Remember Your Safety ABCs With The Return Back To School
August is upon us, and the end of summer break is quickly approaching. Students will soon be starting back to school, so now is a great time for us to review our ABCs: Always Being Careful. These quick tips can help make back to school fun and safe.
It can be a challenge to get back in the school routine after summer break, but it is important for children to be alert during the school day. Remember that they need to get a restful night’s sleep and start each morning with a healthy breakfast. Also, be sure to talk to your child about their day at school – on the ride home from school or around the dinner table. This simple daily routine will help you identify any signs of bullying or other obstacles that may be going on at school and allow them to be addressed early.
When back-to-school shopping, consider more than just style when selecting your child’s backpack. According to the National Safety Council, backpacks that are too heavy can cause a lot of problems for kids, including back pain, shoulder pain, and poor posture. Keep in mind:
An ergonomic design – although a roomy backpack seems good, the more space there is to fill, the more likely your child will fill it.
A backpack should never be wider or longer than your child's torso, and never hang more than four inches below the waist.
Your child should always use both shoulder straps when carrying the backpack, as using one strap shifts the weight to one side causing muscle pain and posture problems.
Help provide extra visibility if your child walks to and from school with reflective material on the backpack.
Only use a rolling backpack, if necessary or if there are physical limitations, as these can clutter school corridors leading to a tripping hazard.
From backpacks to lunch kits, it is recommended by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Kids to skip the personalization as these, and other exposed items, may give out personal information to a stranger or predator. If you want to personalize backpacks, lunch kits, or other items to ensure that the item does not get lost, write the name inside so it is not visibly to the public.
Buses will become more prevalent on roadways transporting children to and from school and activities, as well as potentially requiring additional time in our commutes to and from work. It is important to obey the speed limit – always slowing down in school zones and near bus stops. You too can do your part to help kids follow bus safety, including:
Walking with your kids to the bus stop and waiting with them until the bus arrives.
Teaching them to stand at least three giant steps back from the curb as the bus approaches and board the bus one at a time.
Ensuring that the kids wait for the school bus to come to a complete stop before getting off.
Not allowing them to walk behind the bus, and if they need to cross the street after exiting the bus, they should take five giant steps from the front hood of the bus, make eye contact with the bus driver, and cross when the driver indicates it is safe – looking left, right, and left again before crossing the street.
Finally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recognize the month of August as National Immunization Awareness Month. Check your child’s immunization record or schedule a visit with their physician with many schools requiring children to be up to date on vaccinations to protect the health of all students. If you are unsure of your school’s immunization requirements, check with your child’s doctor, school, childcare provider, or local health department.
The “Safety Day Corner” is a safety message by the Progressive Agriculture Foundation® (PAF), a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, with the mission to provide education, training, and resources to make farm, ranch, and rural life safer and healthier for all children and their communities. Recognized as the largest rural safety and health education program in North American, the Foundation’s Progressive Agriculture Safety Day® program, has reached more than 1.8 million youth – and counting – since the program’s inception in 1995. For more information about PAF and its programs, visit: www.progressiveag.org.