Jenna Bush Hager Is Preparing for Daughter Mila's First Day of Middle School — and Giving Back to Teachers (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Jenna Bush Hager and daughter Mila.Photo: Helen Healey/NBC via Getty

Jenna Bush Hageris soaking up the last days of summer.

TheTodayco-host, 42, has enjoyed a lot of quality time with family this summer, making memories with husband,Henry Chase Hagerand their three kids —Hal, 5,Poppy, 9, andMila, 11.

The family is slowly shifting into back-to-school mode, with Bush Hager partnering withKleenexto bring awareness to how important it is to show up for students in educational spaces and provide them with the supplies needed to thrive.

“I’m trying to live in the last couple weeks of no school and let my kids sort of enjoy that unstructured, slow time together. I also like to keep that feeling of summer going on the weekends through the fall — so trying to be outdoors, having slow weekends,” Bush Hager tells PEOPLE.

Part of the family of five’s back-to-school prep involves the busy mom, a former teacher herself, fielding questions about what to expect out of a new school year.

“Listening to the kids are hearing them out about whatever it is that they’re about to go through is important. I have a daughter going to middle school. I have a son starting in a new school. So we talk to them about how they’re feeling and go through our routines so that they feel prepared.”

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For the book club founder’s oldest, Mila, the focus is on getting middle school off to a good start.

“She’s excited, but I think she knows it’s a different time ahead. I think we talk so much abouthow hard middle school is. I try not to impose that label on it for her because who knows? Maybe it won’t be hard for her,” Bush Hager shares. “But I also want her to know that she has a soft place to landin case it is hard.”

“She is excited, though. I think she’s excited to have more independence. She is excited to advocate for herself a little more. But gosh, it’s so wild,” she continues.

“It’s just such a memorable time for all of us for so many different reasons, and so I think the main thing we try to be is just there for her so that if things are easy or things are hard or there’s friend stuff, she has a place where she can come without judgment and talk to us.”

As she prepares to get supplies together for her own three kids, Bush Hager is also partnering with Kleenex to help make sure kids are covered when it comes to having the necessities in their own classrooms.

“If we think about when we were students, but also now, you needed pencils, paper towels, and Kleenex boxes. It makes so much sense that to celebrate their 100th year, Kleenex is giving back to people that need them the most, the educators,” she shares.

“When I was a teacher, one of the things that kind of shocked me and still shocks me is that teachers really spend their own money out of their own pocket for the classroom materials that they need,” she continues.

Jenna Bush Hager for Kleenex.Kleenex

Kleenex

Bush Hager hopes other parents will get involved in what’s going on in their student’s classroom, with a new year as the perfect opportunity to help out.

“I think it’s good to introduce yourself to your kids’ teachers. They have the hardest job. One thing I try to do is go introduce myself. Whether you send a letter or write an email on the first day just to say, ‘Hey I want to introduce myself. I’m Mila’s mom, it’s nice to meet you. I’m around if you need help. Tell me how.'”

Drawing from her own experience teaching, Bush Hager continues, “If you ask a teacher, ‘How can I help you?’ trust me, they need help. Whether that looks like stocking books or materials, they need somebody to help out. So my goal is to introduce myself and find out how I can be helpful, and offer support before I have to start asking questions about the homework or emailing about things that got left in the classroom. That’s what I know we can do and what I will do.”

source: people.com