It’s almost here. In less than a month, children will be going back to school.

At North Lincoln Hill Elementary, crews are working on the student areas of the existing building first, so that kids will be impacted as little as possible by renovations and construction as it becomes the new Philipsburg- Osceola Middle School.

Cen-Clear Child Services has already brought perspective pre-K’ers in for screenings and evaluations to make sure they know just who needs what help when the kids come in for their five half days weekly step-up to next year’s full-day kindergarten.

At the Moshannon Valley YMCA’s Paint ’n Play, the kids have come in to meet with teachers and get to know the space where they’ll be learning to line up and take turns and attack the dollhouse with velociraptors. (Oh, that was just my kid? Yikes.)

For some parents, though, getting ready for school can have a scary side. Backpacks. Jeans. Sweatshirts. Shoes.

Kids seem to grow like they’ve been spread with fertilizer every day over the summer.

The baggy jeans that fit perfectly at Christmas and hit just ankle length in May could be closer to skinny capri pants now, a look no one wants to rock on the bus to the first day of ninth grade.

On Saturday, a local church will try to help parents in a back-to-school bind. Grace United Methodist Church will hold a God’s Closet event to give parents the chance to find nice, new-to- them clothing for the kids to make the new school year a little easier on everybody.

And the church is also turning the giveaway into a family friendly event, with hot dogs, drinks and more, getting kids excited to hit the books again.

For parents, the breathing room in the wallet and the prospect of the school routine being back in place is all the excitement they need.