While some first-day jitters are completely normal, parents often wonder when those feelings may signal something more. Jeremy Pettit, child anxiety expert and executive director at FIU’s Center for Children and Families (CCF), shares practical tips to help parents ease back-to-school anxiety, recognize warning signs, and know when it’s time to seek professional help. School jitters or anxiety? This mix of feelings, often called the school “jitters,” can sometimes look like more serious anxiety. School jitters usually fade within the first few days of school, especially with a little reassurance that things will be okay.