es and services the SFECs have developed; provides insight into how grantees have supported their constituents during the COVID-19 pandemic; and demonstrates how SFECs offer critical services to strengthen connections between home, school, and community to support students, families, and schools. Though September 2021, 12 SFECs representing 13 states (AZ, CT, HI, KY, MD, MA, MN, NE, OH, PA, SC, SD, WV) have been funded by the U.S. Department of Education to create systemic partnerships with State Education Agencies [SEA] to provide technical assistance and training to schools, districts, community partners, and SEAs, as well as to provide parenting education and family engagement programming.
Helping Children Cope with Changes Resulting From COVID-19: Provides insight and guidelines for parents and caregivers to provide guidance and reassurance to children who can feel anxious about this new type of virus. The National Association of School Psychologists advises that acknowledging a level of concern without panicking is appropriate and can generate actions that reduce the risk of illness. Helping children cope with anxiety requires providing accurate prevention information and facts without causing undue alarm. This website provides extensive tip sheets and other resources in numerous languages.
Talking with Children: Tips for Caregivers, Parents, and Teachers During Infectious Disease Outbreaks (en Español): Helps parents, caregivers, and teachers learn some common reactions to anticipate in children and youth at each developmental stage. SAMHSA provides guidance to parents and caregivers to help manage children’s responses, how to listen and respond in a helpful way, and to recognize when children, youth, parents, caregivers or teachers might need more (professional) help.
Partner Resources, Tools and Guides - COVID-19 Resources: Lists links to national and international resources that can help families, school social workers and other helpers to address a variety of concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Experts from the Harvard University's Center on the Developing Child have curated on-line resources spanning family needs from child care to housing, from food insecurity to health care and medical information. A growing set of recordings in the Center’s “Brain Architects Podcast” series addresses contemporary COVID-19-related topics.
Parent/Caregiver Guide to Helping Families Cope With the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19): Provides parents and caregivers with important information about the COVID-19 outbreak, and how being prepared can reduce one’s stress and help calm likely anxieties. This fact sheet, developed by leading experts for the National Child Traumatic Stress Network, can help parents think about how an infectious disease outbreak might affect their family—both physically and emotionally—and what they can do to help their family cope.
The AAP Parenting Website: Provides up-to-date guidance from the American Academy of Pediatrics [AAP] about health issues significant to children, youth and families. During the current pandemic the website offers a free, periodic newsletter, vetted journal articles, symptom checklists, archived webinar recordings, and a pediatrician finder tool. This website was featured and promoted during the Administration’s National Dialogue on Safely Reopening America’s Schools on 07/07/20.
Helping Children Cope: Offers information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC] to help their children cope with COVID-19, including behavior changes to watch for in your child, ways to support your child and resources to get immediate help.
COVID-19 Parental Resources Kit: Provides resources from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC] to help support parents, caregivers and other adults serving children and young people in recognizing children and young people's social, emotional, and mental health challenges and helping to ensure their well-being. Offers information and resources for specific age groups, from early childhood (0-5 years), childhood (6-12 yea