Allison Smith’s five- and nine-year-old sons are already anxious about the first day of school and seeing their pre-pandemic friends again. Although the boys chose a hybrid option in the spring, not all kids returned—and those who did had a far-from-typical experience.

“Because they haven’t been able to develop bonds over the last year, it’s almost like they’re starting with a brand-new set of kids,” says Smith, a special education administrator in Southern California. Her older son asks questions like, “Are they still going to be friends with me, or am I not going to have any friends?”

Smith’s sons are not alone. Following the CDC recommendation that schools prioritize reopening as soon as possible—now with guidelines for everyone to