It was originally meant to be a celebration—a way to drum up excitement and reinvigorate some positive vibes around a traditionally exciting time.

Now, with another wave of uncertainty in the form of the COVID Delta variant that is spiking cases around the state with the potential to disrupt schooling again, Madison Youth & Family Services (MYFS) is rebranding a new initiative called “Be Cool for School” to hand out gift cards and help families confront anxiety around another potentially difficult return to school.

“What we’re trying to do is create some positivity around the process,” said MYFS Director Scott Cochran, “thinking about the back-to-school rituals that families have enjoyed most summers.”

Along with its usual back-to-school drive for backpacks, clothes, and school supplies, MYFS had received some federal grant money, according to Cochran, which the agency decided to dole out in the form of gift cards to malls and local hair salons, giving kids from underprivileged families a chance to show up looking fresh as they returned to a maybe normal school year.

But over the last few weeks in conversations with families and school officials, Cochran said he and his staff began to realize that this fall might not be such a celebratory occasion after all, with the potential for continued mask requirements and at least some danger of more remote learning.

“There’s a greater anticipation for levels of nervousness, of anxiety on behalf of students as they approach a new school year,” he said.

Rather than scrap the original idea, Cochran said he is hoping that families will use these same gift cards to try to maintain some level of routine and optimism heading into the school year, re-affirming or creating comforting rituals to help ease their children back into another uncertain year.

MYFS will also be adding another tab to its website to provide further age-specific resources for parents about returning to school again, Cochran said, as the community is forced to confront more stressful situations, and mental health issues in children of all ages continue to rise.

“It affects parents with children of all ages, Cochran said. “It adds a whole layer of complexity over all decisions.”

As many districts wait for state guidance, Madison school officials have said they do not anticipate beginning the year with a voluntary remote learning option as they did last year, when about 10 percent of students learning fully from home for most of 2020-’21.

Superintendent of Schools Dr. Craig Cooke recently told The Source the district had at least engaged in some conversations about large-scale quarantines or distance learning, and that there are “systems in place” if conditions worsen significantly.

Right now, parents can access an application through the MYFS website where they can attest that they have been affected financially by the pandemic—there’s no need to provide proof, Cochran said. If approved, they will receive a $75 gift card to a local mall that can be spent on anything, hopefully offering the child or teen something to alleviate the continued anxiety around another pandemic school year.

Whether that means buying new sneakers, a new outfit, or a new video game even, Cochran said he just wants families “to create some positivity and excitement around going back to school.”

MYFS is also working with local hair cutters Joe and Company and Madison Avenue to get students back-to-school cuts, regardless of what the return to school will look like. Cochran said he was “extremely grateful” for the participation from local businesses, adding that the federal grant monies are meant to support these folks as well.

In the big picture, Cochran said that MYFS’s caseload has remained elevated, if steady throughout the summer. Many families were already trying to brace their students for the year, he said, but in the last few weeks it became clear that that worry was growing.

Anyone who has a concern about their child for any reason should reach out to MYFS, Cochran said.

“I think for families to be talking about going back to school in August is a good thing,” he added. “Bring it into conversations, so parents can start to see how their kids are feeling about going back to school.”

Applications and resources for Be Cool for School can be accessed at www.madisonct.org/812/Youth-Family-Services.