Elementary education professor Marilyn Joshua, coordinator of CSUN's Summer Academic Program for Elementary School Students, said the key for a successful start of a new school year is a busy summer.

"The key is to stay active," she said. "Summer camp is good, but if parents can't afford summer camps, they should find other things to keep their children active and away from the television."

Joshua said every child should spend at least part of their day reading--about 15 minutes a day for a younger child, perhaps reading with their parents, and at least 30 to 40 minutes for older children. She also recommended that children spend at least part of their summer reviewing the math facts they learned in the past year.

"The third thing for children to do is write. Whether it's a letter to their grandmother or a friend or doing some journal writing, the key is to do it," she said. "If they do all three--reading, writing and math--they should be ready for the new school year."

Julie Fabrocini, principal of CHIME Charter Elementary School in Woodland Hills and a part-time faculty member in CSUN's Department of Elementary Education, said now is the time for parents to start easing their children's sleeping patterns back onto a school schedule.

"Believe me, teachers notice those sleepy kids in the morning at the beginning of the school year," she said. "By starting now, moving up bedtime and waking up time slowly, at 15-minute increments, getting ready for school won't be so bad by the time it starts."

Fabrocini said parents should also take advantage of the time they have with their children during the summer to get them to start thinking outside the box.

"Ask open-ended questions such as ‘Why do you think that happened?' Or when they see people on the street, ask your children to make up a story about those people," she said. "It's a way of kicking in high order cognition and stimulating their minds."

The best piece of advice Fabrocini has is one she says parents should be practicing all year round, not just to get their kids ready for school.

"You should be reading with, to and around your child," she said.

"But since it is summer, find a nice cool bookstore or library and commit yourself to an hour just going through those sections that are age appropriate for your child or children. It communicates so much to your children about how much you value reading and literacy. And it's a wonderful thing you can do with your child that doesn't cost anything."

Joshua said there is one more thing that all parents should do before the new school year starts--have a talk with their children.

"Students should be coming to school with a positive attitude," Joshua said. "Parents should remind them before school starts why it is important for them to listen to their teachers and behave in the classroom. When it comes to education, there's an implied partnership between parents and teachers, and children need to know that parents are going to back up the teachers when it comes to learning."

California State University, Northridge has 33,000 full- and part-time students and offers 63 bachelor's and 48 master's degrees as well as 28 education credential programs. Founded in 1958, CSUN is among the largest single-campus universities in the nation and the only four-year public university in the San Fernando Valley. The university serves as the intellectual, economic and cultural heart of the Valley and beyond.