As you anticipate your student’s next adventure at Kimball Union, we have a few recommendations to support a successful transition to Kimball Union. We encourage you to collaborate with your student on developing and practicing the following fundamental independent living skills this summer. Some of these habits may be ones you have already instilled in your household, others may need more practice, and a few may need some direct instruction and encouragement from you. While this is geared toward boarding students and their parents, we encourage day parents to consider these steps as well.
1) Your student should be proficient in doing their own laundry. In addition to using a washer and dryer, they should also get into the routine of folding, hanging, and storing their clothes, and having a set place for dirty and clean laundry. If your student will utilize our laundry service, they should still have a system for organizing their clothing and separating their laundry.
2) Your student should practice keeping an organized room. The standard for weekly dormitory room inspection is “neat and clean” – bed made, emptied wastebaskets, laundry cared for, desk space and surfaces tidied, and floors vacuumed.
3) Your student will be expected to wake themselves up independently, and we recommend using an alarm clock rather than a phone. If you currently wake up your student, we advocate they practice getting up on their own this summer.
4) If your student takes medication, most likely, they will be going to the KUA Health Center to do so, if they are a boarder. Summer is a great time to strategize with your student about using reminders on their phone and practicing taking their medication independently without reminders from a parent or guardian.
The mission of Kimball Union mentions, in part, “intentionally designed experiences and challenges,” and these independent life skills fall into that broad category. While the habits discussed above seem small, our experience tells us their cumulative impact is essential to your child’s success here on The Hilltop.