Within this page, you will find Industry Perspective blogs written by the UCA Corporate Support Partners (CSP); Insights from UCA Chief Executive Officer Lou Ellen Horwitz; Practice Management blogs to help you better manage center operations; and bonus UCA education in Educational Insights.
Content provided by Thomas W. Tryon, MD, MBA, FAAP; UCA Pediatric Section Chair
Summer is drawing to a close and with it children are excited and ready to return to school. COVID-19 and the risk of spread has caused significant challenges for school systems worried about how to allow classroom learning to resume yet in a safe manner. Without a doubt, many children learn best and thrive while they are in school. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics: ”Schools provide more than just academics to children and adolescents. In addition to reading, writing and math, students learn social and emotional skills, get exercise, and have access to mental health support and other services that cannot be provided with online learning. For many children and adolescents, schools are safe places to be while parents or guardians are working. For many families, schools are where kids get healthy meals, access to the internet and other vital services.
The pandemic has been especially hard for Black, Latinx, and Native American/Alaska Native children and adolescents, and those living in low-income families. One in 5 teens cannot complete schoolwork at home because they do not have a computer or internet connection.”1
The AAP has some recommendations on what schools can do to increase the chances of children returning to school in a safe manner. These include:
The AAP also offers information on what to do should a student or staff member become ill at school and how to protect school nurses; recommendations on utilizing buses, hallways and playgrounds more safely and effectively; as well as tips on the special needs of children with high risk medical conditions or disabilities. It also is important for schools to continue to recognize their importance in providing nutrition for students as well as providing behavioral and emotional support during these stressful times. According to the AAP: “Returning to school during the COVID-19 pandemic may not feel like normal – at least for a while. But whatever form school takes, it will require everyone's support to make sure that it is healthy, safe and equitable for students, teachers, staff and families.”1
1https://healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/COVID-19/Pages/Return-to-School-During-COVID-19.aspx
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