El Paso County Public Health
It’s back to school and back to connection
How to support youth as they embark on a new school year
By Dr. Paul Mayer, co-medical director of El Paso County Public Health
For many, August and September welcome the back-to-school rush — a time of backpacks, school supplies, class schedules and the excitement of a new year. However, along with the excitement of a new year, many students often face social and emotional stressors that can be difficult to navigate during a school year. This is where parents, families and positive role models can step in to help children and adolescents appropriately manage school connections.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that when students and adolescents have a supportive school environment and feel supported at home about what takes place at school, they are more than likely to engage in positive health behaviors and avoid behaviors that are negative toward their mental and emotional well-being. The CDC offers advice for the school year based on the whole school, whole community, whole child model (https://www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/wscc/index.htm), their framework for school health. They offer a simple guide for implementing strategies at home:
Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC) model
• Taking the time to be an active listener while talking with your child or adolescent.
- Ask about how your child is feeling emotionally and acknowledge those feelings — this is a great way to model empathy.
- Focus on your child or adolescent’s strengths — personality traits and actions that make them unique — before discussing things they can do to improve their confidence in social situations.
- Model positive coping skills — our children learn from what they see. If parents or family members model appropriate and positive coping skills when managing stressful situations, it will help your child or adolescent understand how to navigate uncharted social and emotional situations.
To learn more about how to support your child or adolescent’s emotional well-being throughout the school year, visit the CDC at https://www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/sec.htm for more information.
