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How do we prepare kids to thrive in a world shaped by phones, AI, and social media? KindEd is hosting The Digital Dilemma at Ariel Community Academy: an evening bringing together students, parents, and educators to explore building healthy digital habits for the next generation. Enjoy dinner, games, raffles, and prizes while we dive into how engagement technology and social media shape students’ lives and well-being. You’ll hear directly from students as they share their lived experiences navigating the digital world, followed by a panel with school leaders Principals Michael Richie, Charles Bright, and Scott Scherquist, along with Grammy Award winner and Board of Education member Che “Rhymefest” Smith, to discuss how parents and educators can work together to address phone challenges. Join us for fun, conversation, and community! This is a free event, and no RSVP is required, but you can go here if you prefer to reserve a spot and for more information. Street parking available. This is an external partner event. Please contact the organization directly with any questions or concerns: jon@kind-ed.org.

It’s every parent’s daily puzzle: you ask, “How was school today?” and your child answers with the dreaded one word response, “good.” While short responses are totally normal, they don’t always give you the full picture of how your child is really doing - socially, emotionally, or academically. The truth is, kids often need a little help opening up. By asking thoughtful, specific questions, you can create space for them to share their experiences and feelings in a safe way. Here are 10 questions that go beyond the surface and help you check in on your child’s well-being at school. 1. Who did you play with (or hang out with) today? This simple question gets them naming names. If your child regularly says “no one,” it could signal they’re struggling to make connections. 2. Who do you sit with at lunch? What do you all usually talk about? Lunch is social prime time! This reveals whether your child feels included and has friends to spend time with during the most social part of the day. 3. If you had to invite one friend from school over, who would it be? Asking about a potential playdate or hangout shows you who they trust and genuinely enjoy spending time with. 4. Did anyone make you feel really happy (or really upset) today? This opens the door to both the positive and the negative. Helping kids feel comfortable sharing the highs and the lows. 5. Who do you think is the funniest kid in your class? A fun, lighthearted way to learn who your child gravitates toward or admires. Sometimes laughter is the glue that bonds friendships. 6. Has anyone ever said something mean or teased you? What did you do? Kids may bring up teasing before admitting to bullying. This question lets them process tough interactions without feeling pressured or like they're tattling. 7. Is there anyone at school you don’t really like being around? Why? It gives kids a safe space to talk about uncomfortable or tricky situations without labeling it as conflict or drama. 8. If I asked your teacher who your best friend is, what would they say? This helps you see if your child’s “friendship reality” matches how others might perceive it and it’s a good way to check in on how connected they feel. 9. When you’re working in groups, who do you usually end up with? Academic and social dynamics overlap here. Group work can highlight whether your child feels included or left out by peers. 10. If you saw another kid getting picked on, what would you do? This not only reveals your child’s perspective on bullying, but can also hint at whether they’ve experienced it themselves. These questions aren’t meant to be an interrogation. The goal is to sprinkle one or two of them naturally into your daily routines - on the walk home, during dinner, or at bedtime, so conversations feel easy and open. Over time, these check-ins build trust and give your child the confidence to share more about their world at school. And let's be realistic, your child probably won't ope up right away. Don’t be discouraged. Keep asking, keep listening, and keep showing up.

If you have questions about keeping your child safe on social media, this discussion group is for you! NPN's executive director, Amy Johnson, will lightly facilitate this parent discussion group. Come with questions, and share your successes. Parents with children of all ages are welcome. Important Information > This group will meet four times over Zoom with an option to continue meeting regularly if there is interest. > To guide our discussion, we will follow the free, self-guided course, Buckling the Social Media Seatbelt Supercourse provided by the Organization for Social Media Safety. > Access the course here: https://courses.ofsms.org/courses/the-buckling-the-social-media-seatbelt-supercourse. Schedule > August 27, 8:00 PM: Talking with our children about the dangers of social media This aligns with the Introduction and Conversations section of the SuperCourse. > October 9, 8:00 PM: Setting social media rules This aligns with the Rules section of the SuperCourse. > December 2, 8:00 PM: Calibrating device settings to maximize safety. RSVP here. This aligns with the Calibrate the Settings section of the SuperCourse > January (Date TBD): Discussion with Marc Berkman, CEO of the Organization for Social Media Safety RSVP to receive the Zoom link and reminders. Plan to attend every session if you can, but we know that life gets busy. Therefore, drop-ins are also welcome. Want to learn more? Listen to our discussion with Mark Berkman on NPN's podcast, Chicago Style Parenting on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.

If you have questions about keeping your child safe on social media, this discussion group is for you! NPN's executive director, Amy Johnson, will lightly facilitate this parent discussion group. Come with questions, and share your successes. Parents with children of all ages are welcome. Important Information > This group will meet four times over Zoom with an option to continue meeting regularly if there is interest. > To guide our discussion, we will follow the free, self-guided course, Buckling the Social Media Seatbelt Supercourse provided by the Organization for Social Media Safety. > Access the course here: https://courses.ofsms.org/courses/the-buckling-the-social-media-seatbelt-supercourse. Schedule > August 27, 8:00 PM: Talking with our children about the dangers of social media This aligns with the Introduction and Conversations section of the SuperCourse. > October 9, 8:00 PM: Setting social media rules. RSVP here. This aligns with the Rules section of the SuperCourse. > December 2, 8:00 PM: Calibrating device settings to maximize safety. RSVP here. This aligns with the Calibrate the Settings section of the SuperCourse > January (TBD): Discussion with Marc Berkman, CEO of the Organization for Social Media Safety RSVP to receive the Zoom link and reminders. Plan to attend every session if you can, but we know that life gets busy. Therefore, drop-ins are also welcome. Want to learn more? Listen to our discussion with Mark Berkman on NPN's podcast, Chicago Style Parenting on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.

If you have questions about keeping your child safe on social media, this discussion group is for you! NPN's executive director, Amy Johnson, will lightly facilitate this parent discussion group. Come with questions, and share your successes. Parents with children of all ages are welcome. Important Information > This group will meet four times over Zoom with an option to continue meeting regularly if there is interest. > To guide our discussion, we will follow the free, self-guided course, Buckling the Social Media Seatbelt Supercourse provided by the Organization for Social Media Safety. > Access the course here: https://courses.ofsms.org/courses/the-buckling-the-social-media-seatbelt-supercourse. Schedule > August 27, 8:00 PM: Talking with our children about the dangers of social media This aligns with the Introduction and Conversations section of the SuperCourse. > October 9th, 8:00 PM: Setting social media rules This aligns with the Rules section of the SuperCourse. > December 2nd, 8:00 PM: Calibrating device settings to maximize safety This aligns with the Calibrate the Settings section of the SuperCourse > January (TBD): Discussion with Marc Berkman, CEO of the Organization for Social Media Safety (Date TBD) RSVP to receive the Zoom link and reminders. Plan to attend every session if you can, but we know that life gets busy. Therefore, drop-ins are also welcome. Want to learn more? Listen to our discussion with Mark Berkman on NPN's podcast, Chicago Style Parenting on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.

Marc Berkman is the CEO of the Organization for Social Media Safety (OFSMS), the first consumer protection organization focused on social media. In this episode he talks with Amy and Sitaara about how the organization uses a consumer-oriented approach of education, advocacy, and technology in working to make social media safe for children. Learn about children’s drive for “clout”, the lose-lose parenting trade off, and practical safety interventions that parents can implement at home for children from preschool to young adulthood. We discuss the legislation the Organization for Social Media Safety is working on to protect children online and the impact schools can have in keeping students safe. After listening to this episode listeners will walk away with practical advice on safety software options and concrete steps to take to make social media safe for everyone. This recording is the eleventh episode of NPN's podcast, Chicago Style Parenting. The podcast was published on 3/11/25. For more information and resources about this topic, visit the podcast episode's show notes.

Keisha J. Mathew, A.M., LCSW, founder and therapist of radicallyBLended Services, PLLC discusses the joys and challenges of raising a queer child in Chicago. She shares tips on creating a safe environment where children are comfortable sharing personal feelings, advice on how to react if your child comes out to you, how to advocate for queer children, and resources that adults can turn to for help in being an ally. This recording is the fifth episode of NPN's podcast, Chicago Style Parenting. It was published on 11/8/24

How can we help our kids grow and thrive in a digital world? Join Bennett Day School for a Parent/Guardian Talk with Dr. Devorah Heitner to learn how we can help our kids navigate coming of age in a world where nearly every moment of their lives can be shared & compared. RSVP is required. Please go here to register. $5 with code BDS50. If you are planning to drive, there is limited parking available in the gravel lot on the NW corner at Morgan and Hubbard (across the street from Bennett's campus). There is also free parking available on the west side of Morgan and the south side of Hubbard, or metered parking on Grand Ave. This is an external partner event. Please contact the organization directly with any questions or concerns: samantha.rud@bennettday.org.

Join Erikson Institute’s Center for Children and Families (CCF) in a conversation about how to help young children manage their stress or anxiety in the wake of the Highland Park shooting and ongoing gun violence across Chicago and the surrounding areas. This is a free, online event. RSVP is required. Please go here to register. This is an external partner event. Please contact the organization directly with any questions or concerns: ccowie@erikson.edu.

After a year of hybrid, remote, in-person, or some combination of all three, children and parents alike may be experiencing some anxiety about the return to school this year. Some children did okay while some others struggled. There are still many unanswered questions when it comes to school and the pandemic, but many parents wonder how do they best support their children through another year of uncertainty? At this webinar, Smart Love therapists and guest speakers will provide insight into how parents can evaluate how their children are adjusting back to school. They will discuss how parents can help children with the transition and provide tips to keep in mind as children navigate another complicated year and learn how to cope with challenging emotions when experiencing losses. RSVP required. Please go here to register. This is an external partner event. Please contact the organization directly with any questions or concerns: amber.guenther@smartlovefamily.org

2020 was truly a very difficult year with regards to the coronavirus pandemic. There is a lot we know now that we didn’t know at its start and still so much to learn. Scientists and medical researchers are working hard to develop therapeutic medications and vaccines to help protect us from the harms this virus can cause. Families everywhere have had to make sacrifices in their personal lives, work lives and the ways they enjoy sports and recreation, all the while trying to find new ways to stay healthy and active. While spectator sports are an exciting pastime in the fall and winter months, we have all heard over and over again about COVID infections and spread amongst professional athletes. These individuals have made personal decisions about participating in these sports as it is their job. Sports participation at the student level is clearly a different issue. The American Academy of Pediatrics values sports and physical fitness in their guidance of healthy living and good mental health during this pandemic. The safest sports last summer were noted to be golf, running, baseball and tennis — activities in which we’re able to maintain distance and minimize sharing equipment. Keep following the rules The underlying guidance across all activities is the ability to maintain social distancing, perform good hand hygiene, and wear a mask when you can’t maintain a 6-foot distance. For safety, masks may not be required in active elite level exercise, water sports, or where it poses a risk of getting caught on equipment, covering one’s eyes, or choking. Each athlete should have their own mask, access to hand sanitizer, and their own water bottles and towels. [Related: Free or cheap ways to entertain your kids on winter weekends] Recreational sports for young children can be challenging because mask-wearing may be difficult to enforce. Competitive or high school level sports for older children pose additional problems because the severity of coronavirus illness in children in their teen years may mimic that in adults. New information about the effects of COVID infection on the heart poses even more concern. Watch-outs: cardiac conditions The current recommendations by pediatricians and cardiologists include looking for signs of cardiac inflammation or myocarditis in athletes who had significant symptoms of COVID as part of clearing them to return to their sport. This can mean a minimum of a 2-3 week absence from their sport if they don’t have any cardiac concerns, or of course much longer if they have significant cardiac compromise. It is recommended to be in touch with your healthcare provider before making the decision to return to sports. What to avoid During sports practice or games, athletes need to avoid huddles, high fives, handshakes or fist bumps. They shouldn’t share any food or drinks with their teammates. Cheering each other on should be limited to when they are greater than 6-8 feet apart and they should always use a tissue when spitting or blowing their nose. [Related: Coat or no? Car seat safety during the cold winter months] Low-risk activities So the question remains, what can you and your children do to keep healthy and active and be as safe as possible? Here are some suggestions that allow social distancing, mask-wearing and minimal equipment sharing: Walking, hiking and running, fishing, golf, tennis, baseball, swimming and diving, dancing and yoga, and skating and cycling. Higher-risk activities The higher risk sports which involve more contact — soccer, football, basketball, gymnastics, cheerleading and hockey — should be undertaken only if you and your athletes, coaches and sports associations appreciate and follow the best guidance they can to minimize risk. There are no easy answers to the questions parents have about participation in sports. We know robust physical activity contributes to good mental and physical health. Knowing the risks may help you determine good options for your child. Of course, always consider discussing the health risks and benefits with your individual pediatrician. And while this may not be the ideal year for your athlete, we hope that there are good protective vaccines available in the near future which can help protect us all, and allow for a more active lifestyle again! Anita Chandra-Puri, MD, is a Chicago pediatrician with Northwestern Medical Group Pediatrics, as well as a mom and NPN board member. To ask Dr. Anita a question, email newsletter@npnparents.org with the subject line, “Ask a Doctor.”