Back-to-school toolkit

Back-to-School Resources for Families

A hand-picked starting point of trusted national resources for the school year — meals, health forms, supplies, safety, and free learning tools — in one place.

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These are independent organizations we think are genuinely useful for families. FamilyHQ isn't affiliated with them and doesn't earn anything from these links.

School meals & food help

Free and reduced-price meal programs, plus where to find food help during the school year.

  • National School Lunch & Breakfast Programs

    Check eligibility for free and reduced-price school meals and learn how to apply through your district.

    fns.usda.gov USDA

  • No Kid Hungry

    Find free meal sites and school food resources, and text-based help locating meals near you.

    nokidhungry.org No Kid Hungry

Child health & wellness

Trusted guidance for physicals, sleep, and easing back into a school-year routine.

  • HealthyChildren.org

    Pediatrician-backed guidance from the American Academy of Pediatrics on physicals, sleep, and school health.

    healthychildren.org American Academy of Pediatrics

School supplies & classroom support

Where to find supply help — or give it — as classrooms gear up for the year.

  • AdoptAClassroom.org

    Request or donate classroom supplies for students and teachers who need them.

    adoptaclassroom.org AdoptAClassroom.org

  • DonorsChoose

    Browse and fund real classroom supply and project requests at public schools.

    donorschoose.org DonorsChoose

Getting to & from school safely

Bus, walking, biking, and drop-off safety as new routines start.

  • School Bus Safety

    Federal guidance on bus, boarding, and drop-off safety for the school year.

    nhtsa.gov NHTSA

  • Safe Routes Partnership

    Programs and tips that make walking and biking to school safer for kids.

    saferoutespartnership.org Safe Routes Partnership

Getting involved at your school

Ways to plug into your school community once the year is underway.

  • National PTA

    How to join, start, or get involved with your school's parent-teacher association.

    pta.org National PTA

Free learning & homework help

No-cost tools to support learning at home through the year.

  • Khan Academy

    Free lessons and practice across subjects, from early grades through high school.

    khanacademy.org Khan Academy

  • PBS KIDS

    Free educational games, videos, and activities for younger kids.

    pbskids.org PBS KIDS

From the FamilyHQ blog

Practical reads for keeping the school-year avalanche of emails and dates under control.

Questions about this list

How these links are chosen, how often they are checked, and who they are for.

Are these affiliate links?

Every link on this page is editorial. We include an organization because it is genuinely useful to families, and FamilyHQ has no commercial relationship with any of them.

How often is this list checked?

We re-verify every link and refresh the page as programs change. The date of the most recent review is shown at the top of the page.

Who are these resources for?

Families in the United States with school-age children. Everything listed is a national program or organization, so it applies regardless of which district you are in — your own school and city will have local details on top of these.

How do I keep track of the school emails these lead to?

Forward school, camp, and team emails to your FamilyHQ address. FamilyHQ pulls out the dates, forms, and to-dos and puts them in one family-ready view, so a resource you find here becomes a plan instead of another open tab.

Less inbox, more family

Let FamilyHQ catch the school-year details

Forward school, camp, and team emails to FamilyHQ and it pulls the dates, forms, and to-dos into one family-ready view — so the resources above turn into a plan instead of another open tab.

This page is a starting point. Have a resource families should know about? We'll keep growing the list.

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Keep going

Local sources and planning guides that pick up where these national resources stop.