Be Prepared! My Back-to-School Checklist for August

This post is sponsored by the Florida Prepaid College Board, through my role as a Believer Blogger. All thoughts are my own.
My two youngest boys (twins) started high school this week. Call me corny, but it seems like yesterday when I was shocked to hear I was expecting twins, and suddenly they are almost all grown up! Needless to say, after all these years, and with two older sons, I’ve had a lot of back-to-school preparations to make. I’ve made plenty of mistakes and learned from them, so I’m passing on these words of wisdom with the hope of making your back-to-school activities a little less stressful for you and your family.
1) If possible, go to the orientation or meet-the-teacher program. If your school offers a program like this, you’ll benefit in two ways. First, it will relieve your child’s first-day jitters if he’s already met his teacher and knows where his classroom is, as well as who will be in his class. Second, it helps you as a parent to initiate a relationship with your child’s teacher. It shows that you’re interested in your child’s education and will be a partner with the teacher in educating your child.
2) Hold off on some of the school supplies. I can’t tell you how many times we’ve been handed a school-supply list at the end of the school year for the following year, and then found out that half of what we bought wasn’t required by their new teachers. Of course, you should invest in paper, notebooks, pencils and other basics, but for more specific items, wait until your child’s teachers send home their supply list in the fall. Usually, they don’t expect you to have the supplies on the first day of class, which gives you a few days to track down exactly what they want.
3) Hold off on the locker for your middle- and high-school student. Several years, my kids paid for lockers and then never had time to use them between classes, so we wasted our money. However, if your child does have time to use her locker, then go ahead and purchase one because it will greatly relieve the amount of weight she has to carry around in her backpack due to multiple textbooks and notebooks.
4) Speaking of backpacks… spend a little more money and buy the strongest one you can find. Cheap backpacks rip and fall apart quickly, and you’ll find yourself replacing them often throughout the year. Spend a little more to get a high-quality backpack that’s designed to withstand heavy use, and you’ll be able to use it for years. It will save you a lot of money in the end.
5) Plan for the future. It’s never too early to think about your child’s next school. There are so many different programs available these days, and you want to be sure that your child has done what’s needed to get into the school you select. In fact, you might even want to start thinking as far ahead as college! Many parents think they have plenty of time until their child goes to college, but time passes quickly. Start thinking now about what classes your child will need to up her chances of going to college, as well as how you’re going to pay for it when the time comes.
This month (August 2018) is the perfect time to think about college because Florida Prepaid has launched its Big Dreams Start Early Promotion! When you enroll in a Florida Prepaid College Plan from now through September 2, 2018, they will waive the $50 application fee!
Just use the following promo code when you sign up here.PROMO CODE: BTSBLOG18
I hope these tips are helpful for your family as your children head back to school. By doing a little “homework” beforehand, you’ll better your chances of having a successful school year and a wonderful educational experience in the future.