More Than a Backpack: Preparing Our Children for a Healthy, Successful School Year

Is our child healthy and truly ready to learn?
A successful school year requires much more than pencils, notebooks, and a new backpack. A child who cannot see the board clearly, isn't sleeping enough, is struggling with anxiety, has uncontrolled asthma, is hungry during the school day, or is being
bullied may walk into the same classroom as everyone else but that child isn't starting from the same place. Health and education are inseparable. The American Academy of Pediatrics emphasizes that annual checkups can identify concerns involving vision, hearing, breathing, heart function, sleep, nutrition, development, and emotional health issues that can directly affect a child’s ability to learn and thrive at school.At The Gatsby Showcase Foundation, our commitment to education extends beyond
helping children enter classrooms. We want children to arrive healthy, supported, confident, and prepared to reach their full potential. This August, as families prepare for another academic year, we're looking beyond the backpack and focusing on the whole child.

School Readiness Is Health Readiness
We sometimes separate education and healthcare as though they exist in different worlds.They don’t. A child’s ability to learn is influenced every day by physical and emotional health. Consider a child who is constantly tired. Concentration becomes difficult. A child who cannot see the board may stop participating. A child with untreated dental pain may be unable to focus. A child worried about violence at home or food for dinner may have difficulty concentrating on multiplication. A child experiencing anxiety may complain of headaches or stomachaches and begin missing school. And a child whose asthma isn’t properly controlled may miss days or weeks of instruction.Sometimes what appears to be an academic problem is actually a health problem asking to be noticed.That is why preparing children for school must involve the whole child.

Start With the Annual Checkup
One of the most important back-to-school appointments isn’t at the mall. It’s with your child’s healthcare provider. An annual wellness examination allows a clinician to evaluate much more than whether a child appears healthy. Depending on age and individual needs, a visit may include assessment of:

• Height and weight
• Blood pressure
• Growth and development
• Vision
• Hearing
• Nutrition
• Sleep
• Physical activity
• Emotional and behavioral health
• Chronic medical conditions
• Immunization status

For student-athletes, the visit also provides an opportunity to discuss previous injuries, exercise-related symptoms, family cardiac history, and whether additional evaluation is appropriate before participating in sports. The AAP notes that, for some otherwise healthy children, the annual back-to-school visit may be one of the few times they see their pediatrician during the year. That makes it an important opportunity to identify emerging concerns before they interfere with school. Don’t wait for illness to introduce your child to healthcare. Prevention matters.

When the Problem Isn’t the Homework: Vision and Hearing
Imagine repeatedly being told to “pay attention” when you simply cannot see what the teacher has written. Or appearing unresponsive because you didn’t clearly hear the instruction. Vision and hearing problems can sometimes be mistaken for:

• Inattention
• Behavioral problems
• Learning difficulties
• Lack of effort
• Poor academic ability

Children may not recognize that their vision or hearing is abnormal because they have nothing with which to compare their experience. Watch for clues such as:

• Squinting
• Sitting unusually close to screens
• Frequent headaches
• Covering one eye while reading
• Difficulty following written material
• Frequently asking people to repeat themselves
• Turning the television volume unusually high
• Declining school performance

Routine pediatric visits include screening intended to help identify these concerns. Sometimes the intervention that changes a child’s academic trajectory isn’t tutoring. It’s a pair of glasses.

Sleep: The School Supply We Cannot Buy
We purchase notebooks and computers to help children learn, yet one of the most powerful learning tools costs nothing:
Sleep. Sleep supports memory, attention, emotional regulation, physical growth, immune function, and learning. Summer schedules often become flexible. Bedtimes drift later. Children sleep in. Screen time increases. Then school suddenly begins, and families expect children's bodies to immediately adjust. A better approach is to begin moving bedtime and wake-up time toward the school schedule before the first day. Create an evening routine. Dim the lights. Reduce stimulating activities. And establish limits around phones, tablets, gaming systems, and televisions. The goal isn’t simply getting children out of bed on time. It’s sending them to school with brains that are actually ready to learn.

Sleep: The School Supply We Cannot Buy
We purchase notebooks and computers to help children learn, yet one of the most powerful learning tools costs nothing: Sleep. Sleep supports memory, attention, emotional regulation, physical growth, immune function, and learning. Summer schedules often become flexible. Bedtimes drift later. Children sleep in. Screen time increases. Then school suddenly begins, and families expect children's bodies to immediately adjust. A better approach is to begin moving bedtime and wake-up time toward the school schedule before the first day. Create an evening routine. Dim the lights. Reduce stimulating activities. And establish limits around phones, tablets, gaming systems, and televisions. The goal isn’t simply getting children out of bed on time. It’s sending them to school with brains that are actually ready to learn.

Nutrition: You Cannot Teach a Hungry Brain
A child may have an excellent teacher and a wonderful curriculum, but hunger can make learning extraordinarily difficult. Healthy nutrition supports:

• Concentration
• Energy
• Growth
• Immune health
• Mood
• Academic performance

Whenever possible, start the day with a balanced breakfast containing protein, whole grains, fruits, or other nutrient-rich foods. But we also need to recognize an important reality: For some families, nutrition isn’t simply about making better choices. It’s about access. Food insecurity affects families across the country. Some parents are choosing between
groceries, rent, transportation, medications, and utilities. This is why school breakfast and lunch programs, community food resources, and nutrition assistance programs are so important. We should never shame families struggling to put healthy food on the table. We should help connect them with resources.

Don’t Forget Oral Health
Dental health belongs on the back-to-school checklist too. Untreated cavities and dental infections can cause:

• Pain
• Difficulty eating
• Difficulty sleeping
• School absences
• Problems concentrating

Regular dental care, brushing twice daily with fluoride toothpaste, and healthy eating habits help prevent problems before they become emergencies. A toothache may sound like a small problem. To a child trying to sit through six hours of school, it can become the only thing that matters.

Immunizations: Protecting the Classroom and the Community
Back-to-school season is also an important time to review immunization records. Vaccines protect individual children while helping reduce the spread of serious infectious diseases through schools and communities. The AAP notes that school immunization requirements exist throughout the United States and that keeping children appropriately immunized contributes to healthier school environments. Requirements vary by jurisdiction and grade. For example, Maryland has published specific 2026–2027 immunization requirements for preschool and K–12 students, while DC maintains grade-specific requirements. Families should check their own school system and healthcare provider rather than assuming last year's records remain sufficient. If you’re unsure whether your child is current, ask. Don’t wait until the night before school begins to discover that documentation is missing.

When Your Child Has a Chronic Medical Condition
For families managing asthma, diabetes, severe allergies, seizure disorders, sickle cell disease, or another chronic condition, back-to-school planning requires another layer of preparation. Ask: Does the school nurse know about the condition? Are medications current and available at school? Does the school have the necessary physician forms? Does your child understand their condition at an age-appropriate level? Do teachers and coaches know what an emergency looks like? A child with asthma may need an asthma action plan. A child with a severe food allergy may require an anaphylaxis emergency plan and access to epinephrine. A child with diabetes may require coordination around glucose monitoring, medication, meals, and physical activity. Don’t assume everyone knows what to do. Create the plan before the emergency.

Mental Health Belongs on the Back-to-School Checklist
Not every child is excited about returning to school. For some, August brings anxiety. A child may be worried about:

• Making friends
• Academic pressure
• A new school
• Bullying
• Sports performance
• Body image
• Family problems
• Social media
• College preparation
• Safety

Younger children may not say, “I’m anxious.” Instead, anxiety may appear as:

• Stomachaches
• Headaches
• Irritability
• Difficulty sleeping
• Tearfulness
• School refusal
• Changes in appetite
• Withdrawal

The annual health visit is also an opportunity to discuss emotional and behavioral concerns that may affect a child’s school experience. Ask your child questions that require more than a yes or no. Instead of: “Are you excited about school?” Try: “What are you most excited about?” “Is there anything you're worried about?” “Who do you feel comfortable talking to at school?” And then listen. Sometimes children don’t need an immediate solution.They need to know an adult is paying attention.

Screens, Social Media, and the New School Day
For today’s children, school doesn’t necessarily end when they walk through the front door. Their social world follows them home through their phones. Text messages. Group chats. Gaming. Social media. Videos. Notifications. Technology can provide education, creativity, and connection. But excessive or poorly managed use can interfere with sleep, physical activity, homework, family relationships, and emotional well-being. Families should establish expectations around:

• Phones during homework
• Devices at bedtime
• Social media
• Gaming
• Online privacy
• Cyberbullying

The goal isn’t to make technology the enemy. It’s to teach children how to use it rather than allowing it to use them.