Yuma News Now

Yuma, Arizona (NAPSI) - According to the National Center for Education Statistics, nearly 50 million students were enrolled in approximately 99,000 public elementary schools during the 2009-2010 year. As the summer of 2010 is nearing its end and the familiar ring of the school bell is around the corner, many parents are anxious about this transition and how to make it as smooth as possible for their children.

Starting A Successful School Year

As with most things in life, success lies in preparation. Children who have the most success are the ones whose parents provide expectations for what lies ahead. This ranges from what time they need to wake up and leave in the morning to how many hours a child should sleep.

A lot of children will be nervous when returning to school or when entering elementary school for the first time. However, parents need to try to get children into a routine to avoid exhaustion and enable them to absorb the day's lessons. The National Sleep Foundation recommends children five to 12 years old receive nine to 11 hours of sleep and adolescents receive 81/2 to 91/2 hours.

Improving Kids' Immune Health

An estimated 164 million school days are missed due to illness, and many of these sick days tend to occur at the beginning of the new year. To start a child's day the healthy way, feed a nutritious breakfast packed with protein and complex carbohydrates.

To keep your child's immune system strong, extra attention should be paid to the digestive tract, as 70 percent of our natural defenses are based in the gut. Dr. William Sears, often referred to as "America's Pediatrician," recommends that kids pack a probiotics punch with a daily dose of Culturelle for Kids. Culturelle for Kids contains the probiotic strain of "friendly" bacteria Lactobacillus GG to help populate your child's intestinal tract with "good" bacteria. Sears says, "Science-based Culturelle for Kids is my pick, as it is a dairy- and gluten-free formula and has been shown to help reduce digestive upset and support kids' natural defense systems."

Maintaining A School-Life Balance

The Family Education Network, a resource for parents and teachers, states that finding a good balance for children means identifying tasks that are not essential. By doing this with your children, responsibilities are organized in a realistic order by priority. For example, homework must be completed earlier in the day so other activities can occur later in the evening.

Although parents will ultimately have the final say, children will feel better if they sense that their voice was part of the decision-making process.