Welcome to Start School Later Belmont, MA!
|
Andrea Prestwich, Founder of the Belmont, MA chapter of Start School Later, describes her reason for establishing a local chapter:
"A year ago my 12-year old daughter started eating ravenously and growing like a weed. She also started sleeping late. On school mornings she falls out of bed with eyes glued together and can barely summon the energy to eat breakfast. We teased her about "becoming a teenager” and told her she needed to go to bed earlier and turn off all her screens by 8PM. It was a real eye-opener to read the American Academy of Pediatrics report recommending that schools start no earlier than 8:30 AM. It is obviously critical to practice good sleep hygiene, but kids' sleep patterns change when they hit puberty. They naturally fall asleep later and wake later in the morning. Early school start times contribute to chronic deprivation among our youth. Sleep deprivation leads to a host of physical and mental health problems. Kids need good food, sleep and exercise to grow and thrive. The primary goal of the Belmont Chapter of Start School Later Inc. is to move the start times for Belmont High School and Chenery Middle School from their current times of 7:25 AM and 7:55 AM to healthier schedules. We recognize that this will be logistically challenging, but we must send our kids to school well rested." To contact the Belmont, MA chapter and/or get more information about efforts to start school later in area schools, please fill out the contact form on the right. Check out our statewide Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) |
Visit our Massachusetts Statewide chapter page
|
We recognize that this will be logistically challenging, but we must send our kids to school well rested."
- Andrea Prestwich, Belmont, MA Chapter Founder