Resources for Families - COVID-19
The New York City Department of Education cares deeply about the social-emotional wellbeing NYCDOE's children and families. We recognize that the sharing of information about COVID-19, and the resulting school closures, will have a significant impact on each of us. Increased stress and anxiety are common responses to the coronavirus outbreak. The resources below can support you and your family through this challenging time. In addition to resources for stress management, there are helpful strategies and resources for proactively developing your child's social and emotional skills.
Additional resources are also available in the NYC DOE's guide, Social-Emotional Wellness During COVID-19: Caring for Ourselves and One Another Parent & Family Resource.
Child Mind Institute
Coping during Covid-19: Resources for Parents
Self-Care in the time of Coronavirus
National Association of School Psychologists
Helping Children Cope with Changes Resulting from COVID-19
Care for Caregivers: Tips for families and educators
Covid-19 Resource Center: Family and Educator Resources
Addressing Grief
National Children Traumatic Stress Network
Parent/Caregiver Guide to Helping Families Cope with the Coronavirus Disease 2019
Helping Teens with Traumatic Grief: Tips for Caregivers
Guiding Adults in Talking with Children about Death and Attending Services
Coping in Hard Times: Fact Sheet for Parents
National Center for School Mental Health
School Mental Health: COVID-19-Resources
NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene – Thrive NYC
1-888-NYC WELL
PBS KIDS
Parenting during Coronavirus: You Are Enough
How You and Your Kids Can De-Stress During Coronavirus
A crisis is an event, situation, or period that causes uncertainty, distress, pain, and difficulty.
Examples of crises, which may have traumatic effects on a school community, include: bereavement caused by the death of a loved one or community member, a catastrophic environmental event, or a threat to physical safety.
Common Reactions
The emotional effects of a crisis on you and your child can be tremendous.
Common reactions in children include:
- difficulty sleeping and/or nightmares
- fears about safety
- changes in eating habits
- worry over safety of loved ones
- poor concentration
- fear of being alone
- nervous behavior
- withdrawal or isolation
- irritability
- repetitious play
- physical complaints
- reenactment of events in play
- exaggerated startle response
- changes in mood or affect
- lack of energy
- acting out
Helping your Child Cope
One of the difficulties that parents experience during crises is that they have not had adequate time to deal with their own reactions when they are called upon to help their child. Here are some of the things you can do to help your child deal with the impact of a crisis:
- encourage your child to express their feelings through talking, drawing, and playing
- be attentive and encourage your child to ask questions
- offer support as your child interprets the events
- find out what your child may be thinking and feeling in reaction to the traumatic event
- be direct and give honest information
- reassure your child that you will do everything possible to ensure their safety and that other adult authority figures (elected officials, school officials, the police) will do the same
- do not flood your child with too many television images of the tragic event
- acknowledge normal feelings and reactions
- encourage healthy ways to cope
Supports During a Crisis
Some of the most important supports are talking together and listening to each other:
- Children may want an honest accounting of the facts and relevant details
- It can be helpful to actively process the event by talking, writing, drawing, listening to stories, hearing others talk, etc.
- Everyone needs the opportunity to ask questions
- Some people need to process the event over and over again
- Allow your child (and yourself) to express feelings, share memories, cry, etc.
- It is often helpful to have information on how the surviving family members are doing
Other supports might include:
- Giving your child time for the event to sink in
- Reassuring your child about safety and security
- Finding opportunities to be actively involved in doing something helpful, such as putting up a feedback memorial board, collection donations, etc.
- Offering a continued structure and a return to normalcy
- Setting up a stable environment and predictable schedule
When Professional Help May Be Needed
Any of the following signs may be present following a critical incident or in the grieving process. Pay attention to these signs if they persist over time or if you notice a significant change in behavior from how your child normally acts.
Physical Signs
- Changes in eating (less or more)
- Changes in sleep (less or more)
- Significant loss of energy
- Nausea or headaches
- Stomach aches
Behavioral Signs
- Aggression and inappropriate displays of power and bullying
- Withdrawing or regressing
- Overachieving-—"Trying too hard"
- Inability to focus or to concentrate
- Self-destructive behavior
- Excessive daydreaming
- Compulsive care-giving
- Frequent accidents or injuries
- Stealing or other illegal activities
- Use/abuse of alcohol and/or drugs
- Inability to speak about the deceased
Emotional Signs
- Persistent anxiety
- Hopes of reunion with the deceased
- Desire to die
- Clinging to others
- Absence and/or denial of all grief
- Strong resistance to forming a new attachment
- Expression of negative or only positive views of the deceased
Resources
Counseling Resources