Ep. 81: How to Prep Your Child for Another Pandemic School Year with Dr. Janice Weiss and Dr. Jack Muskat
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Remember when everyone thought things would be back to normal by September? Instead, children are returning to classrooms with caseloads climbing. So how should parents prep kids for the return to in-person schooling? Is it safe? Would they be better off being taught virtually? And when should we expect vaccines to be approved for those who are under the age of 12? For guidance, we turned to a pair of Medcan experts: Dr. Janice Weiss, director of child and youth, and Dr. Jack Muskat, clinical director of mental health.
LINKS
Dr. Janice Weiss provides further guidance for parents in this short YouTube video.
Here’s the Ontario COVID-19 Science Advisory Table brief that suggests, “barring catastrophic circumstances”, that kids should be educated with in-person learning.
Learn about Medcan’s Child & Youth Assessment, designed to provide parents with tailored strategies to help children reach their potential.
Dr. Weiss and Dr. Muskat’s guidance, that children are better off in school compared to virtual learning, is supported by Sick Kids’ president and CEO, Dr. Ronald Cohn. “Schools should not only open in September, but need to stay open,” says Dr. Cohn. More here.
Some good context on the risks to children of attending in-person schooling in the fourth wave in this Globe and Mail story by Wency Leung.
Virtual schooling is thought to have contributed to the doubling of youth depression and anxiety during the pandemic, according to new analysis from JAMA Pediatrics finds. This CNN story spells it out in language for laypeople. “One in 4 adolescents globally are "experiencing clinically elevated depression symptoms, while 1 in 5 youth are experiencing clinically elevated anxiety symptoms."
INSIGHTS
Dr. Weiss and Dr. Muskat both believe that children should return to in-person schooling. Like many experts they approach the question from a cost-benefit perspective. “The issue really boils down to, what are the real physical risks of being at school versus what are the mental health issues from virtual learning?” Dr. Weiss asks. Children 12 and over have had the opportunity to be vaccinated. And statistics show that the vast majority of children under 12 who catch COVID-19 will be either asymptomatic or will have mild cold- or flu-like illnesses. Less than 1% of children who get COVID require hospitalization, according to Dr. Weiss. Serious complications, such as multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) are extremely rare, at less than 0.03%. Comparing the low physical risk with the much larger likelihood of mental health problems caused by virtual schooling (anxiety, depression, eating disorders, social isolation), Dr. Weiss and Dr. Muskat both conclude the analysis suggests children should be physically present. [TIMECODE 01:35]
One suggestion from Dr. Muskat: During back to school, recognize that kids pick up their anxiety from their parents. Children will benefit if parents can convey a strong, confident approach toward back to school. One approach? Be straight with them. Life has risks, but we can take precautions designed to minimize danger. Analogies can go a long way toward assuaging the anxiety of young people. The sort of risk-benefit analysis that suggests kids are better off with in-person schooling is applied in many other settings as well: We go swimming in lakes, even though there exists a risk of drowning. We go for a bike ride, wearing helmets to minimize risk of injury from a fall. “We cannot create 100% safety, nor should we, because life has risk,” Dr. Muskat says. “But what we want to do is go in with knowledge. And with confidence.” [08:35]
To ward off the “re-entry anxiety” that some kids feel over back-to-school (similar to the anxiety that some adults feel over back-to-the-worksite), Dr. Jack Muskat suggests creating low-stress situations where you and the child rehearse what will happen on school days. Walk them to the school ahead of time. Set up “buddy” relationships with older family members or friends. Make a school lunch so that the child has a better idea of what they’ll be eating on that first day. Pack the backpack in advance with the water bottle and mask in appropriate pockets. The idea is to reduce the uncertainties that swirl around back to school as much as possible. Make these experiences fun, so that the positive atmosphere spreads to the act of in-person school attendance. [10:11]
When will vaccinations be available for children under the age of 12? The medical community expects news to come in the fall on that front, says Dr. Janice Weiss. Efficacy and safety data is expected to be published for Pfizer and Moderna toward the end of September or in October. Depending on the results there, health authorities may elect to make the vaccine available to the next younger age bracket, which would be for children aged 5 to 12 years old. So vaccinations could be coming for more children before the school year is out. [16:32]
Some parents are reluctant to send children to school if schools are just going to close down again anyway. Does Dr. Janice Weiss expect schools to shut down during the Detla variant’s fourth wave? “It depends on the virulence and the seriousness of the variant of concern,” says Dr. Weiss. “So if you get a variant that escapes the vaccination, then that would be concerning. If we see huge trajectories upwards of community infection, hospital admission, ICU admission, that would be a concern. So I think you have to look at local transmission variance of concern. It's a multifactorial decision.” With those qualifications in mind, Dr. Weiss believes that a shutdown is unlikely in the next few months. “I think that for what we're seeing so far, prediction wise, yes, schools will stay open,” she concludes. “When the community transmission and rates are low, the general infectivity raised within the school will remain low. And that's why we're really strongly encouraging everybody... get your vaccination, that is the best protection for society for your children.” [18:24]
Finally, Dr. Jack Muskat suggests going a bit easy on your children over the next little bit. The situation is evolving, the world is a bit strange with everyone in masks, so consider not putting the usual amounts of pressure on children over things like performance in school. Dr. Muskat uses himself as an example. “I'm finding it's taking me twice as long to get things done when I'm wearing a mask,” he says, “because I don't have as much peripheral vision. I'm finding that I want to do four things in a day. And I can only get two done.” There’s a fatigue factor as well, he says. “One of the reasons people quit habits and routines — they set goals too high in the beginning.” Apply this to the school year by making things comparatively easy for children. Then, once they’re settled, you can focus on things like homework and good grades. [21:17]
Ep. 81: How to Prepare Your Children for Another Pandemic School Year
How to Prep Your Child for Another Pandemic School Year with Dr. Janice Weiss and Dr. Jack Muskat final web transcript
Christopher Shulgan: Welcome to episode 81 of Eat Move Think. I'm executive producer Christopher Shulgan. The school year is about to start, and in spite of our post-vaccination hopes about getting back to normal, it's looking like it'll be another strange one for our children. So for this episode, we gathered two experts in the medical care and psychological development of young people and asked them to provide guidance about how to prepare children for classrooms that include adult teachers who have two shots, while the student body—at least at primary schools—is mostly unvaccinated.
[00:00:41.09]
Christopher Shulgan: Our first guest host is Dr. Janice Weiss. She's the director of Medcan's Child and Youth Program, and a family physician with 35 years of clinical experience. She is a medical school graduate from the University of Toronto, where she's now an assistant professor in the department of family and community medicine. She is also a consultant to the National Ballet of Canada.
[00:00:59.20]
Christopher Shulgan: Dr. Jack Muskat is a psychologist and the Clinical Director of Mental Health at Medcan. His clinical practice focuses on issues relating to stress, anxiety and depression, as well as interpersonal relationships for patients of all ages. Dr. Muskat received his Ph.D. from the University of Toronto, and is registered with the College of Psychologists of Ontario.
[00:01:20.05]
Christopher Shulgan: This episode is based on a webinar that Medcan did, which is why you'll hear me asking some questions toward the latter half of the episode. When the tape begins, Dr. Weiss is discussing the issue of whether she believes kids should go back to school. Let's jump right in. Here's Dr. Janice Weiss.
[00:01:37.00]
Janice Weiss: There's no question we've all experienced a really turbulent year and a half, but there's also no question that, in our minds, kids should return to the classroom. Emotions and opinions may be swirling in your minds, and we're going to attempt to make some sense of them and to provide some perspective.
[00:01:54.16]
Janice Weiss: So the issue really boils down to: what are the real physical risks of being at school versus what are the mental health and the social fallout risks from virtual learning? According to Ontario's COVID-19 science advisory table, which I encourage everyone to take a look at, in-person learning—I'm quoting—in-person learning is essential for the learning and overall well-being of children and youth. Therefore, barring catastrophic circumstances, schools should remain open for in-person learning. This is a document that was compiled by multiple experts, including physicians, educators, public health experts, etcetera, and it guides educators and public health execs how to approach in-school learning depending on the risk levels, whether they're low, moderate, or severe.
[00:02:45.19]
Janice Weiss: But for the moment, I'm going to discuss with you the risks of physical harm to a child by returning to the classroom. Children over 12 or children born in 2009 and earlier, have the opportunity to be vaccinated, and their risks of getting disease itself is quite mitigated. So I think for discussion purposes, we'll focus on the children under age 12, who currently are not eligible for vaccination in the context of having a highly-contagious variant of COVID-19. So you may be asking yourself, "Okay, what are my concerns?" We've been ramped up to feel anxious about anyone catching COVID-19, but what are the real physical risks to our children? We know that the majority, vast majority of children will be either asymptomatic or will have mild cold- or flu-like illnesses as opposed to older adults.
[00:03:43.00]
Janice Weiss: The concerns, aside from mild disease, which we can manage well, are what are the serious complications that could happen from this infection? So the first question might be okay, will my child be sick enough that he or she requires hospitalization? Currently, that is less than one percent of all kids that get COVID. Unlike in the US, we are not seeing a massive increase in hospitalizations in children, possibly due to our higher vaccination rate here. You may have also heard of another condition called MISC, which stands for multi-system inflammatory syndrome in children. This is a delayed reaction to having COVID-19, and the stats show it's less than 0.03 percent. Yes, it can cause very severe disease, it can cause ICU admissions, and in a very tiny percentage of cases death, but we're talking a fraction of 0.03 percent. So yes, it's a risk, but it's extremely tiny.
[00:04:46.06]
Janice Weiss: Then you might ask, "Okay, well, what about long COVID?" That's where people talk about the persistent, vague, nondescript symptoms of this illness that can go on for many months, like brain fog, or fatigue or headache, that are real symptoms, but what is the risk of children getting that? And right now, we still believe it's quite rare, but very little is known of this entity at this point. Keeping in mind that these types of long-haul symptoms can occur with other viruses as well. But at the current knowledge base, we really don't know a lot about it. And it does seem extremely rare.
[00:05:26.09]
Janice Weiss: And I think the last point that I think is a valid concern is if my young child gets this condition, catches COVID, could they spread it to vulnerable groups? Do we live with immunocompromised adults? Do we live with grandparents? Is there extended family living with us that they might expose the virus to whose immunity may not be quite as robust as a younger person's? So all of these are extremely valid concerns, but I think we need to take it in context with respect to what the other complications of not being in school would be. So as parents, our protective instincts are always kicked into high gear when there's a threat. There's a sense of not having control of your child's experience at school, but there are so many other dangers that we've mitigated over the years. And it's important to learn how to tolerate the risk, but to tolerate it with vigilance and not with panic. So I'm going to actually hand it over now to Dr. Muskat, who can speak further on what we can do, including immunization to control things in our lives, and why that's important.
[00:06:34.13]
Jack Muskat: Thank you. Thank you, Dr. Weiss, for explaining the physical risks and what we're facing going forward in getting back to school. I just want to tell everyone on the call, parents and otherwise, that not only have we had to deal with the uncertainty of COVID and with vaccinations, we've also had to become amateur statisticians to try to figure out what's going on in the news. And I feel that it's created so much unnecessary stress, as we're told to overestimate risk, and to over-focus on things that are very, very remote. The most important thing that we really need to be focusing on and why we're also stressed, is that one of the coping strategies that we all use in dealing with stress is prediction and control. If you can predict what's going to happen, then you try to come up with strategies to control it. Unfortunately, it's been very difficult to predict the course of this pandemic, but we do know that children, for the most part, 99 percent of the kids are okay.
[00:07:34.06]
Jack Muskat: And as Dr. Weiss explained, the symptoms of contracting COVID are actually far less than what we're facing if kids don't go back to school. What we've seen throughout the pandemic is, as many of us know, an increase in anxiety, depression, eating disorders, kids have been socially isolated. And it's different at different age groups. Ironically, the little ones, the preschoolers, are probably going to be the most adaptable because as they get back into socialization, they will naturally rebound. The middle school kids are struggling with, what does it mean for me academically? What does it mean for my friends? And the high schoolers are equally concerned around their studies, and also their friends. And one of the things that we can do as parents is we can spend time listening to our kids, and trying to understand how they're feeling, which isn't too different from how we're feeling as adults, as we're thinking about going back to work and what a hybrid workplace is going to look like.
[00:08:35.19]
Jack Muskat: I think that one of the things that we can do that is really important as we're facing school in the next couple of weeks, is recognize that kids pick up their anxiety from their parents. And if we can convey a strong, confident approach to things, and actually tell our kids—and I'm hoping we all had a good summer with our kids, either if they were at camp or at the cottage, that, you know, we go swimming, but we don't worry about drowning. We protect ourselves. We go biking, but we wear a helmet. We do other sports that we protect ourselves for. We cannot create 100 percent safety, nor should we, because life has risk. But what we want to do is go in with knowledge and with confidence, and with teaching our kids that this is really a teachable moment for them to see that, you know, we are functioning well, that most of our friends are okay, that if we have immunocompromised individuals in our family, that we're going to be safe around them, that we're going to wear masks as needed, and that we're going to be responsible about what we're doing. And I think kids will pick up that optimism that I think is really, really important to show them. Plus the fact that they have to go back to school because that's their workplace. I've always said that school is the workplace for kids. And they're needing that as much as parents are needing to see their kids in school. So I think that one of the things that we want to do is be able to filter out the news, which in many cases is not so much misrepresenting but overstating what risks are, and looking at things in a rational way.
[00:10:11.29]
Jack Muskat: The other thing that we can do, depending on your child's age, or whether they already have a predisposition—and unfortunately, up to 20 percent of kids may have already pre-existing mental health conditions that the pandemic made worse, and that they need a little more encouragement in coming back, is what I call nudging, and creating situations where it's not unlike going to kindergarten. You take them to the school ahead of time, maybe on a Sunday. You show them where their classroom's going to be. You create a buddy system where there may be an older family member or a friend that they can connect with. You can do things around preparation for school in terms of new school equipment, in terms of foods or sandwiches that they like to have, and really creating an optimistic approach to that.
[00:10:57.24]
Jack Muskat: The other thing that we have to be aware of is that many kids, not unlike ourselves, are concerned about when we go to work, are we going to remember the passwords to our computer? And kids are just worried about, "Can I remember what I learned last year online? What's my teacher going to be like? Do I know what help I'm going to have?" And if we can tell them that we're going to be there for them, that we can help them with their homework, that we can help them get set up, that will help them also feel less anxious.
[00:11:26.12]
Janice Weiss: I love that you said this is a great opportunity to create a learning experience for a child. Life is full of ups and downs and unpredictability. And although kids thrive on predictability, they are not fully emotionally regulated, and they require the emotional grounding of their parents to help guide them through this. I think it's also important if parents have anxiety to recognize it, and to try to maintain some sense of control over their anxiety, whatever form that takes. Whether that means information gathering, whether it means help, talking to people, I think it's really important as well to establish routines at home to provide predictability in the home environment so that your children have grounding within the physical home space.
[00:12:14.26]
Janice Weiss: And talk to your kids. Explain to them what they can control on their own, whether that means masking, hand washing, physical distancing, and listening to what their particular needs are. It's so interesting in my journey over the last year and a half talking to lots of kids, some actually thrived on the virtual learning scene. Some of them felt safer, kids that perhaps didn't fit in perfectly well, kids that had been bullied, they felt very safe on a virtual platform. I also have to give kudos to some fantastic teachers who are innovative and creative and created a really, really good learning space for kids both in public and private school systems. So it wasn't all bad for all kids.
[00:13:05.01]
Jack Muskat: I'd like to pick up on that point you made as well about the kids doing well. We found even with adults, it was a big reset. And 20 percent of us have actually, I won't say done well during COVID, but it was a kind of reset. We had a chance to re-evaluate what we're doing in our lives, we had a chance to do new hobbies, learn a language, study. And I think some of the kids, if they were fortunate with good online learning, and we'd all know where that takes place, were able to accelerate their learning, do other things, socialize. There clearly have been losses, we shouldn't forget, for those of the older kids, the high schoolers, the university students who didn't go to prom, who didn't get their first year in class. That was a real loss, and they're feeling some grief around that too. And we have to be sensitive to that and say, "Here's how you can make it up," or "Here's the way some schools actually are kind of creating a post-first year get-together a post-prom get-together, where kids can celebrate those milestone events that are important to them."
[00:14:06.24]
Jack Muskat: The other thing that I would suggest is kids—you know, I'm concerned a lot about Generation Z, I must say, Dr. Weiss. That there has been so much pressure put on them to do the right thing, to get into the right school, to get the right mark, to not fail, to not make a mistake, that when they reach a point where they have to make decisions, there's sometimes just gridlock, because they don't want to be judged. And I think this is a chance for them and for all of us to look at our kids and look at ourselves and say, "We're not going to get it right. We're probably going to see more changes around public health in the next few weeks as we get more information, where we need to mask or not mask, where the vaccinated unvaccinated should be." And rather than expect that everything should be perfect, we could say, "Look, even the scientists are changing." We want to follow the science, but we want to apply it.
[00:14:59.05]
Jack Muskat: And science is about data and about reality, and checking out what we're seeing against empirically validated concerns. So I think I'll stop there, and if you have any other comments you'd like to add, I'd love to hear them.
[00:15:11.19]
Janice Weiss: No, I agree with everything you said. I look at this journey as a ship in a storm, and we are focused on being in the moment and getting through the current waves that are crashing. But there's no one that's telling us it's going to be a straight course. There's going to be zigzags, there's going to be upsets but, you know, we have to stay in the moment, utilize the scientific evidence as we have it today, understanding that that might change next week or next month. But trust in the science and listen to respected sources of information.
[00:15:47.00]
Christopher Shulgan: That was really great context, and it's great to get the two of you together, because this was great to hear both sides. To sum up, and feel free to jump in if you feel like I'm getting it wrong. But Dr. Weiss, your take essentially, is that the benefits outweigh the risks for children. That in-person schooling is something that is valuable, and that you believe that the right thing to do is send children to school in general, given individual considerations and things like that, but that in general, the benefits outweigh the risks.
[00:16:21.22]
Janice Weiss: I'm sorry, I'm just going to interrupt and say I've got two extremely strong convictions: one is kids must go back to school, and two is kids should be vaccinated.
[00:16:33.04]
Christopher Shulgan: That actually is a really nice segue, Dr. Weiss, to the first question, which is about when we expect vaccinations for under 12s to be available. Do you have any visibility in that?
[00:16:48.17]
Janice Weiss: The medical chatter on that right now is the results, the data should be available sometime in early- to mid-fall, with the implementation hopefully with Pfizer at least, by the end of 2021 for kids ages five and up. But again, it'll all be dependent on the data that becomes available end of September or sometime in October.
[00:17:11.04]
Christopher Shulgan: So we're talking this school year, though. This is not something that is, you know, way in the future. This is something that is actually pretty imminent.
[00:17:17.19]
Janice Weiss: Assuming that the data shows efficacy and safety.
[00:17:21.12]
Christopher Shulgan: Okay, I mean, I think that will help a lot of people.
[00:17:25.15]
Jack Muskat: Most parents know that if their kid catches a cold, they're going to be okay. Or what we used to call the flu. If we start looking at these very remote outliers—and I'm not suggesting that kids should or shouldn't be vaccinated—but we shouldn't be worrying that if you're under 12s aren't vaccinated, that they shouldn't go to school, because not going to school has 100 percent risk of hurting your child's mental health, cognitive well-being, social well-being. There is no doubt. So do you want 100 percent risk of something happening that you're not going to do, versus a 0.001 percent chance that something can happen. And I have to be a little tough about it because, you know, as we look at the summer—and my heart goes out to families. We've had boating accidents, we've had drownings, we have car accidents all the time. We put our seatbelts on. And I look at vaccines as like wearing seatbelts. They're not going to prevent an accident happening, but they're sure going to prevent injury. And if you're wearing a seatbelt, you're going to be fine.
[00:18:25.27]
Christopher Shulgan: A lot of parents, they want to send their kids back to school, but they don't want this kind of start-stop thing where they're sending their kid back to school, and then it's virtual again, and then it's back to back to school. Do you think schools will stay open? Maybe this is an unfair question, because I'm asking you to predict the future a little bit, but what are your thoughts on whether schools will stay open through a fourth wave?
[00:18:46.07]
Janice Weiss: It depends on the virulence and the seriousness of the variant of concern. So if you get a variant that escapes the vaccination, then that would be concerning. If we see a huge trajectory upwards of community infection, hospital admissions, ICU admissions, that would be a concern. So I think you have to look at local transmission, variants of concern. It's a multi-factorial decision. I think that what we're seeing so far, prediction-wise, yes, schools will stay open. But that's what the science advisory table speaks to: low level, moderate level and severe risk of infection, and risk to children. Because generally, schools reflect what community transmission is all about. When the community transmission and rates are low, the general infectivity rates within the school will remain low. And that's why we're really strongly encouraging everybody: schools, parents, friends, caregivers, get your vaccination. That is the best protection for society, for your children, for the vulnerable.
[00:19:55.19]
Christopher Shulgan: Dr Muskat, your take on re-entry anxiety, which was essentially I think, approach things gradually, and set up situations where it's possible to do kind of a dry run of a situation without the elements that cause anxiety. And so what that is is maybe before the first day of school, you're taking your child to school and, you know, rehearsing the route again. Maybe you're making the lunches in advance, you're arranging social playdates with school friends to renew those social ties. One question that came from the audience is about routine. It's been a long summer. How do you restart those routines that position a child well for school life? Such as maybe, you know, going to bed at an hour that is conducive to waking up at, you know, 6:45, or whenever the child has to get up? The question is, how do you restart those routines?
[00:20:54.01]
Jack Muskat: I mean, it's no different than what you've done every other year in restarting routines. You know, we all do that when we think about going back to work. So we get to bed a little earlier, we would start with what we're preparing for the next day. Maybe even start looking at some of the work that you're going to be doing, just preparing in your own mind what you feel your child is looking at. Of course, it depends on every child, the age, etcetera. What I was going to say, though, which may be counterintuitive, is I also think because we talked about cognitive fog and confusion, I would almost give the kids a break.
[00:21:29.11]
Jack Muskat: I'm finding it's taking me twice as long to get things done when I'm wearing a mask, because I don't have as much peripheral vision. I'm finding that I want to do four things in a day, and I can only get two done. That there's a fatigue factor as well, and that we shouldn't overload or set expectations too high. One of the reasons people quit habits and routines is they just set goals too high in the beginning. So if kids are worried about having too many credits, maybe they should start with fewer and then add to them. Or if they want to stay up a little later, they should do that too, But with an idea of kind of gearing down.
[00:22:06.17]
Janice Weiss: I agree, and I think that it's very child-dependent in terms of how you prepare them with a routine. younger children, I'd get onto the school timezone, I call it: going to bed at an appropriate time, waking up at an appropriate time, eating at the times that they might eat when they're back at school. And listen to each child's individual needs. Every child is different. Some can't wait to get back, and you really don't have to extend your anxieties with a child who has no concerns. But just listen carefully to what your child's concerns are if there are any.
[00:22:39.28]
Janice Weiss: Be physically and emotionally available to listen to them. Offer support, guidance, and really just being a good listener. Older children exhibit their anxieties in different ways than younger children. So be aware of if your child is exhibiting any concerns. The older children might be spending more time in their room, not coming out when they start going back to school. Or they might get angry or aggressive. Or younger children might be clingy or whiny, or may have sleep disturbances or may want to sleep with their parents, but they may not be able to verbalize what they're concerned about. So that's where good parenting listening skills come in really handy.
[00:23:21.07]
Christopher Shulgan: That's fantastic. My wife, and I have three kids, and in our own interactions, I keep coming back to one thing that you said, Dr. Weiss, in your video that you did for the Medcan YouTube feed, which was about hearing children's concerns, and just listening. You know, your point, I think was, to sum up, that this is an unusual time, and the thing that kids are looking for from their parents, as they're transitioning to this new school year is just being heard, and listening to their concerns, and just kind of being there for the children. So I think about that a lot.
[00:23:54.06]
Janice Weiss: Kids have to relearn how to interact with the world. And for some kids, it's very straightforward, and some kids it's a little rockier. As I said, listen, listen, listen. I've been accused as a parent of trying to fix problems instead of just listening. I've been told, "Mom, can't you just listen? Can't I just tell you what's wrong? You're always trying to fix it." I'm going, "Yep, that's my job. I am trying to fix things." And I've learned from my kids that it's just as important to be a good listener, and not necessarily try to fix their problems, but ground them, try to guide them if they want that guidance.
[00:24:31.10]
Christopher Shulgan: Dr. Janice Weiss, thank you for your time. Dr. Jack Muskat, thank you for your time. Any final concluding thoughts?
[00:24:39.05]
Janice Weiss: I was just gonna say this is going to be a bumpy transition back to the next normal, but I've got no doubt we're all going to get there. And if you need our help, we're here for you.
[00:24:47.21]
Jack Muskat: Agreed. And be safe and remember: look both ways before you cross the street. Take care everyone.
[00:25:01.27]
Christopher Shulgan: That was Dr. Janice Weiss, Medcan director of child and youth, and Dr. Jack Muskat, Medcan clinical director of mental health, providing some guidance to parents with the aim of preparing children for an unusual school year. We'll post a link to a short video that Dr. Janice Weiss did that provides more direction, as well as other links that provide further context at EatMoveThinkpodcast.com. That's where you can also find a full episode transcript.
[00:25:26.26]
Christopher Shulgan: Eat Move Think is produced by Ghost Bureau. I'm executive producer Christopher Shulgan. Senior producer is Russell Gragg. Associate producer is Patricia Karounos. Social media and strategy support is from Chantel Guertin, Andrew Imecs and Campbell MacKinnon.
[00:25:40.06]
Christopher Shulgan: Remember to rate and subscribe to Eat Move Think on your favourite podcast platform. Follow our host Shaun Francis on Twitter and Instagram @ShaunCFrancis—that's Shaun with a U—and Medcan @Medcanlivewell. We'll be back soon with a new episode examining the latest in health and wellness.
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