School is starting soon and I know from experience that it can feel overwhelming when you need to trust others to keep your child healthy. But, what would you say if I told you that there are three simple things you can do to help your child transition back to school gluten free? It’s true and it all starts with helping the teachers.

A well-prepared teacher can make all the difference when it comes to keeping your child healthy and happy at school, and you can help them be successful by providing education, gluten free goodies, and your time.

3 Ways to Help Your Child’s Teacher Be Successful

1. Share your knowledge.

Help your teacher by educating them on celiac disease or gluten sensitivity, and don’t assume that they have the same knowledge as you do. You can educate the teachers by meeting with them before school starts or the first day, writing them a letter that includes your child’s symptoms and needs, providing handouts on celiac disease or gluten sensitivity from a reputable third party, and establishing an open communication policy. Read more about my advice on educating school staff and get free downloadable handouts and templates in my Back to School Gluten Free: Tips for Educating Staff blog.

2. Store Gluten Free Goodies at School.

Your child’s teacher has many students to think about, and last minute classroom celebrations or snacks do come up. Help your teacher be prepared by leaving a box of gluten free snacks in the classroom that they can access for your child whenever they need to, and store frozen cupcakes in the school freezer for birthday celebrations. This will not only save your teacher time, it will also help you so that you’re not scrambling at the last minute to come up with a snack or treat that morning.

3.  Volunteer your time.

You can help your teacher by volunteering at classroom activities and celebrations where parents are welcome. On these days, there will be even more people in the classroom and snacks or desserts are almost always included. Volunteering will help the teacher manage the activity by having more people to help, and it means you can bring a gluten free snack or dessert that your child and others can enjoy safely. If you are not able to volunteer your time, try to make a dish that’s large enough for many people to enjoy and pack it in your child’s backpack. It’s nice to get to eat what everyone else is eating once in a while, and this helps ensure that it’s safe for your child. If you’re worried about cross contamination, you can always wrap your child’s separately if you won’t be there.

I hope you found these tips for going back to school gluten free helpful. Please share your tips in the comments as it takes a village and we can all help each other. Thank you!