A Guide to Prepare for Back to School

It’s that time again: the start of a new school year! Back to school prep can be a hectic time for both parents and students, but it can also be an exciting one. With transitions to new grade levels, new schools, or even starting school for the first time, parents play a crucial role in helping their children manage these changes by providing extra support, tools, and resources. As summer comes to a close, it's important for families to get organized to ensure a smooth transition. Check out our checklist below to make the first day of school easy for the entire family.

Back to School Checklist

Re-establish structured morning and evening routines to help ease the transition back into the academic schedule. Ensure children are well-rested and prepared for the demands of the new school year.

Take inventory of what school supplies your children already have from previous years and make a plan to purchase any new materials.

Ensure all enrollment forms, medical records, emergency contact information, and any other documents are up-to-date and shared with the school.

Discuss relevant safety tips with your children based on their regular modes of transportation, such as safely waiting at a bus stop, following crosswalk signals when walking, wearing a helmet while biking, and being aware of their surroundings when being dropped off or picked up by car.

Read our school safety guide to learn how to protect your children before, during, and after school.

How To Use Your Ring Devices to Prepare for Back to School

Prepare your home to welcome your children when they leave and return from school, even if you're not physically present. With a Ring Video Doorbell, you'll get an alert when your kids walk by, allowing you to use Two-Way Talk to wish them a good day and check in on them remotely. This can provide an extra sense of connection and security, especially for children who may be home alone for a period of time.

A home security system like the Ring Alarm can be set up to automatically adjust the Alarm Mode when your children leave for school in the morning and arrive back home in the afternoon. This ensures your home is protected while maintaining security settings to accommodate your family's schedule. You can even receive notifications when the Alarm Mode changes, keeping you informed about your kids' comings and goings.

These Ring devices and features can help streamline a back-to-school routine and provide you peace of mind, even when you can't be physically present during the day. See how a few families have used their Ring devices to stay connected to their home and their children while celebrating a new academic year.ir devices to capture heartwarming moments and celebrate the excitement of a new academic year.

Haleigh counts down the days until she leaves for college

“As a family, we had been [counting down the days] to her leaving [for college for a month]. She thought it was funny at first, but then each day [she] got more and more excited about it. I think it made the anxiety of leaving a little less [and] gave her something fun to look forward to.”

- Stefanie, Haleigh’s Mom

Mae sees her children off to school while away at work

“I thank Ring for the innovative idea and work, so that working moms like me could at least be with my children in important times of their lives.”

-Mae, Draecho’s and Drayce’s mom

Zion’s mom captures breakthrough moment

"Zion is on the spectrum and nonverbal and has never responded to me. On this day he stopped, turned around and waved goodbye. We’re constantly waiting for some form of communication that reassures us we’re doing our best. The influx of emotions was overwhelming, and I just had to share this experience.”

-Casey, Zion’s Mom

Sophie’s dad wishes her a “good day at school”

“I love catching my wife [taking] my daughter to school. As a hard-working father, it sucks not being able to be home and telling my daughters to have a good day at school, but thanks to Ring, it's possible.”

- Miguel, Sophie’s Dad

Here at Ring, our mission pushes us to keep people close to what’s important, so we love seeing moments like these. We encourage you to continue sharing heartwarming moments with us by sending them to stories@ring.com. Cheers to a new school year!

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