What Children Don't Say About Back-to-School - and What Actually Helps

Lucie Strakova - international youth development expert

31.9% of adolescents experience anxiety. A child coach of 20 years shares what she sees every September — and what parents can actually do.

PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC, August 10, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The school bag is packed. The supplies are checked off. But across Europe and beyond, millions of children are heading into one of the most emotionally difficult transitions of their year - and most of them will not say a word about it.

According to a Harris Poll conducted for Understood.org, 87% of parents report stress or anxiety about the back-to-school season. The National Institute of Mental Health puts the rate of anxiety disorders among adolescents aged 13–18 at 31.9%. A recent survey found that 64% of children's worries are school-related. And yet fewer than one in five children actively seek help when they are struggling.

"I have worked with children and young adults aged three to twenty-two for over twenty years," says Lucie Strakova, child and teen coach and founder of kidscoach.cz. "Every September I see the same pattern. Parents manage their anxiety by getting organized - new notebooks, earlier bedtimes, timetables on the wall. The child is managing something much harder: the fear of not fitting in, of being forgotten, of not being enough. The backpack was always the easier part."

Anxiety has now surpassed depression as the most commonly diagnosed mental health condition in children, with 16.1% formally diagnosed with an anxiety-related disorder. Clinical psychologists confirm that anxiety peaks precisely during transition years - entering school for the first time, moving to secondary, starting somewhere new. Research shows children typically need six to eight weeks to genuinely adapt to a new environment.

"Back-to-school anxiety is treated as a one-week problem," says Strakova. "Something that will settle by the second Monday. For many children (particularly those carrying additional pressures at home) it doesn't settle. It goes quiet. And quiet is not the same as fine."

For parents navigating these weeks, her guidance is less about preparation and more about attention.

"Ask your child what they are most afraid of - not what they are excited about," she says. "Give the fear a name before you try to reassure it away. Children don't need to be told it will be okay. They need someone to sit with the worry long enough to take it seriously. That's where the work begins."

Strakova is available for interviews and expert commentary on children's transition anxiety and the back-to-school season. She works internationally, in English.

About kidscoach.cz
kidscoach.cz offers one-to-one coaching for children, teenagers, and young adults aged 3–22. Founded by Lucie Straková, the practice works internationally with families navigating transitions, anxiety, confidence, and development. Sessions are available online worldwide and in person in Prague, Czech Republic.

Lucie Strakova
kidscoach.cz
+420 773 960 964
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