Your kids are back in the classroom, and you’ve survived the first-day-of-school jitters. But children of all ages face other anxieties even when the school year is underway. A big source of stress for preschoolers is whether mom will be there to pick them up. So if a babysitter or another relative will be meeting your child after school, make sure they know. Most important, be on time. There’s nothing more anxiety provoking than being the last child waiting in the classroom for Mom, Dad, or another caregiver to arrive at the end of the day.

If you have an elementary school kid, you may hear, ” My teacher is really mean!” or “My teacher hates me!” Before you rush to counter those complaints, ask some questions: What makes a teacher nice? Can they remember a “mean” teacher who actually taught them a lot? And what could they do to get to know the teacher a little better — asking for extra help is often a great way to connect with a teacher. Kids this age may also feel insecure if they haven’t yet found a “best friend” in their new class. Remind your child that they can still see their other friends outside of school. And to help them make new friends in class, see if you can arrange a couple of outings or dates with classmates your child knows even slightly.

By middle school, the focus of anxiety may be the class bully or “it” crowd. If your child is being teased, work with the school to solve this problem as soon as possible. Bullying can derail even the most confident kid. My friend and colleague, William Pollack, Ph.D., has worked extensively on helping victims of bullying; his book, Real Boys: Rescuing Our Sons from the Myths of Boyhood, is also an excellent resource.

When it comes to homework complaints, the best person to turn to is your child’s teacher. Find out what’s expected and/or send a brief email explaining the difficulty your child may be having. As tempting as it may be, don’t do your kids’ work for them. The teacher will know (especially after she administers an in-class test or two) and you’ll be setting up a very bad precedent. If necessary, see if the school can provide some extra tutoring or other resources if your child seems to be struggling.

And until everyone is into the back-to-school groove, limit afterschool activities and keep the routines at home as predictable and comforting as possible. The entire family can benefit from down time — including shutting off the phones, the TV, and the computers while you play a game or just talk.

Watch Annie’s tips and tricks for beating the back-to-school blues.

As the school year approaches, visions of smiling teachers, freshly-sharpened pencils and children waving from the school bus dance through my head. But the reality is that the back to school season can be a hectic time of year for Mom and Dad. Where are those school forms you need to sign? Does your daughter really need folders with the Jonas Brothers plastered on the front — won’t last year’s plain navy ones suffice? Your son often falls behind in his class reading within the first few months of school — should you alert his teacher now? I’ll be addressing challenges like these during a 30-minute blogcast on Tuesday, August 3 at 2 p.m. EST. I’d love for you to join the conversation. To register, click here.

Dear Annie:

Does cash motivate students?

 The school year started off with a bang. Your child seemed eager to stay on top of his homework, but soon his energy and enthusiasm began to dwindle and now you worry he may be falling behind. Nagging, cajoling, threatening, punishing seem to get you nowhere. And the idea of offering a reward — say, a few dollars for good grades — crosses your mind.

While you’re hardly the first parent to consider paying for A’s, the approach seems to be spreading from families to schools to entire districts. "Learn and earn" programs run the gamut from providing non-cash incentives for good grades (pizza parties, ice cream socials) to paying students cold, hard cash for high test scores. But is it a good idea — at home or in school? I took a look at a controversial program in Brooklyn, NY, inspired in part by Harvard economist Roland Fryer, whom I interviewed for the story. I also spoke to Alfie Kohn, author of Punished by Rewards, who argues that paying kids for good grades sends the absolute wrong message — and even backfires.

What would you like to know from these guys about paying for grades? Send me a great question — and I’ll ask Kohn and/or Fryer in a follow-up interview later this month.

 How to support your child and avoid homework hassles.

1. Provide a good work space: Many of us grew up believing that the best place to do homework was alone in a quiet room at a tidy desk, sharpened pencils in hand. But lots of kids do better sprawled on their bedroom floor or sitting at the kitchen table. Let your child pick the spot; just make sure there’s a relatively clutter-free surface on which to write, good light, and no TV or blaring music.