Back to School in Lincoln – August 2021

Back to School in Lincoln – August 2021

It’s hard to believe, but it is already that time of the year—back to school! Whether you are a student, teacher, or parent, preparing to return to the classroom is a very busy time. It’s easy to forget the essential “to-do’s,” and it becomes even more difficult to finish off that checklist after classes resume. From tasks such as updating your student’s sports wardrobe to getting in that crucial annual eye exam, there isn’t anything that can or should be left out. To help you get ready to go back to school, we spoke to some local experts and discussed how you can be fully prepared to open those textbooks again.

Restocking the Locker

Returning to the classroom can involve a lot of projects and tends to create a rather large to-do list, and one of the biggest items to check off is back to school shopping. From backpacks to school supplies to clothes, the shopping list can be bigger to tackle than the to-do list itself, especially when sports are involved. Diane Hesson with Play It Again Sports (playitagainsports.com/locations/lincoln-ne) is here to help you find everything you will need to replenish your child’s sports closet without breaking the bank. Her business can help you find new or like-new gear and equipment for any sport your children participate in.

“With the onset of back to school and fall sports, we are geared up and ready to outfit your athletes. Soccer, football, basketball, softball, volleyball – the shelves are full and we’re eager to help you check items off of your back to school list,” says Hesson. She wants to be here to ensure you get all the necessary items for your child’s return to sports. “With help from our staff, we can get you all the items you need to hit the court or storm the field.”

Play it Again Sports is also the perfect place to go if your child is interested in a new sport as a hobby, but you don’t want to spend hundreds of dollars on equipment and gear just for a test run. They carry gear for nearly any sport you could think of: golf, ice hockey, racquet sports, water sports, roller blading, fitness, and more. Play it Again Sports is a great chance for your child to discover a new favorite sport or game on a much more affordable level.

In addition to finding new and like-new sports gear for your child, it is also the perfect opportunity to clean out the good-quality athletic items that your child no longer needs or uses. These items can be used to build credit at Play It Again Sports, further making it easier to clothe your children in their athletic gear. If you’re not sure what kind of equipment and gear they will accept, visit their website, where they have a complete list of items they will put on their shelves.

Hesson and her team at Play It Again Sports are ready for life to get back to “normal,” where kids are running on every field in Lincoln and sports are an everyday thing. She believes that physical and social activities are a great place to start, especially for children.

“Whether you’re playing the game or watching from the stands, we are all ready and excited to breathe in some fresh air.”

We all know that kids are constantly on the go, and there is no slowing down when school starts up again. To help your kids lead this active lifestyle, make sure they are fitted with a great pair of shoes from Ann Ringlein at Lincoln Running Co. (lincrunningcompany.com) Lincoln Running Co., which has been locally owned and operated by the same family since 1976, is committed to helping the community find the right shoes and gear to be fit and active, whether that’s by running, walking, or just moving in general. Along with shoes, Ringlein’s store holds a variety of other products.

“We’ve got everything you need to be active this school year – shorts, tops, socks, headbands, Bluetooth headphones, Garmin watches,” Ringlein said. “We don’t stop there – we can keep you going through the winter, too! Our products include thermal layer clothing, jackets, vests, gloves, and hats, too.”

Lincoln Running Co. is open every day and is active within Lincoln’s running community. They’ve been named one of the top 50 Best Running Stores in America three times, and though they are proud of that, they are especially proud of their relationship with their customers. Ringlein and her team want to help you find the best shoes and gear for your active kiddo before the busyness of school begins, so give them a visit today!

Finding the Right Routine

We all remember as children the dread of getting back into a regular sleep routine as the beginning of school approached towards the end of our summer vacations. For many parents, they feel similarly about it as they did as kids. With warmer weather and evenings with sunlight, it can be difficult to transition children into a consistent sleep routine for the school year. Heidi Harsin, co-founder of Acton Academy (actonacademy.org), places emphasis on the importance of finding the balance of a healthy amount of sleep for a child and the time they spend outside.

“One of the most overlooked components of a happy, healthy child is time spent outdoors and sleep,” explains Harsin. “In the summer it is easier to get outdoors, but also harder to keep kiddos in a normal sleep routine. As we prepare to send our children back to school, I encourage parents to be aware of these two variables. Sleep and time spent in nature are vital for both the physical and mental health of your child. They need a more consistent sleep routine headed into school and you will want to be sure they are spending plenty of time outdoors as they transition back to the classroom.”

Heidi co-founded Acton Academy with her husband Zach after searching for education options for their own children. They wanted to bring Acton to Lincoln to share the option of a non-traditional model with other families who were searching for the right educational fit. With the demand for alternative, independent-private school options for children on the rise, Acton strives to provide just that while giving their students the best education they possibly can. They offer a different approach and move beyond the traditional tools of lectures, homework, high stakes tests, and grades by letting their students learn in collaborative classrooms of multi-age learners. They are inspired through real-world projects, are given the opportunity to learn about potential careers they may be interested in, and develop lasting, life-long skills such as the ability to work as a team, develop creative solutions, and to set and crush goals. Acton’s goal is to maintain a community of like-minded families seeking a modern approach to education that will help equip children for the 21st century.

“At Acton, the physical and emotional health/growth of the child is just as important as the academic advancement,” says Harsin. “We strive to spend more than an hour outside each day with our learners, we spend every other Friday at a local park, and allow them to freely move as needed throughout the day!”

Physical Health

Our physical health is built up of many different areas, and vision is not one to be forgotten. According to the Medical Eye Center, 80% of what we perceive comes through our sense of light, so it is essential to protect our eyes in order to reduce the chance of blindness and vision loss. Eye exams are also important to keep up on, as in just one short eye exam, it is possible to catch diseases such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and diabetes. Dr. Carla Ericksen with Beyond Vision LNK (beyondvisionlnk.com) wants to remind parents that yearly eye exams are critical between the ages of three to nine years to catch the risks of myopia and developmental vision problems early on.

“A school or pediatric screening does not test for poor visual skills that have been correlated to poor Iowa Test of Basic Skills scores. Parents should be aware their child’s habits, diet, stress level, and medications can contribute to delay in ability to scan across a page rapidly, hold gaze on a book/device for long hours, and create blur shifting from book to board. Frequent blinking, light sensitivity, eye rubbing, dry eyes, avoidance of near work, and poor posture can all be symptoms of your child’s visual system inhibiting activities,” says Dr. Ericksen. As her patient, a parent will have access to valuable benefits, including glasses packages starting at $79 for frame and polycarbonate lenses, daily disposal contacts less than market prices, vision performance evaluations, and a non-invasive retinal photo included in the comprehensive exam.

Along with the shift in the education system caused by COVID-19, Dr. Ericksen has also seen a change of pace in her own business. With many children spending more time in front of a screen for online school, Dr. Ericksen readjusted her business’s ability to see their young patients frequently.

“Due to increasing screen time and dry eye in children, we have implemented the ability for parents to bring children in any time when they need seen, multiple times throughout the year in a cost effective way,” said Dr. Ericksen. “Our Beyond Vision Works Plan gives parents access to me for virtual evaluation for eye injury or concussion concerns, and I’m available to work in concert with school IEP’s and para teams for learning. Redness, blur, concussion – we re-evaluate!”

She also understands that prolonged time spent on homework cuts into valuable hours spent with family. In order to give families this time back, Dr. Ericksen can teach you and your child successful visiual skills that take the stress and tears out of learning. She can create individualized plans that work uniquely to your family.

“My commitment to the community is to bring education about your eyes and visual system in sports and school,” says Dr. Ericksen. “We are teaming with local sports clubs, parent groups, and schools to do screenings and talk about how your eyes lead performance in sports and school, risks of concussion visual symptoms, and injury. If you would like to unite with me in youth visual awareness, have your sport’s team or group email office@beyondvisionlnk.com. I look forward to working with you!”

Just as important as our vision is our oral health. While daily brushing and flossing can keep bacteria under control, the Mayo Clinic cautions that a lack of proper oral hygiene can allow the bacteria to turn into an oral infection, such as gum disease. Oral health is also linked to other conditions, such as cardiovascular disease, pneumonia, and osteoporosis. Because of the severe consequences that can come with poor oral hygiene, it is important to have your children get into the habit of good oral practices at a young age, and before they can develop any oral issues that could continue to affect them later on.

The team at Star City Dental (starcitydentalne.com) strives to ensure that your children are receiving top-quality care amid the busyness that comes with returning to school. Star City Dental believes that by starting kids on the path to good oral habits early on, they will be set an excellent precedent that will auger well for their future overall health. Even for young children who still have temporary teeth, it is advised that they attend regular checkups. How they handle the care of their temporary teeth will have a strong impact on what will happen with the permanent ones.

“Our pediatric dentists have gone through an additional two years of training in order to be well-prepared and educated in children’s oral health issues,” explained Dr. Meghan Hungerford. “We are also trained in handling the anxieties that can come with a trip to the dentist so that we can make your child’s visit go as comfortably as possible. By giving children a positive experience, they are encouraged to pay more attention when being taught about good oral habits.”

For children that have started school, their first visit to Star City Dental will include a dental exam with possible cleaning and fluoride treatment. Their team will also go over oral hygiene practices with your child and help them pick out a new toothbrush. Star City Dental recommends twice-annual checkups for children with healthy teeth and more frequent visits for those with periodontal or orthodontic challenges. Now is the perfect time to book an appointment with them, while also encouraging you and your child’s friends to partake in good oral habits: their Share a Smile program is ongoing, in which you and your friend will both receive a $50 credit when you make a referral. Star City Dental encourages you to schedule an appointment with them in order to make sure your children are having pleasant experiences at the dentist.

Early Childhood Learning

These days, it is common for children to start their educational career at a very young, even as young as six weeks. By enrolling your young child into an early learning center, they are able to learn and be socially engaged, even as infants. This experience is incredibly important and can impact your child’s future; in the research study titled “The Early Catastrophe: The 30 Million Word Gap by Age 3,” it showed that much of the most important brain development in children occurs before they reach kindergarten. It can be virtually agreed upon that there is a wide array of benefits to be gained from enrolling your children into early childhood learning programs.

If you are thinking about allowing your child to gain the benefits of early childhood education, World of Knowledge Child Development Center and Preschool (worldofknowledgene.com) provides a safe and supportive learning environment for your young children that are not yet of school age. The early learning center has two locations at 8310 Wendell Way and 4001 S 17th St., allowing you to have access to phenomenal childhood development wherever you are at in Lincoln. They focus on a variety of educational skills, including math, science, creativity, music, and literacy, as well basic life skills, such as motor and social skills, expressing feelings, sharing, caring, and communication. By enrolling your young kiddos at World of Knowledge Child Development Center and Preschool, you will be investing in their future and opening up endless opportunities for a fruitful life.

Mental Health

Mental health plays a crucial role in our well-being and, after the significant changes brought on by COVID-19 inside and outside of the classroom since early 2020, it is changing in children. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, the pandemic has taken a toll on the population’s mental health, with more than 25% of high school students reporting worsened emotional and cognitive health, and over 20% of parents with children ages 5-12 reporting similar conditions for their kids. When mental health issues are not addressed in children, they can worsen as that child grows and can ultimately have a heavy impact on their adult life. Thankfully, we have local experts in the community who can help us identify and improve mental health issues in our children.

Daring Minds Therapy (daringmindstherapy.info) offers a variety of services to help your child’s mental health with classes beginning again, including child-parent psychotherapy (CPP). CPP promotes and strengthens a close, safe, and nurturing relationship between a parent and their child who is age five and under. CPP is aimed towards children who have experienced a traumatic event and, as a result, are experiencing challenging behaviors, attachment issues, and/or mental health problems, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This therapy involves close observation, guidance, and coaching so that parents can gain a better understanding of the needs of the child. Ultimately, CPP helps restore a child’s sense of safety and attachment and improves their cognitive, behavioral, and social functioning by fostering a stronger, more supportive child-parent relationship. Strengthened relationships between parents and children, as well as a child’s sense of security, can benefit their mental health going into the new school year.

With the first full school-year during the pandemic behind us, many schools are gearing up for the fall by facing the mental health crisis that is challenging our kids. Some schools are going to have more counselors and social workers available to help address and treat the mental health problems that have risen in school-aged children, such as anxiety, social isolation, trauma, or depression. Counseling can have a great impact on the lives of children after a life-changing event like the pandemic, and can help them navigate difficult situations in life.

Clearwater Counseling (clearwatercounselingpc.org) prioritizes the mental health of your children and works to provide treatment for a wide variety of mental health diagnoses. The business acknowledges that many people will experience mental health struggles at some point in their life, and these battles may vary from anxieties, behavioral, life transitions, depression, and stress, many of which are currently affecting our children.

“These battles can affect our mood, thoughts, and behaviors, which is why we are available to help guide you through these life changes,” said Nikki Frenzen, COO. “Our goal is to help you identify the positive change that is happening in your life so that you can find peace within you.”

They also offer teletherapy, or therapy through a live online video connection. With just an email address, your child can work through their anxieties or life transitions with their therapist through the computer. Teletherapy is convenient because of the flexibility it offers, as your child can use their service from the comfort of their bedroom or living room. It also allows them to stay at home when they are ill, or if your family is taking precautions to not get sick. Clearwater Counseling strives to help your child through any difficult life events and the battles they may be fighting because of those challenges.

Back to school is a big event for everyone, whether you are a student or a parent. Businesses in Lincoln have been in those shoes before at some point in their lives, and they want to do their best to help you transition your children (or yourself!) back into the classroom. We recommend these businesses to help you with all of your school needs.