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Kids getting off the bus and walking into school

Back to School

BACK TO SCHOOL

Image of Bruce Squires

Bruce Squires

Back-to-school time means ensuring routines focus on sleep, healthy eating and exercise for kids of all ages, from toddlers to teens. It’s time to get vision check-ups so students can see well in the classroom, ensure routine vaccinations are up to date, and plan for flu vaccines and COVID boosters when they become available.

To support families in our community, McMaster Children’s Hospital experts have added to our collection of resources with topics such as recognizing signs of anxiety, proper hand-washing and sanitizing, walking and biking to school safely, returning to a school routine, and supporting gender-diverse classmates. Check out the variety of videos and articles to help you navigate the upcoming school year.

We hope you had a safe and fun summer break, and wish you and your children & youth all the best in the new school year.

– Bruce Squires, President of McMaster Children’s Hospital

P.S. We’ve added more free parenting/caregiving courses and workshops to our course catalogue for the fall. Register online.

Featured Tips

Returning to a routine Vaccinations Managing Anxiety Being an ally Walking/biking to school Bullying

Click on a topic below for more information from our experts.

Returning to the classroom

These videos offer some practical information to help parents prepare their kids for back to school.

How to prevent infections

It’s important for everyone to reduce their risk of contracting viruses like COVID-19 and the flu. This can include wearing a mask, hand washing, and physical distancing. Check out these videos for more information.

Parenting under challenging circumstances

Parents and caregivers: you’re doing the best you can under challenging circumstances. While these videos were created early in the pandemic, they are still helpful in easing the transition back to school for you and your family. Remember to take care of yourself, too.

Vaccine resources

To support parents with their kids routine vaccines and to help make informed choices about the COVID-19 and flu vaccines, we have compiled this list of videos and resources.

Additional resources

Other Videos

The other side of COVID: Impacts of the pandemic on children’s health

Community Resources