Children's Health

The first day back to school can be a dreaded experience — for both children and parents. This year might be especially scary, as many children have spent a year and a half learning from home.

The pandemic has meant many kids have put off doctor visits and recommended shots. Experts worry that means some pockets of the U.S. are now more vulnerable to outbreaks of measles and meningitis.

School boards and superintendents are facing backlash over mask and vaccination policies. What were once nonpartisan public service jobs have now become more political — and dangerous.

With online schooling and missed doctor appointments, vaccinations for things like measles are off by as much as 18% from pre-pandemic levels — raising the prospect of outbreaks of old diseases.

This year, face masks are on most parents' list of back-to-school supplies. But which ones are most effective? Here's how to choose the right one for your child.

Some kids are getting sick or passing the coronavirus to vaccinated family and friends. It's all unnerving to many parents. "It felt like a terrible head cold," one dad says. "My brain was foggy."

NPR's Ari Shapiro speaks to Dr. Roberta DeBiasi of Children's National Hospital on the coronavirus variant delta's impact on children.

As the delta variant surges, some states are mandating masks in schools, some leave it up to districts, and in states that ban mask wearing in schools, a few districts are ignoring that rule.

NPR's Mary Louise Kelly talks with moms from across the country about the impacts the COVID-19 pandemic has had on their children's educations.

NPR's Audie Cornish talks with teachers about how they've prepared for another academic year during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Officials in Miami-Dade County in Florida have indicated they will defy an order from their governor and require students to wear face masks when they return to classes next week.

A COVID-19 vaccine for children younger than 12 is not yet available, but research is well underway and the first shot for some kids in this age group is expected in the fall, doctors say.