From their academic success to their social skills and mental health, the pandemic is a crisis for today’s children – and the fallout may follow them for the rest of their lives.
It is very important to remember that children look to adults for guidance on how to react to stressful events. Acknowledging some level of concern, without panicking, is appropriate and can result in taking the necessary actions that reduce the risk of illness. Teaching children positive preventive measures, talking with them about their fears, and giving them a sense of some control over their risk of infection can help reduce anxiety. This is also a tremendous opportunity for adults to model for children problem-solving, flexibility, and compassion as we all work through adjusting daily schedules, balancing work and other activities, getting creative about how we spend time, processing new information from authorities, and connecting and supporting friends and family members in new ways. .
And while the debate continues about when to reopen K-12 schools –– most recently with the Southern California Academy of Pediatricians stating that the benefits of in-person school outweigh the risks of COVID-19 –– many early education settings remain open. Research has shown that COVID-19 transmission rates are low in child care settings when following state guidelines, meaning in-person education may be something you might want to consider for your preschool-aged child. To learn more about early care and education safety guidelines including how to access child care, visit the LA County Early Childhood Education COVID-19 Response Team’s website: childcareheroes.org.
The school closures are one of the most visible – and controversial – means by which Covid-19 is affecting young people. The education of nearly 1.6 billion pupils in 190 countries has so far been affected – that’s 90% of the world’s school-age children. And finally, there are definite plans for opening the schools for many of these children. There has been much debate over the exact role that school closures have played containing the overall spread of the virus. However, the jury is still out about the data describing its transmission and the effects of any particular measure.
And while the debate continues about when to reopen K-12 schools –– most recently with the Southern California Academy of Pediatricians stating that the benefits of in-person school outweigh the risks of COVID-19 –– many early education settings remain open. Research has shown that COVID-19 transmission rates are low in child care settings when following state guidelines, meaning in-person education may be something you might want to consider for your preschool-aged child. To learn more about early care and education safety guidelines including how to access child care, visit the LA County Early Childhood Education COVID-19 Response Team’s website: childcareheroes.org.
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