School starts back up in a few short weeks, and the youngest students will embark on an entirely new adventure - kindergarten. As they stock up on newly-sharpened pencils and colorful lunchboxes, many parents are wondering, "is my child really ready for this first big educational step, and what does it mean to be kindergarten-ready anyway?"

It was another beautiful Spring day and I was driving my daughter to preschool. She was singing along with me in the car and although we were no Divas, we knew we didn't sing that badly. I knew the screeching and crying wasn't my daughter, and she knew at least today, that it wasn't me. So what in the world was making that racket?

To have a successful transition back to school and to stay in one piece, you need to develop resources to live mentally healthy and to repair those metaphorical cracks in the brain when everything around you seems like its falling apart you feel like you might crumble.

Anytime there is a lot of change going on, especially with those around you, it's helpful to ground yourself and refocus on your needs. Bringing some focus back on you is a powerful way to balance the changes and demands that are coming from the outside.

I don't know how it happens exactly. Fully present in the everyday, watching as shoe sizes change and hair grows longer, and bodies stretch and teeth are lost and come again, but time still sneaks up and bites.

As the first day of school quickly approaches, parents are asking me how to get their kids to talk to them more about school. We parents want information! We feel that in exchange for our nurturance and worry and everything we did to get them ready for school, we should at least get to know what's happening there!

It's tough to give up the more leisurely pace of summer break and a bit sad to see the time go by so quickly, but there's no denying the excitement and promise that a return to school can bring. Here are ten subliminal signs that you're ready for the first school bell to ring -- whether or not you're ready to admit it.

With only one year -- kindergarten -- under our belts and no older sibling to pave the way, I'm still fairly new to all of this. When you find yourself throwing your hands up in the air and wondering, "is she even trying?" please know the answer is yes.

More than 100 children are killed every year walking to school. Another 25,000 are injured. And half of the 31 pedestrians killed while boarding a bus are children between the ages of 5 and 7. Yes.

I guess I just hate handing over the reigns of my kids to someone or something else. But at the same time, I am also out of ideas of how to entertain all of us and how to keep one step ahead of FEMA declaring my home a disaster site.

No matter how well adjusted parents and children are, the start of the school year is a time of high stress. Take the transition in stride and you and your children will have a much easier time with it.

Summer is sadly coming to a close. It is time to gear up for a new school year. Your kids will need new shoes, clothes, backpacks and tech skills. Part of setting your kids up for success includes guiding them to be good digital citizens.

Most of us understand that emotion can get in the way of learning and reasoning. But the conclusion many come to is that we need to sanitize the emotion out of our children's lives. Tamp it down. Stamp it out. Forbid it.

On your mark, get set, go! The mad dash to purchase that laundry list of "Back to School" supplies is here. While certain items like pencils, notebooks and paper are a no brainer, your child's backpack is something that should never be bought on a whim.

And just like that, my life is not my own. Not that it ever really was, but at least I could pretend I was in control for a while. Now that it's over, I'm back to being at the mercy of some strong force I cannot see. What's over? Why summer, of course.

College access and success programs have mainly focused on supporting first-generation students but families must also focus on how to appropriately support their students. Family support (apart from money) is as critical as any campus-based intervention designed to retain and sustain students. The following are five things families of first-generation students should consider before and after lugging that last footlocker into a dormitory and kissing goodbye.