Parents and caregivers know that a new school year can be both exciting and stressful. Keeping a few key points in mind can help your student (and you!) make the most of your school community — and equip you with practical tips and tools to help.

Create Space for Ongoing Dialogue

Regular heart-to-heart conversations can go a long way in helping your student feel confident and ready to take on classes, activities, and new friendships. Talk with your student about their goals for the school year. What areas are going well so far and what might need attention?

Remember the impact that social and political turmoil, violence, and uncertainty may be having on your student in addition to the usual stressors associated with school. Create space to check in with them about current events such as immigration and mass deportations. 

Ask Questions

Ask open-ended questions (“how” and “what” questions rather than questions that result in a “yes” or  “no”) to help them articulate and process their thoughts and emotions. Recognize, too, that they are likely experiencing, firsthand, the impact of these events on the lives of their friends and classmates, if not their own family.

Take time to ask them about their friends. Who makes them feel good, and who doesn’t? Help them strategize ways to build closer relationships with friends who make them feel good about themselves and to move away from relationships with people who don’t. Look for opportunities to help them broaden their horizons, strengthen their character and build resilience.

7 Ways to Support Your Student

Spending time with your student and taking time to talk with them can go a long way in providing support. Here are a few tips to keep in mind:

  1. Be an active listener.
  2. Ask open-ended questions.
  3. Validate their feelings.
  4. Check-in to see if they just need you to listen to them vent and express their emotions or to partner with them in problem-solving when they need extra support.
  5. Encourage them to advocate for themselves.
  6. Emphasize effort, progress over perfection, and avoiding unrealistic expectations of excellence or success.
  7. Frame challenges as opportunities for growth.

5 Ways to Support Yourself

In 2024, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy released Parents Under Pressure: The U.S. Surgeon General Advisory on the Mental Health and Well-Being of Parents. The report is a reminder that now, more than ever, as parents and caregivers, it’s important to also take care of ourselves. Here are few tips:

  1. Be mindful of setting a realistic schedule. Prioritize a few important activities or tasks to give your energy to and, most importantly, prioritize downtime. Don’t feel guilty for resting or not being “productive” every minute of your day. You deserve time to just be and to rest. 
  2. Make a plan for your own extracurricular activities, like gardening, walking, pickleball, taking a Zumba class, joining a book club, doing something creative, and more. Parents and caregivers need hobbies too.
  3. Involve the whole family in creating a weekly schedule for responsibilities like chores or meal planning. If you are a single parent, consider people in your community (like extended family, friends, faith-based groups, neighbors, and colleagues) who can support you or help with cooking, carpooling, baby sitting, and other responsibilities.
  4. Remember to breathe. Try different breathing exercises to ease stress. 
  5. Give yourself grace. Remember, you are human, and you don’t need to be perfect. You can strive to do your best — and your best is enough.

Questions to Consider

The start of the school year is a good time to check in with yourself and your student on how you are both feeling, reflecting on the previous year and setting goals for the new year. Here are some questions to consider: 

  • What went well last school year?
  • What challenges did you encounter in the last year? How do you feel about those challenges now? What have you learned?
  • What did you learn about yourself that can help prepare you for success this year?
  • What are your top 3 goals personally and academically (or professionally) this year?
  • How do you feel about transitioning into college? What are some experiences you are nervous about, and what experiences are you excited about? (if applicable)
  • What additional support do you and your student need this academic year?

Additional Resources