POSTED BY:
R. Lawrence Moss, MD, FACS, FAAP

Right now, there are new kindergarteners running off the school bus, bursting with pride to tell their families how caterpillars become butterflies. In class, their little hands shoot up in the air when the teacher asks what sound the letters “CH” make. “You’ve grown so much since you were a baby!” their pediatricians exclaim, smiling. For other kids, the shift into a structured classroom isn’t so smooth. When lessons are hard to follow, they tune out. Following directions or cooperating with the other kids can be overwhelming, leading to emotional outbursts. Lunch can’t come soon enough—there wasn’t much to eat at home. Instead of rapidly learning new information, these kids are struggling to catch up. Today, more than a third of U.S. children entering kindergarten are not academically, physically, socially, and emotionally ready to learn. That is not just an education problem—it is a health problem as well. Educational achievement […]

Summer is often viewed as a break from school and a chance to relax. But as the leader of a pediatric health system, I see summer as a stress test for the systems that support children’s health. When the structure of the school year falls away, we gain a clearer view of the factors that shape a child’s well-being: access to nutritious food, safe places to play, nurturing adults, learning opportunities, and stable family support. These conditions matter because medical care is only one component of health. Research consistently shows that the vast majority of health outcomes—around 85%—are shaped by the circumstances of daily life. Over the summer, dependable school breakfast and lunch give way to whatever a family can piece together. Built-in recess and physical education give way to unstructured hours, often leaving children to look for community spaces to play. The network of trusted teachers, counselors, and coaches […]