As families prepare to go back to school, there are a couple of things to pay attention to ensure that children and teens are successful.

Your children have only one brain inside their heads, and no matter how fancy the sneakers, the most important way to ensure success is to prepare nutritionally sound breakfasts, lunches and snacks.

Unfortunately, many kids are being loaded up on sugar in the morning, they carry a backpack of sweet snacks, and then unwrap lunches that have too many carbs and sugars, and not enough protein.

At the end of the school year this past spring, I had stopped at a Starbucks before school and was a bit shocked to see moms and kids standing in line, getting hot chocolates and loads of whipped cream on their way to school. I promised myself that I would write a column about this.

Hot cocoa and whipped cream is probably the very worst thing a parent can do to give their children to start the morning. Teaching children that high sugars are a loving way to be sent off to school is very deceiving. It sets up your child’s brain to be “not ready” for learning all morning.

Eating too much sugar impairs your brain. It acts like a drug, making you tired, irritable and foggy. It is linked to headaches, mood swings and weight gain. In our fast food world, parents need to be proactive about healthy meals before and during school.

Pay attention to the snacks in their backpacks. If you want your kids to do well in school, you must take seriously the foods they have during the school day.

Brain-healthy foods, such as proteins and complex carbs, go a long way toward a good day. To learn more read “Change your Brain, Change your Life” by Daniel Amen.

Take time to meet your child’s teachers. Yes, even in middle school and high school, it is important for your kids to see that you are interested in their school and that you have met their teachers.

These meetings can be very brief, just a way to connect a face to a name and to provide your kid with the understanding they you value their education. It is a way to show that you believe that school is an “important” place.

Help your child learn to be a self-starter when it comes to homework and planning for projects and tests. Post a big calendar on the door to their bedroom or on the refrigerator. Have your child use this calendar to note upcoming tests and projects only.

Don’t fill the calendar with any other appointments. This is a way to plan with your child their study time and project work time. Mark study time and project time on the calendar. This is different than homework time.

Homework needs a place and a time. It’s great to have an hour of fun after school, but then it’s time to crack the books for homework. Three hours of after school play time is too much if a kid receives daily homework.

I’m not a big fan of loading kids with too much homework, but if your child/teen is bringing home homework, it needs to be treated as a priority. Crack the homework open before 5 p.m. This routine helps kids develop the habits for tougher and longer school assignments required in high school and college.

Deal with issues that your child is having such as attention, depression and friendship needs. If your child is having problems, talk to your doctor, the school counselor and teachers to get ideas.

Read books to prepare yourself for the age and stage they are entering. Librarians can point you in the right direction. There is lots of information to help guide you to support your child to be successful in school.

I know kids are born with a “how to” manual attached to their bottoms, but there are lots of good books on how to raise healthy kids.

Sarri Gilman is a freelance writer living on Whidbey Island and director of Leadership Snohomish County. Her column runs every other Tuesday in The Herald.