School 101: 8 tips to prepare your child for the school year

For adoptive and permanency families, navigating the education system can bring unique challenges.

From sensitive assignments to fostering a sense of belonging, there’s a lot to consider.

To help you and your child have a positive school experience, here are eight tips to help prepare you for the year ahead.

1. Sit in on a school assembly

If you’re not familiar with the school that your child will attend, ask if you can sit in on a school assembly. This is a good way to get a feel for the school’s diversity. Talk to the principal about how the school approaches the subject of different kinds of families.

2. Attend a PAC meeting

Attend a Parent Advisory Committee (PAC) meeting. PAC meetings are a great place to promote awareness of the adoption and permanency community and encourage adoption sensitivity.

3. Make an appointment with your child’s teacher

Make an appointment to meet with your child’s teacher in September. It may be wise to explain that your child is adopted, and to ask them to be sensitive with assignments about families or the child’s history.

4. Share only relevant details about your child’s background

If you decide to explain that your child was adopted, share only relevant information. In most cases, you can explain your child’s needs without providing all the background details.

5. Promote positive adoption language

Encourage principals, counsellors, and teachers to use positive adoption language. Using the right words can be tricky, so here are some examples of positive and respectful adoption language. Different families may have their own preferences, so we encourage you to ask the adoptive or permanency family in your life how they like to phrase things.

6. Donate books related to adoption to the library

Donate a book about adoption and to your school’s library. Suggest other adoption-related titles for the librarian to include in the next order of new books.

7. Hold a presentation about adoption

With the permission of your child, make a presentation about adoption to your child’s class or to teachers at a faculty meeting.

8. Connect with other adoptive families

Keep an eye out for other adoptive families in the school. Your children may make friends with other adoptees and you will have other adoptive parents to share ideas and solve problems with.