Living With Food Allergies
Keeping Students with Food Allergies Safe at School
Kids With Food Allergies, a division of the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, has many free resources for parents, schools, teachers and staff to use to prepare for the upcoming school year and keep students with food allergies safe.
 Tips and Articles |
 Free Downloads and Other Resources |
 Videos and Webinar Archives |
 Guidelines, Laws and Recommendations for School Policies and Staff Training |
How COVID-19 Could Affect School Health Care Plans for Food Allergies 
Children with food allergies returning to school for in-person learning will need to have a school health care plan. Learn about the different types of plans and how COVID-19 policies could affect how food allergies are managed in school.
COVID-19 Guidelines for Schools and the Impact on Kids With Food Allergies and Asthma
As some schools work to prevent the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19, some tactics may impact students with food allergies and asthma. Our COVID-19 resources for schools provides supplemental guidance to help schools as they develop their policies and procedures.
Hand-Washing Vs. Hand Sanitizer: Protecting Your Family From COVID-19 and Other Illnesses
Keeping your hands clean is vital as the new coronavirus continues to spread. What's the best way to keep your hands clean? Learn about proper hand-cleaning techniques, safe and unsafe hand sanitizers, and a fun way to make sure you are getting your hands clean.
10 School Planning Tips When Your Child Has Food Allergies
Advance planning and a positive relationship are the keys to success in sending your child off to a new school. Find out how you can plan and what you can do to give the school to set your child up for a successful school year.
504 Plans, IHCPs, ECPs: Food Allergy School Health Care Plans
What are 504 plans, IHCPs and ECPs? What are the laws that address the needs of students with food allergy in schools?
Bullying of Children with Food Allergies - How You Can Help (Blog)
Together we need to advocate to prevent, and swiftly deal with bullying of our children. Find out ways you can be proactive in dealing with bullying.
Epinephrine Auto-Injectors: Everything You Need to Know
Learn about the options available in the U.S., and things you should know before you get your prescription filled for school (including discounts).
ACT for Allergy
There are three important aspects of food allergy management: having an action plan, carrying medicines and having a medical ID, and following a treatment plan. You and your child can make a pact to ACT for allergy to manage their conditions and prevent medical emergencies.
Food Allergy To-Do List Before School Ends for Summer Break
Planning for the end of the school year is a great way to make sure the next school year starts smoothly. This checklist can guide you on steps to take before summer break begins.
Kindergarten Teacher Turns Food Allergies Into a Teachable Moment (includes printable PDF)
Read how one teacher taught her students about food allergies using a simple activity. Download copies of the activity to share with your child’s teacher.
School Staff Know More Than They Think They Do About Treating Anaphylaxis
This press release highlights a study that shows school staff is better prepared to handle anaphylaxis than they think. It also includes a video with some tips for planning ahead for food allergies at school.
Tips for Managing Food Allergies at School: Get Active With Food-Free Activities (includes printable PDF)
Use this list to encourage your child’s teacher to use non-food rewards in their classroom to keep children with food allergies safe.
When Is a Child Ready for Self-Care of Anaphylaxis?
Learn about factors to help you decide if your child is ready to self-administer epinephrine if they have an life-threatening allergic reaction.
Free Downloads and Other Resource Guides
Is It COVID-19, the Flu, a Cold, Allergies or Asthma?(printable PDF)
There are some symptoms that are similar between COVID-19, a cold, the flu, seasonal allergies and asthma. Use our symptom comparison chart to help determine if staff or a student may be feeling symptoms of asthma, allergies or a respiratory illness like COVID-19, the flu or a cold. You will also find tips on how to help stop the spread of the new coronavirus. (Available in English and Spanish.)
COVID-19 and Asthma Toolkit for Schools (includes printable PDF)
This toolkit and resource guide is designed to help schools create environments that help protect students and staff with asthma while preventing the spread of the new coronavirus (SARS-C0V-2) that causes COVID-19.
Teal Classroom™ Kit (includes printable PDF)
A Teal Classroom™ encourages being safe and inclusive for everyone with food allergies. Our Teal Classroom Kit contains resources for teachers and other staff to raise food allergy awareness at school. Share this guide with your school nurse or your child's teacher.
10 School Planning Tips When Your Child Has Food Allergies (includes printable PDF)
Advance planning and a positive relationship are the keys to success in sending your child off to a new school. Find out how you can plan and what you can do to give the school to set your child up for a successful school year.
Potential Food Allergens in School Crafts and Activities (includes printable PDF)
Unexpected places you can encounter common food allergens, along with alternatives and precautions that can be used.
What's the Big Deal about Food Allergies? (includes printable PDF)
New handout that you can print and distribute to answer common questions about food allergies for people who do not live with food allergies.
AllergyHome.org School Training Modules (Leave the KFA website)
AllergyHome.org offers online staff training to assist school nurses or their designees in school-wide food allergy education. Interactive online video modules and written materials are available.
Food Allergy Management Education Toolkit for Schools (Leave the KFA website)
St. Louis Children's hospital, in collaboration with allergy experts from around the nation, created a free manual for schools to help schools create and adopt food allergy policies consistent with the CDC voluntary guidelines for managing food allergies in schools.
Back to School With Food Allergies Chat (August 2017)
Michael Pistiner, MD, MMSc, talks about how to prepare for the new school year while keeping your child with food allergies safe. The chat includes valuable information including what options of epinephrine are available and how to use them.
What Forms Do I Need From My Child’s Doctor for School? (July 2016)
Dr. Dave Stukus and Dr. Mike Pistiner discuss what forms you need to get from your doctor for managing your child's food allergies and asthma at school.
What Is the Difference Between Self-Carry and Self-Administer? (July 2016) Dr. Dave Stukus and Dr. Mike Pistiner discuss the difference between allowing a child to self-carry their emergency medications versus being required to self-administer them.
Allergy-Friendly School Lunch Box Ideas(September 2015)
Registered dietitian Debra Indorato, RD, LDN, and blogger Keeley McGuire share creative, nutritious and inspirational lunch ideas. They give kid-friendly tips, such as using cookie cutters and building lunches around a theme.
Coping with Food Allergy Anxiety: Back to School and More(August 2015)
Dr. Gianine D. Rosenblum speaks about managing children’s anxiety related to food allergies. She zeroes in on the needs of specific age groups. She also describes coping strategies universal to any age. Dr. Rosenblum is a psychologist and a parent of a child with food allergies.
Back to School with Asthma and Food Allergies(July 2014)
David Stukus, MD, and Michael Pistiner, MD, MMSc, talk about preparing to send your child to school. They also discuss how your allergist can help with back-to-school planning.
Preparing for School with Food Allergies and Asthma (July 2014)
David Stukus, MD, Director of the Specialty Asthma Clinic, Nationwide Children's Hospital, and Michael Pistiner, MD, MMSc, of AllergyHome.org, answer common questions about preparing to send your child to school and how your allergist can help with back to school planning.
504 Plans and IHCPs (January 2014)
Laurel Francouer, JD, presented the different options available for school health plans for students with food allergies, reviewed federal laws and definitions, and explained students' rights. A second webinar for Section 504 Plans Q & A was held in August 2014.
Food Allergy in School Part 1: Overview (July 2012)
Dr. Michael Pistiner provides practical tips for managing food allergies in school settings.
Food Allergy in School Part 2: Ask the Experts (August 2012)
A panel of six experts (allergists and school nurses) from around the U.S. answered questions submitted by attendees. Topics covered included school staff training, where epinephrine should be located, cafeteria concerns, partnering with your school and more.
Nutrition and Food Safety for Allergic Students (August 2013)
School nutrition expert, author and speaker Dayle Hayes, MS, RD and KFA Nutrition Advisor Debra Indorato, RDN, discuss school meal regulations for students with food allergies; current thinking about food allergies in schools; the importance of establishing relationships with school food service directors, and more.
Partnering with Your School Nurse (July 2013)
Dr. Michael Pistiner of AllergyHome.org, and Sally Schoessler of the National Association of School Nurses, provide tips on how to work with your school nurse to set up a plan to keep your food-allergic child safe at school.
Guidelines, Laws and Recommendations for Schools
Stocking Albuterol in Schools (June 2017)
Learn how you can contact your representative about the School-Based Respiratory Health Management Act, H.R. 2285, to encourage schools to stock quick-relief asthma medicines.
CDC Guidelines for Schools and Early Education Centers
The CDC created guidelines for schools and early childhood education programs to help them manage the risk of food allergies and severe allergic reactions in children.
State Honor Roll from Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) (Leave the KFA website)
This is an annual report by AAFA to help identify states with the most comprehensive public policies supporting people with asthma, food allergies, anaphylaxis and related allergic diseases in grade schools. Find out how your state ranks.
Stocking Epinephrine in Schools (Video from May 2013)
Find out why it is important that schools keep an undesignated supply of epinephrine to treat allergic emergencies that occur on school campus.
Sample Section 504 Plans
A Section 504 Plan provides guidelines for changes in the classroom and other locations to provide a safe education. See four examples of existing Section 504 plans for students with food allergies.
504 Plans and IHCPs (January 2014)
Laurel Francoeur, JD, presented the different options available for school health plans for students with food allergies, reviewed federal laws and definitions, and explained students' rights. A second webinar for Section 504 Plans Q & A was held in August 2014.