Advice on New School Hours in the Fall EARLY MORNINGS

Does the school allow students to arrive 30 minutes ahead of the bell? Students are not to arrive any earlier than 10 minutes before the bell at my sons' school.

Can either child walk or carpool with friends?

I keep lots of hard boiled eggs in the fridge. They are great for breakfast on the run or a quick snack.

Is riding the bus not an option for the kids? Is 30 minutes before the start of school ok as far as the school is concerned? If not, does that mean you have to do morning/before care?

Frozen waffles or pancakes? Or fix ahead and freeze...pop in toaster when ready. Boiled eggs, fruit, pop tarts, peanut butter toast, occassional donuts or other pastries. Smoothies.

my son is in highschool but his bus gets to the stop at 625AM each morning. he gets up ready and grabs a hot pocket. he loves those. fresh fruit is good but you need a protein. I would suggest that you step out of the "breakfast only" food catagory. pjb sandwiches, turkey or ham roll ups are good, bagle with cream cheese put together like a sandwich is good. english muffin with peanut butter. yogurt tubes, cereal in a bag that they can eat on the way. make some muffins that have an extra egg beat into the batter and something like zucchini in it also.

What time does your youngest start school?

Everyone will just HAVE TO wake up earlier, and per the timing of when the earliest school start time is.
Everyone will just have to wake up, earlier.
You all can't be tardy to school everyday.
So, start the kids with going to bed, at a regular earlier time, before summer ends and before school starts. So it is not so abrupt of a change.

And plus, consider when you have to LEAVE the house, and per traffic and the school rush of traffic once schools start school. It is about timing.

Just feed your kids in the morning what they WILL eat.
You could have a hotel quality breakfast in the morning all hand made, but if a kid will NOT eat it, they won't eat. In the morning. So, make what your kids WILL eat. And which won't take 1/2 hour to eat.
It is about timing.
And have it all prepped the night before if you can. And all their homelunches too. YOU will need to wake up earlier than everyone else, to make everything and get everything ready in the morning.
And get things in the car, before you all leave.

Everyone will just HAVE to, wake up earlier and do all the morning routines, earlier.

And hopefully, probably, there will also be other kids at campus that early too. Per your oldest child's school start time.
So your child, needs to know where to wait, and be safe, and be in front of her classroom etc. Sure the classroom won't be open yet at that time before 7:00am. And there is no one supervising the early arrivals.

And the most important thing is:
You TELL YOUR KIDS, about the new school routine and timing and getting ready. So that you are all on the same page.
And that YES, they HAVE TO wake up earlier in the morning, now.

In my home, I wake up before 6:00am.
Then my kids wake up shortly after.
By then, I am already having things ready, breakfast etc.
And then they get ready.
And leave the house on time.

make some waffle's or pancakes ahead of time and then freeze them. That way it's easy to just heat them up real quick. You could do boiled eggs, fruit, cereal, oatmeal. I make oatmeal for breakfast daily and it takes less than 5 minutes to make.
Lay out clothes the night before. Make sure you have backpacks and everything ready and waiting by the door the night before. Also make lunches the night before.

Growing up, we always had cereal for breakfast. On mornings they have trouble getting going (and I fear we will be late) my kids will have Carnation Breakfast Essentials. It's easy, and they can take it in the car.

I like the idea of a bag of cereal in the car. This could be a great "go to" for those days you're running late. Especially if they have trouble getting used to the new routine.

Also, I agree that it's important not to limit yourself to"breakfast foods." Lately, my 4 year old has been requesting peanut butter and honey sandwiches. Along with some grapes or apples, I can't argue with that.

Please be sure they get more than just fruit! They need protein first thing in the morning in whatever form works -- if they like boiled eggs, boil eggs the day before and put them in the fridge, or at the very least give them good-quality protein bars or fruit smoothies (prepare the night before) containing protein powder. Protein gives them slow-release energy; fruit is fine along with it but if fruit alone is breakfast, those natural sugars are going to burn off much faster than protein, and they'll be hungry very soon after they eat -- and if that happens, their attention will diminish halfway through the morning at school.

I do know families where the kids just must have breakfast in the car every day. It can be the only way to make all the school trips and get the children fed. I know it goes against most people's image of a perfect, sit-down hot breakfast, but it may become your weekday routine, frankly. If the kids will eat cheese first thing in the a.m., bring cheese sticks in the car. Nuts also provide good protein. Whole-grain, protein-fortified healthy waffles (Van's brand is good and healthy) can be eaten in the car like a piece of toast if really necessary (no syrup, though!).

The key to getting them all where they need to be is going to be having ALL their stuff packed and ready. There is no time to scramble for books or homework or pack up the backpack. Clothes need to be ready.

We have to do this more rigorously next year too. Doing it much of the time this year has helped some but we had a very late start time all this year -- next year it's far earlier....We may end up with some car breakfasts too!

It is an adjustment! Start working on the schedule ahead of time!

Our K-5 first bell rings @7:30. It was the hardest. Middle school and up start later but get out later.

My daughter is a grazer and like me, does not eat big meals all at once. She usually has a good cereal ( not Coco Puffs, etc) usually a granola, frosted wheats, etc OR yogurt w/granola and fruit OR toast and scrambled egg if time. The toast came in later years with more time.

Our schools allow snack time so she always had something in her bag for snack such as an apple, granola, etc.

She just graduated high school and she has good eating habits. The past 2 years for sr high school ( grades 11-12) when she was there from a 9 am class until cheer practice was done at 6 or later, not including games... Her staples were the prepacked apples w/yogurt or plain, some sort of powerboar, pre packed 100 calorie snacks, pre packed carrots, etc.

Although we love peanut butter snacks, we just couldn't take them to school ( me either for my subbing days) due to the children with allergies.

As a regular sub, I see lot children bringing a juice, muffin, cheese, boiled egg, fruit. Candy and chips are frowned upon and children who routinely bring junk usually get a note sent home asking for healthier snacks in the classroom. It's also very hard to stay on track of those with allergies. Most let you know.

PS: at our school, children are not allowed to go to the classroom until the first bell rings at 7:30. When they arrive earlier, they either have a supervised wait in the gym or go to the cafeteria for breakfast.

The first weeks will be the hardest, but once you have a routine in place, it should get easier as the weeks go on.

My kids were out of bed and ready to go in 30 minutes. I wanted them to sleep as long as they possibly could in the morning, so showers are taken the night before.

We have clothes laid out, backpacks packed, everything is ready to go the night before. All they have to do in the morning is get up, dressed, eat breakfast, brush hair/teeth and we are out the door.

Keep the TV off in the morning. Any time that we were ever running late was always because the TV was on.

I agree with the posts to allow anything for breakfast. My daughter likes Boost (but it has to be really cold) and Carnation Instant Breakfast. She said that both of them kept her full until lunch time. My son would grab an apple and a spoonful of peanut butter. They also ate traditional breakfasts, but this is one meal that I don't sweat. Whatever they want, they get!!

Good luck with your new routine! It will be fine, you'll see!

How old is your oldest? Can she go to a friend's house and walk with other students? If she is too young to really be unattended, consider before school care. There are some that will bus kids to the school, or they are in the school itself.

We would wake the kids up with music sometimes.

For breakfast, think portable. My sks often ate Stouffer's mac and cheese. Great on chilly mornings.

My sks caught buses before 6:30 AM in HS. They were not pleased, but they got used to it. Insist on all showers at night and prep what you can the night before.

Make sure the school is open at 7:00 and will allow your child to wait inside.

Some schools offer breakfast. You pay just like you would for lunch.

Anything can be breakfast. Even left overs.

I loved soup in the mornings growing up.. our daughter is not an early morning eater, so we really had to work at finding stuff she would eat.

We talked about the next weeks breakfasts and lunches the weekend before I went to the store. This way we knew what was going to be purchased and then prepared. Get into the habit and all of the school years, it will work the same way.. Think outside of the typical breakfasts.

To get them ready for early rising.. at the beginning of August begin waking them up earlier and having them go to bed earlier. I had to place Quilts over our daughters windows to keep the sunlight out. I also would wake her up 15 minutes before she really needed to get up, so that if she wanted "5 more minutes" I could give it to her 1 or 2 times. She felt like she was getting to sleep in a little.

My kids bus comes at 8:06 AM and they are usedto waking up early so i really have no problem.I make a nice breakfast mostly yogurt,fruit and toast.Sometimes just A muffin.Now that Were moving i really have time anymore but yea

If school starts at 7:30 why will,she be getting there at 7. A school is not going to let a kid in half an hour early. Guess I am confused about your youngest being the reason. Do they take the same bus???? Breakfast can be anything from eggs to pasta!

Don't sweat it - the first few weeks will be an adjustment and then it will be your new normal. Schools in our town start at 9 AM (K-2), 8:25 (3-5) and then 7:25 (6-12). We're finishing up our 4th year of the 7:25 schedule and every year it takes a little adjusting to get back into that routine when fall comes around and then it just becomes what we do. My youngest is in 1st grade so I've got 11 more years of this. Shoot me LOL!

My daughter gets herself up between 5:30 and 6 to shower and do her hair and that gives her plenty of time for whatever she wants for breakfast - cereal, a bagel with cream cheese, fruit, yogurt, etc. My oldest son is, um, not an early riser and doesn't like to eat in the morning. On the rare occasion that I have a "really good" (i.e. sugary) cereal in the house he'll make the time to have cereal and milk but he's not going to lose sleep over a bowl of all-bran or oatmeal. More often than not, he starts the day with a Clif bar and a glass of milk, or maybe a bagel with butter. When I'm feeling really nice, or I'm delirious from getting up at 4:30 AM (!) to bring him to hockey practice, I might make them some bacon, eggs and pancakes.

Other quick things that my kids eat for breakfast include yogurt, smoothies that we assemble the night before and blend in the magic bullet in the morning, toaster pastries (like pop tarts, but I use an organic brand that slightly less junky), english muffins with PB, baby-bel cheese or cheese sticks, instant breakfast, whey protein shakes, PB&J sandwiches, boiled eggs, fruit, toaster waffles, microwaved french toast sticks, oatmeal with nuts and berries, super pretzels, leftover pizza, etc.

Our breakfast solution is to do "breakfast bakes". chop up meat and veg, add cheese, milk eggs, and flour or bisquick in a buttered baking dish. bake until the meat is cooked and the eggs are set. then cut into palm sized portions and wrap in tortillas with your condiment of choice. I wrap these in foil and put them in the crisper. We have a home cooked breakfast for the family, for a week, with just one go at the prep, cooking and cleaning.

Kids are reslient, you'll get them in line with some practice on the new routine. The best thing you can do as you get this started, is to get yourself in the habit of getting up earlier than them so you can get through the bathroom, get breakfast, get dressed, have your coffee etc before they are even up.

Good luck to you and yours,
F. B.

Work out your new schedule over the summer, go to bed earlier, have breakfasts that you can reheat. My son likes home made hot pockets - cook diced potatoes, egg (scrambled), sausage or bacon cut or scrambled and wrap up in a tortilla or my son's favorite is to have it all on a croissant (eggs and meat not scrambled).

My son also likes smoothies in the car, and home made French toast sticks or muffins. Bottom line, make things you can easily pull together that can be eaten in the car if need be.

And I agree with the others that you may not be able to drop off 30min early - most schools no longer have the budget to have supervisors there so early. My son is not allowed to be there with out a parent until 10min before school starts.

I recommend showers before bed, having everything ready to go for school, and ensuring a good night's sleep through good sleep sanitation techniques (routine, no TV 1 hour prior, no radio, no phone, no light, etc).

For breakfast, we pay for school breakfast. It saves us all a headache. The kids love getting bacon and eggs and whatnot every morning, and I love not having to cook it.

To get up by 8, my 1st grader needs to be in bed by 8. Normally I don't wake him; he wakes himself which tells me he got enough rest.
So 6pm bedtime. That's early, but I don't see how to avoid sacrificing sleep otherwise and not having to wake a cranky child who wants to stay in bed.
For us, we do a high fiber/low sugar cereal each morning and 4-6 oz.of juice for hydration and vitamin C
Most of the pre-made breakfast junk is so high in sodium, fat, sugar, etc. Though, I think we need more protein. The kids need a big breakfast or they are so hungry @ school!

breakfast can be healthy and eaten in the car.. toast 2 slices of bread.. and have a toasty warm pbj sandwich..

if that is your new schedule you will get used to it.. go to bed early... get up early.. the kids will be out of school early and home in time to relax in the evening.. we don't start school till 910 and get out at 4.. so by the time we do dinner.. it is practically bed time.. I love our leisurely mornings.. but I hate the rushed evenings.. you will have the opposite.. rushing in the morning.. relaxing in the evenings..

We love car pools. Talk to friends of your kids. One parent takes the kids to one school. The other parent takes kids to the other school.

Just my suggestion. Good luck!!

I see that you live in Hillsborough County - all schools offer free breakfast to every student, every day so since your oldest needs to be at school early free breakfast could be an option for that time. Sometimes the breakfasts are not the best so maybe bring your own food but there is a place to eat.

I teach elementary school and have to leave the house at 7. This next year both my children (4 & 7) will be coming with me. However we have had this same schedule since I had children.
I prepare lunches the night before. Coffee is in the pot ready to go. Backpacks are packed with everything but lunch. Clothes are set out.
I wake my kids at 6:30. They dress and come for breakfast & we are out the door at 7.
We have tried fruit smoothies with protein powder, whole grain waffles (Kashi blueberry) with almond butter not syrup, leftover french toast and fruit. There are TONS more options - these are the tried & true for my kids. To make the smoothies easier, I precut/washed a sandwich size baggie of strawberries, blueberries and raspberries & then froze them. In the morning I thaw a bag for 2 mins. in the microwave, pour milk, scoop powder and add the fruit.
I do remember when I was in Highschool and had to be up early - my parents would buy extra when we had pizza for dinner and my brother & I would grab a slice for breakfast. Sounds weird but has all you need for breakfast & we actually used to fight over who got the leftovers. :-)

The key will be your preparation ahead of time so there isn't as much to do in the morning. If your kids are all old enough, give them their jobs so you don't have so much to do. I admit it's a crazy schedule but we don't have a choice. Sure makes us feel like we're on a never ending hamster wheel during the week, but you adjust. Best of luck to your family! :-)