The ABCs of Tutoring Success for Kids and Families in Greater Seattle

Whether your child needs support this school year to improve his or her grades, master a new subject or prepare to take the SAT, finding the right tutoring resource, at a fee you can afford, can be a challenge. Here are tips from experts on what’s available in services, how to shop different options

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One Young Woman Seeks to Banish Stigma of Mental Illness in Teens and Youth

Rebecca Blume had no idea what hit her when, at 19, she began to feel frantic and "off" while she was living in her college dorm during her first year away from home. Up until then Blume had been an average, happy teen with friends and a close, supportive family. But suddenly she couldn't go to slee

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Look Closely: Is Your Teen Using Drugs?

Ondria Leary’s son had long been energetic and popular. “Friends were always calling him. He was a drum major in the marching band, he was in drama,” she says. But, she recalls, midway through high school, “The calls started getting more frequent and they were shorter.” Why worry? The Learys lived i

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Who’s Got the Beat? Music Programs Enrich Schools

Photo credit: Will Austin As a child, Heather Arnold moved frequently, attending at least 12 different schools between kindergarten and graduation. Finding continuity in the face of so much change was difficult, but she found solace in the music departments at her schools. “By taking part in

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Test Stress: Getting Those Scores to Soar

Algebra quizzes. Standardized tests. SATs. Like it or not, tests count. Everything that goes on in a classroom is influenced by test performance, says Kathleen Vasquez, literacy and social studies program manager for Seattle Public Schools. “I tell underperforming kids, ‘Try your very best on every

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They’re Sexting and We Know It : The Problems of Social Media and Teens

First, the good news. With the barrage of scary stories about cyberbullies, sexting and predators stalking teens on social media sites, here’s something you may not know: After years of teens living with social media, things may not be as bad out there as you think. “People doing good, solid resear

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Suicide Warning Signs and Ways to Respond

Over the past year, we have lost several local youths to suicide, one on the first day of school. The start of the school year can be a particularly vulnerable and stressful transition for teens, so it’s a good time to review suicide warning indicators and ways to respond. "Research has shown that k

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Teen Volunteers: Enriching Animals' Lives, Elevating Their Own

For animal-loving teens, volunteering with man’s best friend can be a richer experience than simply owning a pet. In the Woodinville 4-H Puppy Power group, for example, teens raise puppies to be service dogs. “Emmalyn is completely in charge and responsible for her puppy,” says Snohomish mother Ann,

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