You'll need everyone who oversees your child in school—from lunchroom aides to recess attendants to coaches to bus drivers—to understand your child's diabetes and be willing to watch out for her. Educating these supervisors from the start and giving them specific roles will only help and protect your child.

Bus Drivers

Particularly if your child has a long bus ride, your bus driver will need to be told exactly what it means to have Type 1 diabetes, what the signs of a low are, and what should be done with a low. While you should always make sure your child carries fast-acting glucose on the bus and at the bus stop, you may want to slip a tube of glucose tabs into the bus driver's glove compartment. Remind your child, and the driver, that they are there in case of an emergency. Encourage the bus driver to look closely at your child when she gets on the bus each day: Bus stop frolicking can cause lows, and the end of the day is a ripe time for lows as well.

Also remind the driver that while he may have a strict rule about eating on the bus, it may be necessary for your child to eat from time to time. Explain that eating is not a treat, but a treatment for your child. Show him your child's meter and tell him your child may check on the bus if she feels low and not to worry (your child will not remove the lancet on the bus; she will take it home in the lancing device).

Recess and Lunchtime Aides

This group may be overlooked by parents, and they can actually be quite helpful. Recess and lunch aides are adept at keeping a keen eye on a large group of children. Understanding your child's needs will help them keep her safe.

First, ask one lunch aide and one recess aide for each day to have the duty of always having glucose tablets in their possession. Tell your child who they are and that they'll always have glucose available for her. Remind recess aides that kids should never walk alone to the nurse to be treated for a high or low. They should send a buddy every time. The main duty of lunch aides should be to ensure your child eats what she needs to, and if she is on a pump, to ensure that she does the lunch bolus she is supposed to. This is a fine line since kids with diabetes, for the most part, hate being nagged. But let's say your child sees the nurse for a shot and is expecting to eat a sandwich, then decides not to. If an aide sees that the child did not eat, she can let the nurse know.

By letting these school employees know how they can help, you can ensure that your child will be surrounded by support. By asking them to be sure to watch passively, you'll ensure that it's not an overbearing situation for your child. As children get older, they'll need this kind of support less and less. But throughout school, it's a good idea to let these folks know your child has diabetes. You don't ever want someone confused over what might be an emergency situation.