9 first-day-of-school tips for parents with kids going into kindergarten

ORLANDO, Fla. — The first day of school is just days away, which means thousands of local parents are preparing for the monumental milestone of sending their children off to kindergarten for the first time.

Here are nine tips provided by The Florida Center for Parent Involvement for helping prepare your kindergartener for their first day of school.

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1. Get the supplies requested by your school. That can include everything from a backpack to crayons, glue, and paper.

2. Label all personal items with your child’s name with permanent ink. That includes clothing, lunch boxes and book bags.

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3. Take prescription medication that needs to be administered during the school day to the school nurse.

4. Discuss plans for pick up and drop off with your child in detail. Make sure they know how they’re getting to school and coming home. If possible, do a trial run before the first day.

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5. Plan a separation routine. Select a series of steps you will take every day. That may include the child packing up their bag, getting to school, saying goodbye to their parents, walking into their classroom, greeting their teacher, etc.

6. Discuss any last-minute fears or questions. These can include anything from when and where to use the bathroom or where and when they need to be to get picked up.

7. Review the school day routine the night before. That may look something like bath time, bedtime, wake up time, school time, homework time, etc.

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8. Put money for meals inside an envelope with your child’s name on the outside. Put the envelope in a safe place, maybe a secure pocket of your child’s backpack.

9. Put clothes out the night before. Make sure you take into account the weather and dress code.

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Photos: WFTV Staff Shares High School pictures While Chief Meteorologist Tom Terry did not play football, he enjoyed keeping the stats for the team. That love of math later helped him study the science of weather after he graduated as Valedictorian of his high school class. (Johnny Santos/WFTV)