“I don’t feel good. Do I have to go to school?”
Remember the last time you heard these words from your child as you hurried along in your busy school morning routine?
You may have felt anxious about the best children tips to get good health care for your child and still keep your commitments to school and work. Imagine what it must be like to feel this kind of concern and anxiety every day. That is the reality for thousands of families whose parents' issues include having school-age children with chronic health problems, like asthma or diabetes.
Whether your child is ill occasionally or faces each day with a health problem, you should know what you can do to promote his health in school. You can build a health partnership with your child’s school if you focus on doing three things:
Communicate
When your child is ill, you are the best person to share information with his health care team and his school. After all, you are the one who knows and loves your child best, so you are best able to keep everyone informed about his health and his needs.
Talk to your child’s doctor or nurse about preparing a plan that will help him to get well or to participate as fully as possible in the school experience. Keep talking and listening until you completely understand what will be done for him, who will carry out each part of the plan, and how it will work toward his optimum health.
Then, it is up to you to make sure your child’s teacher, secretary and school nurse (if there is one) get the information they need to care for him as well as possible. You will need to be the one to call or stop in to the school to ask how his health care plan is working and how he is responding to it.
If something isn’t working well, you may need to ask for a meeting with your health care team and your school partners to come up with the plan that works best for everyone.
Educate
Most school staff members are not doctors and nurses, so how can they possibly know about every health problem that exists? They will need you to inform each person who has a role in your child’s health care about the health problem and the treatment plan, including how to give medications.
When the teacher and school secretary understand the importance of each facet of the plan, they are more likely to do everything they can to help. You will not only be helping your child, but also others who might follow with similar health problems.
Likewise, most doctors and nurses are not teachers, so how can they understand the way the school system works? Medical treatments that work well in clinics or hospitals might need to be modified for the school setting. It will be up to you to help your health care team to make a plan that will work for your child at school.
You will also have a lot to learn. Of course, you will need to understand your child’s illness or disability. However, you also must educate yourself about the laws that protect children with disabilities like asthma and diabetes.
Federal laws require schools to make accommodations for children with special health needs so that they can take part fully in school experiences. Periodic team meetings, called Individualized Education Planning Teams (IEPTs) are one opportunity to educate and communicate with your school and health partners.
Appreciate
Let’s face it. Teachers expect to teach, not nurse. Doctors expect to heal, not make phone calls. So, when teachers and doctors work together to make a health care plan for your child at school it often involves more effort on their part. Although they may be happy to do it, your thanks lets them know their extra effort has been noticed.
Be a diplomat when you work with school staff to get your child’s health care plan in place. Offer to help as much as possible. Bring in useful resources and information. Get to know the people who will work with her, and be sensitive to each person’s schedule and personal style as you ask them to help her.
Contact each person regularly, even when things are going well. One common mistake parents make is to call the school or clinic only when something is going wrong. If you only call to complain, people will begin to dread hearing from you.
Make sure your school and health partners know how much you value their help. Thank them for their efforts every time you speak to them. Help your child write a thank you note or draw a picture for someone who has been helpful. Tell your partners often how much their efforts are helping her to stay healthy, attend school, and learn.
When parents, health professionals, and school staff members work together as a team, we can increase each child’s chance for health and success-—both in school and out.
Wendy L. Sellers, RN (Health4Hire, Inc.) is a parent, Certified Prevention Specialist, and health education consultant. E-mail her at health4hire@attbi.com.