center of Louisiana.

      “It would be a whole lot cheaper, but it’s not really beneficial to the children. But when you’re in that situation, where all you’re trying to do is feed these little babies’ hungry tummies, you do whatever you can to stretch your money and, to be quite honest, sometimes it’s not the most nutritional food.”

      Factors Putting Grandfamilies at Risk

      Grandfamilies are at increased risk of food insecurity due to factors such as poverty, racial discrimination, disability, marriage status, employment status, geography and accessibility. 

      More than half (54%) of grandparent-headed households live in the South—states that tend to have food insecurity rates above the national average. Moreover, a large number of grandparent-headed households live in rural areas and are likely to experience food insecurity at a higher rate, in part because food sources often are further away from home and transportation options are sparse.

      Due to cultural values and proud traditions, grandfamilies are disproportionately African American, American Indian and Alaska Native, and, in some areas, Latino. Yet, years of systemic racism and discrimination have led to disproportionate rates of food insecurity, as well as difficulties accessing support systems and inequitable supports for grandfamily caregivers and the children they raise. Additionally, 31% of grandchildren being raised by their grandparents in a grandparent-headed household are living below the poverty level, compared to 16% of all children nationwide.

      Grandfamilies Face Greater Barriers Accessing Federal Nutrition Programs 

      Federal food and nutrition programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), and free and reduced-price school meals serve as a lifeline for millions of families struggling with hunger and food insecurity, but many grandfamilies face unique challenges when trying to access these services.

      Grandfamily caregiver Linda Lewis from Oklahoma lives off her Social Security benefit and receives Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). 

      “It’s tight,” she says. “I have to buy school uniforms and shoes out of that, too. We get SNAP, but the benefit amount is low and that doesn’t go nowhere.”

      Linda finds herself visiting food pantries once a month for additional support, along with receiving meals from Meals on Wheels, which she says is helpful. 

      Children living with an unlicensed kinship foster care parent are not automatically eligible for WIC benefits, though they may be automatically eligible through other avenues. If a child has been receiving support from WIC while living with a parent, when a grandparent caregiver takes over raising the child, WIC benefits are not always easily transferred or given to the caregiver or child.

      Though SNAP is beneficial for grandfamilies, the application process can be difficult to navigate. Eligibility is based on household income, with no option to base it on the income of the child only. Many grandfamilies have household incomes slightly too high to qualify or they have assets they’ve saved for retirement. 

      “When you’re a grandparent or caregiver raising children who are not your own, you don’t always meet the low-income eligibility in their state to qualify for SNAP,” says Kathy. “And in doing so, it hinders you from having the ability to have the nutritious food that you want and enough food to feed the family.”

      Policy Recommendations to Support Grandfamilies

      We can and must take steps toward providing grandfamilies with access to these proven, cost-effective programs they need to increase their family’s food security. These include:

      • Create a “child-only” SNAP benefit that does not consider household income in making eligibility determinations and, instead, is based upon the income of the child only. Children shouldn’t be penalized because their grandparents built up assets for retirement.
      • Support the development and use of kinship navigator programs that provide information, referral and follow-up services to grandparents and other relatives raising children to link them to the benefits and supports that they and/or the children need. These programs work and should exist in every state.
      • Ensure automatic access to free and reduced-price school meals for children living in grandfamilies and help grandfamilies cover meal costs when school is out to help fill the meal gap during the summer when millions of children lose access to school meals.*
      • Creating joint meal programs for grandfamily caregivers and the children they raise. It was startling to learn during the pandemic that programs could deliver meals to older adults but not to the children living with them, and that programs could feed children but not the grandparents raising them who were standing beside them.

      When children can’t be raised by their parents, they fare better with their grandparents than do children raised by nonrelatives in foster care. They have better mental health and behavioral health outcomes, higher levels of stability and a greater sense of belonging. They say they feel loved.  

      As a nation, we must ensure that no grandfamily experiences hunger and food insecurity. Grandfamilies like Alice Carter’s must no longer feel isolated and alone as they step up to raise a relative’s or a friend’s children. Any grandfamily should know, immediately, where to go for help. And help should be easily accessible to them.

      Learn more in Generations United’s 2022 State of Grandfamilies Report, Together at the Table: Improving the Nutrition, Health, and Well-Being of Grandfamilies.

      Donna Butts is executive director of Generations United in Washington, DC.

      *National PTA continues to champion free school meals for all children, particularly if they live in high poverty school districts through options such as the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) and allowing Medicaid direct certification to ensure automatic access to free school meals if a family already participates.

      Related resources: Op-ed by National PTA President Anna King and Food Research & Action Center President Luis Guardia and National PTA letter to Senate Agriculture Committee on key child nutrition provisions to be included in the end-of-year appropriations package

      Why A.L.I.C.E. Training Alone is Simply Not Good Enough for Our Schools

      The May 2022 mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas was the third deadliest school shooting in the U.S. where a man—armed with an AR15-style rifle—killed 19 nineteen students and two teachers and wounded 17 others. This and so many other violent acts on school campus have schools seeking training and other protections for teachers, students and administrators.

      A.L.I.C.E. is a widely implemented active-shooter training program and mindset for schools and businesses that reaches over one million students. Below are the A.L.I.C.E. guidelines along with our professional opinion on what could have, and sadly should have been done to prevent devastation from school shootings.

      A – Alert. Alert is your first notification of danger.

      The alert or alarm is not your first notification of danger. There are usually many notices or red flags before violence occurs. Whether actions in or out of school, social mediaor in-person threats, we must take potential warnings much more seriously.

      L – Lockdown. Barricade the room. Prepare to EVACUATE or COUNTER if needed.

      Lockdowns immobilize and paralyze movement. Direction for movement out of the danger zone, even during an active event, should be to run. It widens the target area and reduces risk of injury.

      I – Inform. Communicate the intruder’s location and direction in real time.

      Panicked and terrified children at Robb Elementary were trying to call their loved ones, giving incorrect information regarding their location while under duress. This approach will likely confuse any kind of appropriate response. Depending on their age, children are more likely to call loved ones than law enforcement but calling law enforcement could give a better chance of enacting appropriate action. Unfortunately, if the shooter is already on premises, this may be a reaction that is too little too late.

      C – Counter. Create noise, movement, distance, and distraction with the intent of reducing the shooter’s accuracy. The counter is not fighting.

      In “L” it was lockdown and barricade. Students at Robb Elementary were told to make noise and distract. Surely, if an evacuation is not implemented, it is better to stay quiet and not draw attention to your location. It is unlikely that shooters will be distracted by anything other than being engaged by an armed professional. Are children expected to play noisy hide and seek with an active shooter? Shooters are fundamentally cowards and had law enforcement engaged, immediately and aggressively, this Uvalde tragedy might have been avoided.

      E – Evacuate. When safe to do so, remove yourself from the danger zone.

      At this point in A.L.I.C.E. training, the message is about mitigation and not prevention. Evacuation should be the first priority if there is any window of opportunity to do so (no pun intended). There was enough time and notice at Robb Elementary to evacuate instead of hiding. It is also critical to implement a double-check system for making certain that all windows and doors were locked. The classroom where victims were located was on the first floor, and had the classroom door been locked, there would have been time to pass children out of the window. Once outside the building, children should be told to run as fast as they can to safety.

      Running out of the front door or climbing out of windows when the shooter is elsewhere would have given children a much better chance of survival as opposed to hiding in the same classroom.

      For more information on personal safety training and anonymous reporting for schools please visit: www.SAFESavesLives.com/NPTA e-Mail Info@SAFESavesLives.com call 760.280.2838

      Inclusion Matters: Engaging Families of Students with Disabilities

      Student with a disability

      A few years ago, a flyer came home from my child’s high school announcing the first annual sensory-friendly school dance. Knowing that a school event was planned with the needs of all students in mind made me, a parent of children with disabilities, feel that my family was included in a meaningful way. When I found out the event was planned by other families like mine—not by the school or PTA, I was deflated.

      My middle school aged son is one of the seven million students in the U.S. who receive special education services. That means that nearly 14% of all students in the U.S have been identified as having a disability that requires support at school. And that even doesn’t include students who haven’t been identified as having a disability or students who have a disability, but don’t need special education support.

      Inclusion and Belonging are at the Heart of Family Engagement

      When we use statistics and numbers, it’s easy to overlook the people behind them. Simply put, those numbers mean there are a lot of families like mine craving meaningful connection and inclusive family engagement.

      The updated National Standards for Family-School Partnerships ignites my hope that education leaders, including PTA leaders, can help meet the needs and desires of students with disabilities. The six standards outline exactly not just why, but also how, leaders can advocate for students with disabilities. Here’s how that looks:

      1. Welcoming all families into the school community requires an understanding of the barriers families face. Students with disabilities and their families may feel isolated and excluded from school communities due to barriers you are not aware of. Simply asking families what they need to feel welcome is advocacy and builds a sense of belonging.
      2. Communicating effectively with families of students with disabilities is not always easy. Many of us have had negative experiences, some of which are based on the misunderstanding that we do not want to be asked about how PTA can accommodate our children’s disability. Even acknowledging that you are not sure what to ask is a start.
      3. Supporting student success means creating safe and supportive spaces where it’s believed that all students can succeed. Talking to families to let them know that you believe their children can meet their full potential is key in supporting success. You can start by asking one simple question: Do you have suggestions for how we can better or more authentically represent disability in our PTA?
      4. Speaking up for every child takes some pressure off families like mine, who are used to speaking up for our children’s rights and for educational policies and services that support our kids. When you speak up for and with us, you become an additional voice of support, a person we can trust, and someone who sets the standard for speaking up against bias.
      5. Sharing power requires you to be open to new ideas and different perspectives. It is also realizing that you can learn from families of students with disabilities. If you’re unsure if every voice is represented and considered in the decisions you make, ask: Do you feel comfortable raising disability-related concerns?
      6. Collaborating with the community means recognizing that the disability community extends beyond your school district and beyond the families in front of you. Include organizations that have their pulse on what’s happening in the disability community and people who are united by the experience of being disabled.

      Building strong family-school partnerships is a shared responsibility

      As a PTA leader, you can take the lead in applying the updated National Standards for Family-School Partnerships to your relationships with families of students with disabilities. But strong family engagement only happens when all parties are engaged. That’s why I’ve partnered with National PTA to create a series of fact sheets, questions, and conversations starters for each standard.

      You can help enhance communication practices between school administrators and parents like me by sharing Strengthening Family-School Partnerships for Students with Disabilities.

      National PTA has also published several policy resources, including a Position Statement on The Education of Students with Disabilities, Resolution on High Expectations for Students with Disabilities, and a Position Statement on Safe and Supportive Schools to support inclusive advocacy efforts at the local, state, and federal level.

      Amanda Morin is an educational consultant, a former teacher and early childhood specialist, special education advocate, and author of five books, including The Everything Parent’s Guide to Special Education. She is also the mother of three children, two of whom have disabilities.

      The Personalized Learning Children Deserve

      Smarter Balance The Personalized Learning Your Child Deserves

      Looking for resources to personalize learning and support teachers in meeting your child’s individual needs? Smarter Balanced tools go beyond end-of-year testing! 

      We support teachers in meeting the individual needs of children throughout the year with lesson plans and classroom assessment. Our tools help to provide accurate measures of achievement and growth while challenging students to think critically and solve real-world problems.

      • A core principle of our system is accessibility and equity for students. Our tools include unmatched accessibility features designed to support students and remove access barriers—allowing them to demonstrate what they know and can do.
      • We offer easy-to-use instructional strategies and activities that enhance teaching and learning and support flexibility, autonomy, and equity.
      • We support teachers around decision-making with actionable information for daily instruction, planning throughout the year, and data for local, regional, and statewide improvement.

      We are committed to doing what is needed to equip both educators and parents with tools that help them clearly identify where students are in their learning and what information they can use to support growth.

      We know that parents want to be highly involved in their child’s education, and desire clear information about where their student excels or needs help; actionable resources; and feedback about their student’s progress. Whether it’s learning about the tools available to students or the types of content they’re learning, it’s important to have a bigger picture of your child’s education. Teachers are essential partners and trusted messengers when it comes to conveying information about student progress to parents.

      Parents can continue to engage in their child’s education and help pave each students’ path toward growth by diving into insightful resources. With a complete picture of their child’s learning, knowledge and skills, parents can start smarter conversations with teachers about what they can do to support learning at home. 

      Check out these Smarter Balanced tools today! 

      • Guides to help parents understand their child’s score reports,
      • Tips for making the most of conferences with their child’s teachers, and
      • Practice tests, sample items, and more!

      Learn more about Smarter Balanced family resources at: https://smarterbalanced.org/our-system/students-and-families/ 

      Author: Bryce Carpenter, Ph.D., Executive Administrative Officer, Smarter Balanced

      Smarter Balanced is a member-led public agency that equips educators with tools to support students on a path to progress. As a member of the executive team, Dr. Carpenter’s focus areas are workforce development, strategy, governmental & external affairs, and communications. Dr. Carpenter is a lifelong public servant who believes in the transformative power of education and has committed his career to serving children and those who serve them.  

      Situational Awareness: Taking Ownership of School Safety

      One strategy to help create a safer space where threats are mitigated and students and staff feel safe.

      Schools should be safe havens for students, refuges from the harshness of the outside world. However, the opposite is too often true. According to a study published in the April 2018 issue of the Journal of Child and Family Studies, “More people have died or been injured in mass school shootings in the United States in the past 18 years than in the entire 20th century.”

      The data are alarming, but we are not powerless to effect change. Tools are available to improve the security of our schools and the safety of our students without draining resources or budgets. Situational awareness is one such tool.

      What Is Situational Awareness?

      Situational awareness (SA) is a basic, conscious practice of recognizing what is normal and, more importantly, anything that is abnormal in any given situation that signals potential danger. When you become more aware, you will be able to identify, assess, report, and avoid threats to you and everyone around you.

      SA is about allowing your sixth sense to play a role in your daily life by:

      • Being mindful of your surroundings and the overall environment.
      • Being mindful of others around you and anything that might seem out of place.
      • Assessing actions, activities, and occurrences that might affect you.

      Consider how SA might have saved 17 lives:

      Nikolas Cruz—carrying a rifle case and a backpack filled with magazines— took an Uber to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, on February 14, 2018. Just after 2:00 p.m., he walked onto the crowded campus and into the freshman building.

      Although a staff member noticed Cruz “walking purposefully” toward the building with a rifle case and backpack and mentioned it to a colleague, he did not challenge Cruz, a former student. In fact, nobody paid much attention until Cruz opened fire, killing 17 people.

      While hindsight is 20/20, what if the Uber driver had been more aware of his fare—the young man’s demeanor and the fact that he was taking a rifle case to a school? What about the others who saw Cruz carrying the rifle case and heavy backpack but didn’t consider those red flags? What if those around Cruz had asked themselves these important questions:

      • Is there a visible health or safety threat?
      • Is there an individual acting out of the ordinary that might pose a risk?
      • Are there cues or contextual clues that indicate some- thing is “off”?
      • Is there anything I can do that would reduce the threat?
      • Should I act now or later?

      This simple example illustrates that even the most basic level of situational awareness could have changed the course of history.

      The Value of SA in Schools

      The value of SA is not exclusive to preventing gun violence. SA can be a critical line of defense for any threat: school shootings, gang behavior, child abuse, sexual predators, drugs and alcohol and student self-harm.

      Even having multiple security officers on campus is no guarantee of protection. They cannot be everywhere at once nor can they see everything at once. When combined with other safety measures, such as cameras, fences, metal detectors, and security officers, SA can provide an additional layer of protection by putting everyone into the safety and security mind-set, including administrative staff, security officers, custodial staff, teachers, students and parents.

      A school with 10 people assigned to safety and security equates to 20 eyes and 20 ears. However, an aware campus where every student, parent, teacher and staff member are alert to anomalies can equate to thousands of eyes and ears. A cohesive approach to safety is one in which the campus is under the purview of “switched on” people.

      By ensuring that every member of the school community understands SA and what to do when faced with a threat, a situation becomes much easier to handle and the threat level is reduced significantly. Involving students and parents in the safety process not only is a good idea, but is a significant shift in school safety in general.

      Erring on the Side of Caution

      When it comes to our schools, we all must err on the side of caution. In short, the rule should be “If you see something, say something.” But people won’t report something if they are unsure of what they saw. We are often reluctant to report something if we are the only ones who noticed it.

      Safety and security become stronger when you empower the community to “be aware and to stay aware,” which in turn leads to an effective process of “If you see something, say something.”

      The only sure way to limit violence in our schools and safeguard the children in our care is to act decisively when the moment calls for it. Does that mean educators should immediately call the police if a student is behaving erratically? Not necessarily. However, it does mean that they need to use good judgment when assessing threats to the student body and school staff. It means not shrugging off warning signs or nagging suspicions that something is wrong. Often, their intuition is trying to tell them something that their conscious mind has missed.

      Being Alert to Early Warning Signs

      Everyone should be alert to early warning signs that may indicate a potential threat. This is particularly true when it comes to threats stemming from individuals within the student body. Here are some of the more common signs:

      • Feelings of rejection
      • Low self-esteem
      • History of violence, particularly at home
      • Being bullied or bullying others
      • Withdrawal from peers and activities
      • Lack of coping skills

      Doubtless, many students struggle with one or more of these challenges. Too often, they are part and parcel of being a teenager. However, when left unaddressed, a situation can become violent.

      Ultimately, there is no way to eliminate all threats to the student body or school staff. However, it is possible through situational awareness to create a safer space where threats are mitigated—a place where children can feel safe to play, learn, form bonds with their peers and develop the strong foundation needed for a happy, productive life.

      Together, we can make a difference when it comes to school safety.

      Rick Collins is founder and executive director at SAFE—Situational Awareness for Everyone®.

      Email: Rick@safesaveslives.com

      This article originally appeared in the October 2020 School Business Affairs magazine and is reprinted with permission of the Association of School Business Officials International (ASBO). The text herein does not necessarily represent the views or policies of ASBO International, and use of this imprint does not imply any endorsement or recognition by ASBO International and its officers or affiliates.

      Why We Need a Parent Nation

      I like to say that parents are children’s first and best teachers. And since science tells us learning begins on the first day of life—not the first day of school—the job starts early and lasts a lifetime.

      A child’s early experiences, particularly those of rich language and responsive interactions with a loving caregiver, fuel early brain development. They catalyze the formation of new neuronal connections at astonishing rates, up to one million new connections per second. This rate of brain growth, linked to language, literacy, math, spatial reasoning and self-regulation, is never matched later in life. The more input a child receives, the stronger these neuronal connections grow—building the foundation for all future learning.

      But we don’t do nearly enough to pass that science along to parents—the people in the best position to put it to use. Nor do we share it with society more broadly, so that parents and caregivers might receive the structural support they need and deserve. 

      It’s time to remedy that.

      I founded the TMW Center for Early Learning + Public Health at the University of Chicago and wrote a book called “Thirty Million Words: Building A Child’s Brain,” hoping to spread far and wide what science has revealed about the role of early language exposure.

      Those findings are what motivate me and my team at the TMW Center to develop and study evidence-based strategies that help parents learn and apply the science of early brain development. But evidence-based strategies aren’t enough if you lack the time, resources and mental and emotional bandwidth to apply them. And America doesn’t do a whole lot to provide parents any of the above.

      This became painfully apparent the more deeply I engaged with families at the TMW Center. Because our studies followed children from their first day of life into kindergarten, my team and I were getting to know many families up close and over time. The parents’ enthusiasm was thrilling. But real life—unpredictable work schedules, multiple jobs, lack of health care, structural racism, homelessness—would stand in the way of their best intentions again and again.

      The bottom line is, we have made it exceedingly difficult for most parents to raise children in our country. It’s almost impossible for some. And until we make it easier for all parents to meet the developmental needs of their children—to fulfill their promise as brain architects so that their children may reach their full potential—our society will fail to reach its own.

      We don’t need another research study to show that parents are important, or that rich conversation is key for children’s brain development.

      What we need is a parent nation.

      A parent nation, as I see it, is a society that cherishes and supports the love and labor that go into nurturing, raising and educating future generations. There is no limit on who can provide that love. So, I want to be clear that when I say “parent,” I mean any caring adult engaged in the work of raising a child.

      Just as neuroscience tells us what to prioritize individually as parents, it can tell us what society should prioritize in order to optimize healthy brain development for all children. But if brain science offers blueprints, it is parents who do the building. Parents are the captains of their families’ ships, manning the helm. And just as every captain needs a crew, every parent needs the support and protection—including fair wages, paid time off and a social safety net—that will allow them to steer their families to safety.

      I’d love to see parents band together in their workplaces and communities and talk to each other about their needs, hopes and fears. My team and I created an entire curriculum that’s free and downloadable on ParentNation.org for people to start Parent Villages—small groups or parents who come together to create community and push for change. That change could be working to get a lactation room at work, or a childcare center built near public transportation, or any number of things.

      Together we can push for families to get the support they need and deserve. Being a parent can bring us to our knees. But it must also rouse us to our feet.

      Dr. Dana Suskind is a pediatric cochlear implant surgeon, founder and co-director of the TMW Center for Early Learning + Public Health at the University of Chicago and the author of Parent Nation: Unlocking Every Child’s Potential, Fulfilling Society’s Promise.

      6 Essential Back-to-School Supplies

      Your average school supply list contains the usual suspects: No. 2 pencils, glue sticks, plus folders in every color of the rainbow. But these are just a few of the tools that fuel success in the classroom. Teachers and students need other items you might not immediately think of—and that might be missing from your classroom supply lists. 

      PTAs can help source school supplies in a number of ways. Whether you DIY or delegate to a third-party vendor, PTA leaders can work to ensure each classroom list is complete. Here are six items worth considering (and why!).

      1. Hand sanitizer and hand soap – As we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, healthy habits are a must. Students are encouraged to wash their hands several times throughout the day, especially before mealtimes. Hand soap is most useful for classrooms with their own sinks, while hand sanitizer can get the job done when soap and water aren’t readily available. Either way, students go through these items quickly—which is why it’s important to make sure they never run out.

      2.  Lysol® Disinfecting Wipes and Lysol® Disinfectant SprayDisinfecting wipes and sprays from Lysol are essential to help prevent the spread of illness-causing germs and tackle unexpected messes in the classroom. For peace of mind, many teachers disinfect high-touch classroom surfaces like desktops, doorknobs and light switches daily. Include these products on every class’s back-to-school supply list, and you’ll ensure a steady supply through cold-and-flu season and beyond.

      3. Sandwich bags – Sandwich bags (ideally with zip-top closure) are super-handy for distributing individual portions of snacks, manipulatives or craft supplies. If students need to pause mid-way through an activity, they are perfect for storing loose pieces until the following day. Sandwich baggies are also useful for securing items that become broken or lost, such as a piece of jewelry or even a baby tooth that comes out during the school day! The list goes on, which is why every classroom should have a stock of sandwich bags (and reuse them as much as possible).

      4. Pencil pouches – It’s all too easy for backpacks, desks and lockers to become littered with small school items. Students need an easy way to corral their writing implements, pencil sharpeners and such. Teachers tend to prefer pencil pouches to pencil boxes because they are more durable and less bulky—plus, they often sport loops to fit into three-ring binders.  

      5. Earbuds – Technology has an ever-growing presence in the classroom, with many students using school-issued tablets or laptops. Earbuds are a great alternative to traditional headphones because they take up less room. When each student has their own pair of earbuds, they can easily make the switch to independent learning with their devices. Even if your school provides a pair of earbuds, it doesn’t hurt to buy extra, in case they become misplaced.

      6. Academic planner – It’s never too early to help kids learn organization and time-management—and for young digital natives, a paper planner or personal organizer can be just the tool they need. Consider putting academic planners on the list for older students who can write proficiently, generally late elementary school and beyond. With an academic planner they can track homework assignments, upcoming tests and other important information (and relish the joy of crossing off those to-dos!). The ideal planner offers weekly and monthly views of their schedule, with the ability to customize school subjects. But many students enjoy the opportunity to pick the academic planner that works best for them.

      A thoughtful school supply list captures everything teachers and students need to thrive in the classroom. Take a look at yours and see what items may need to be added—to ensure a fun, productive and healthy year for your entire school community.

      Lysol is a Proud National Sponsor of National PTA. This article contains sponsored content from third parties.National PTA does not endorse any commercial entity, product or service.

      4 Ways Your PTA Can Simplify School Supplies

      From crayons to calculators, students rely on a steady stream of school supplies to make it through the academic year. But securing these items can be a challenge for teachers and parents, especially when supply lists are long and they differ from grade to grade, even from classroom to classroom.

      That’s where PTA leaders can step in to support teachers, facilitate student learning and make life easier for families. And no matter how your PTA chooses to get involved, this is also an opportunity to check that your classroom lists include all the essentials, including commonly overlooked items like Lysol® Disinfecting Wipes and Lysol® Disinfectant Spray. If your PTA is looking to help with school supplies, here are four models to consider.

      1. Buy in Bulk

      How It Works: With teacher supply lists in hand, your PTA can take on the lion’s share of the work by purchasing the necessary items in bulk, either in person or online. Once the supplies arrive, PTA members sort, assemble and distribute the school supply kits to every classroom.

      How It’s Funded: In late spring or early summer, the PTA asks for contributions from each family (typically $20 to $45 per student, which is less than they would pay to buy the school supplies themselves). Parents can even make a tax-deductible donation to help cover supplies for those who are unable to pay. Any leftover money can be applied to the PTA general fund, and surplus supplies can be stored for the next school year.

      Why PTAs Like It: Not only does this approach reduce much of the burden for teachers and parents, it also opens up short-term PTA volunteer opportunities for people who like to bargain-hunt or who only have a few hours to spare. Another bonus: Every student gets the same brand of markers, folders and so on—thereby leveling the playing field.

      2. Work with a Wholesaler

      How It Works: A growing number of companies will partner with schools to provide turnkey school supply kits, customized by grade. The PTA takes on the role of hiring and managing the third-party vendor, seeking teacher input and promoting the service to families. The completed kits are shipped to student homes—or, better yet, directly to the school so teachers can set everything up before the first day of class.

      How It’s Funded: Parents order their supply kits online from the company (or opt out, if they prefer). Often, your PTA can receive a portion of the proceeds from each box sold.

      Why PTAs Like It: “Parents love the ease of school supply shopping in just a few clicks. Long gone are the days of hitting up multiple stores to find specific items,” says Jennifer Finnegan, who manages the school supply program on behalf of Haycock Elementary PTA in Falls Church, Va. “The Haycock PTA is happy to provide this convenience, and it’s an easy win for the entire school community. ”

      3. Funnel Funds to Teachers

      How It Works: Classroom teachers know what they need to support their lessons plans, and they often have brand preferences, too. That’s why some PTAs choose to hold an annual classroom supply fundraising campaign. Then, teachers get to do all the shopping.

      How It’s Funded: Families pay into a fund dedicated to school supplies. Some PTAs suggest a per-student contribution, while others follow a pay-what-you-can model. Either way, your PTA may choose to subsidize the fund as needed. The money then gets divided among classroom and specialty teachers, who purchase exactly what’s needed for their students for the entire year.

      Why PTAs Like It: This approach gives teachers ultimate control over their classroom supplies, while again saving families time and ensuring equity among students. Meanwhile, kids still get to pick out their highly personal items like backpacks, lunch boxes and water bottles.

      4. Close the Gaps

      How It Works: Whether or not you pursue one of the options above, your PTA can further help teachers by setting up a grant program to reimburse them for any out-of-pocket expenses, up to a maximum amount (typically $100 to $250) per school year.

      How It’s Funded: Your PTA may include this reimbursement program as a line item in your annual budget. Be sure to stipulate which kinds of purchases are eligible (defer to your PTA bylaws and guidelines) as well as the process for submitting receipts.

      Why PTAs Like It: There is no question that too many teachers spend too much of their own money on snacks, crafts and other classroom supplies. PTAs can help teachers pay for qualified educational expenses when school budgets and supply lists don’t quite cover it.

      Sourcing school supplies is just one more way your PTA can support teachers, parents and students—and help your entire community get off to a strong start each fall.

      Here’s to another fantastic school year!

      Lysol is a Proud National Sponsor of National PTA. This article contains sponsored content from third parties.National PTA does not endorse any commercial entity, product or service.