Our guest blogger is national youth development nonprofit leader Crystal Garrant. She is the Chief Program Officer (CPO) for Sandy Hook Promise. Here, she shares advice and resources on how educators and parents can help their students with difficult transitions like going back to school.
Supporting students through transitions like going back to school is a top priority – and challenge – for educators and parents. As a mom of a 4th grader, Back-to-School season always fills me with a mix of excitement and anxiety. My mind races with questions: “Will my child know what to do? Will her teachers see her brilliance and support her struggles? Will they reach out if something goes wrong?” This year, the anxiety is heightened because she’s starting a new school.
Reflecting on this, I’ve realized that my concerns center around relationships. We don’t yet know the teachers, the student groups, or how the school fosters social bonds and routines. Imagine if we all focused on building strong, positive relationships as the cornerstone of the Back-to-School experience – or during any challenging transition for our students and kids. What might be possible, and what feelings of isolation could we prevent?
Research tells us that open lines of communication between us as parents, caregivers, and educators is essential for addressing students’ needs effectively. Family engagement has a direct impact on positive school climates.
Here are some ideas for creating those connections to make student support a team effort.
Common Challenges Students Face During Transitions
Supporting students in easing back into school involves building strong relationships, engaging parents and caregivers, encouraging daily reflections, and fostering developmental relationships through structured programs like Know the Signs.
Parents and teachers can ease back into back to school or other challenging transitions by focusing on these key areas:
- Structure and Routines: Summer often disrupts the routines that are often put in place at school. Most students returning to school require a readjustment to expectations.
- Developmental Changes: Transitioning from elementary to middle school or middle to high school brings physical, emotional, and academic changes. For example, middle school students must navigate changing classrooms and teachers, which can be stressful.
- Social Interactions: Some students might not engage in group settings over the summer. Returning to school and participating in group activities all day can be overwhelming for them.
- Safety Concerns: Physical safety can be a significant worry for some students, impacting their ability to focus and learn.
- Academic Stress: Concerns about academic proficiency can add to students’ stress, especially if they feel unprepared.
Relationships Matter for Supporting Youth Through Transitions
Relationships are at the heart of a successful Back-to-School transition – particularly knowing how to find a Trusted Adult in their community. A Trusted Adult is someone who students view as a reliable and caring source of support. Building blocks for establishing strong relationships at school, and a cohesive teacher-parent/caregiver support system may include:
- Parent/Caregiver Engagement: Many school districts have engagement strategies to build a deeper understanding of the family dynamics students come from. When parents, caregivers, and educators collaborate, it facilitates open communication and helps create a positive school climate.
- Developmental Relationships: Expressing care, challenging growth, providing support, sharing power, and expanding possibilities are key to building developmental relationships. Programs like Know the Signs facilitate these relationships through strategies like Circle-Ups, developing group agreements, and Trusted Adult mixers.
- Daily Reflections: Encouraging your students or children to reflect on their day helps them identify their feelings and challenges. Questions like “What went well today?” and “What was challenging?” can foster open communication between students, parents, and educators.
Fostering an Inclusive School Culture
A positive school culture is built on relationships and social connections. It involves policies, practices, and programs that support a welcoming environment. Zaretta Hammond’s book, “Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain,” highlights how understanding students’ individual cultures is crucial for building trust and effective support systems. Hammond writes that when we understand students’ beliefs and norms about life transitions, educators are better able to identify what supports are the right ones and create the appropriate social bonds and social bridges that meet the needs of the student.
How can schools and parents foster a welcoming school culture right from the beginning of the school year for all children? A sense of belonging can begin to form through initiatives like family home visits and early parent-teacher conferences to establish trust, along with co-created classroom agreements with families.
Consistently monitoring school climate data for student emotional wellness is also helpful. How are students feeling at the start of the year? Do they feel like they belong? Do they have a Trusted Adult at school? What are the parents or caregivers hearing or seeing at home? After a month or two, follow up to check for development and if adjustments are needed for support.
Consistency in Transition Support
While supporting students through transitions like back to school include the challenge of forming new relationships and even navigating schools for those leveling up grade bands, children face a variety of hurdles, often with what could be going on in their home life or community, including dealing with loss and tragedy. The Know the Signs programs include classroom lessons on belonging, empathy, youth agency, and identifying the warning signs of violence. These activities and next steps can help your students recognize their emotions and seek support from Trusted Adults.
- Routine and Structure Balance: Establishing behavioral norms and daily routines at home—like transportation, meal times, and individual/group activities—will provide balance to help reset to school climate and culture.
- Trusted Adult Training: Parents and caregivers can participate in Trusted Adult training annually. Learn about Sandy Hook Promise’s Say Something: Being a Trusted Adult training.
- Continuous Reflection Activities: Students need help in understanding what’s happening in a developmentally appropriate context. Ongoing reflections can help gather insights into students’ sense of belonging and support.
- Collaborative Efforts: Parents and educators need to work together. Trusted Adults are able to identify the type of support that may be needed to create social bridges to bring in other supports.
- Open Communication: Maintaining open lines of communication between parents, caregivers, and educators is essential for addressing students’ needs effectively. Research by Karen Mapp and the National Association for School and Community Engagement (NAFSCE) underscores the importance of family engagement in creating a positive school climate.
By focusing on these strategies, parents and educators can help support their students through transitions and foster a supportive, connected, unified school and home environment.
