Just like the other years, the new parents start preparing for the start of the school year and the Knowledge Day on the 1^st of September very timely. According to the results of the survey conducted by BTA Baltic Insurance Company AAS (hereinafter – BTA), 55% of parents start preparing their kids for school as soon as at the beginning of August, 27 % of parents schedule at least a week’s leave in August, and just 18% leave taking care of the days, when the child should already be independent and master new knowledge, for the last moment. According to estimates of the Ministry of Education and Science, their first steps in school will make nearly 19,000 first-graders, which is approximately by 300 fewer than in the 1^st September of 2017.

The summary of data of the survey conducted by BTA shows that preparation of one child for the school for a parent costs on average from a couple of dozens up to 250 euros. Meanwhile the amount for starting school is around 170 up to 300 euros for older kids. The amount, of course, depends on how much and what is provided by the school, and how much has to be bought by parents themselves, but there are also parents, who spend up to 550 euros to prepare one kid for the new school year. Elīna Rasmane,BTA Marketing and Public Relations Department Director, emphasizes that preparation of a child for school is very important, especially, when it is the very first 1^st September for the child. Then, besides purchasing schoolbooks, stationery, clothing and footwear, an important thing is to remind the child about safety, health and accessibility.

Safety first! In order to enjoy the fact that your kid’s first school day has passed safely and without unnecessary anxiety, BTA suggests taking educating your child seriously. It should be kept in mind that the child, due to carelessness, the massive new impressions and excitement can forget about safety on road, be careless in the school sports grounds and playgrounds. Therefore we suggest all parents remind their kids not just about the road traffic rules, when crossing pedestrian crossing, railway and road, but to remind to be careful in common daily situations as well.

Backpack as support, not burden. When preparing their kids for the school, parents should make sure their kid has a backpack of appropriate weight and size, which supported the kid’s back instead of weighing on it. We have heard quite a lot about inadequately heavy and oversized backpacks of schoolchildren, which later result in back pains and visiting doctors. During the school years, children are in a development phase still, in terms of motion-support system, and the backbone, and posture and gait – it all keeps developing. Therefore, when selecting a backpack for school, an important thing is to choose a bag with a hard instead of soft back-side, thus protecting the child’s backbone from deformations and asymmetric posture. It is also more advisable to choose a two-strap backpack, as it means less strain on the backbone because of symmetric distribution of weight on both shoulders. 

Smartphone – means of communication. Child should get clear instructions that mobile phone in school is to be used for indispensable communication instead of fun. Many parents decide to purchase a mobile phone for their kid, when it starts going to school, to be sure that the kid is ok, to be aware, where the kid is at the moment, what changes have been made to the time-table, and to know, when the kid needs to be picked up to go home. Particularly important it is in cases, when the kid has other extracurricular classes after the school, which may end at various times or sometimes get cancelled.

About BTA

BTA Baltic Insurance Company is one of the leading insurance companies in the Baltics, offering the broadest range of non-life insurance services in Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. BTA employs more than 1,000 employees in the Baltics. The largest shareholder of BTA is Vienna Insurance Group AG with 200 years of experience in the insurance industry. More than 50 companies in 25 countries constitute the group, which employs 25,000 employees. Vienna Insurance Group AG is a clear leader in its core markets in Europe maintaining high rating of financial stability – Standard & Poor’s A+ (stable outlook), with a listing on the Vienna and the Prague Stock Exchange.

Additional information:
Elīna Rasmane
Marketing and Public Relations Department Director
BTA Baltic Insurance Company AAS
e-mail: elina.rasmane@bta.lv