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On this page you will find resources related to how you can support the young children you care for. Click on each link to be taken to a page with more information.

Visit our self-care tab for tips and strategies on taking care of yourself to best care for your children.

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On this page you will find resources related to how you can support the young children you care for. Click on each link to be taken to a page with more information. Supporting Children with Challenging Behavior Supporting Children's Play Supporting Inclusion, Diversity, and Acceptance Back to School Resources Fun Activities for Young Children Visit...

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Taking Care of Ourselves: Stress and Relaxation

Stress is natural and can be inevitable. But stress can take a toll on your health and effectiveness as an early childhood educator or parent. It impacts the quality of care that you can give. When you are too stressed it is difficult to offer the praise, nurturance, and structure your children need.

Please use the resources below to help reduce your stress:

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Stress is natural and can be inevitable. But stress can take a toll on your health and effectiveness as an early childhood educator or parent. It impacts the quality of care that you can give. When you are too stressed it is difficult to offer the praise, nurturance, and structure your children need.

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Head Start and Early Head Start programs support the mental health of children, families, and staff every day. Early childhood mental health is the same as social and emotional well-being. It is a child's developing capacity to express and regulate emotions, form trusting relationships, explore, and learn-all in the cultural context of family and community. The mental health of children and the adults that care for them is essential for school readiness.

Explore Resources

Mental Health

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Head Start and Early Head Start programs support the mental health of children, families, and staff every day. Early childhood mental health is the same as social and emotional well-being.

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The entire team at the Early Intervention Center is missing all the kids. They are collaborating and working hard to continue instruction and therapy. The virtual services are a wonderful connection, but it just isn't the same. So, they have put together this video to let the kids know just how much they are missed!

This entry was posted in General info and tagged Early Intervention, Easterseals on by .

by Lisa S. Wzorek, MA, OTR/L
As we enter another month in quarantine due to Covid-19 and our focus on maintaining our physical health continues, what about our mental health? Making sure we are mentally healthy is equally important, and many of us are facing challenges in doing just this. Our mental health is being challenged whether you are an essential worker and must be away from your family, or you are a stay at home parent navigating distance learning or are working from home while navigating distance learning with your children. Maybe you have a child with special needs or medical needs that causes you extra worry during this time. These, and there are many more, can challenge the mental health of any individual.

May is Mental Health Month, and I wanted to talk about this very important issue. Our mental health is always important but seems to be extra important during the Covid-19 quarantine. But let's talk about it from the perspective of maintaining mental health of an occupational therapist. Occupational Therapists see "occupations" as a way to health and well-being. Occupations are not just our "job", but the things we do throughout the day. These could be our morning routines, caring for our children, distance learning, exercising, leisure activities, etc. To help us engage in our occupations throughout the day, I'm suggesting that we take a few moments to focus on our breathing. Breathing sounds like such a simple and basic thing, but how we breath can have either a negative or positive effect on our well-being. We don't pay much attention to our breath, but if you take a moment to do so right now, you may notice that your breathing is short and shallow. What if you expand that breath, taking in a full deep breath and feel your lungs fill? How does this make you feel? Often when we are stressed, angry, frustrated, sad, etc., our breath becomes shallow. Taking some deep breaths can help calm the mind and the body before we act on our feelings. Being in a more calm and relaxed state can help us engage in our occupations more successfully and purposefully.

Here are some guided breathing exercises that you can do yourself and with your children that are already posted on YouTube. The videos are short, 3-5 minutes. Doing these breathing exercises at the start of the day, when you are feeling stressed or frustrated, or just needing a break, can help you power through the next few hours of your day. I hope you will try them and let me know what you think! Let's keep a focus on our mental health!

Videos for breathing exercises:

Adults:

"Stop, breathe and think" by Mindful Breathing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEfs5TJZ6Nk Guided breathing exercises

2:1 Breathing by Tufts Medical Center
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQjGqtH-2YI
4-7-8 Breathing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=737vA-okV5E
Kid Friendly:

5 finger breathing by Mindful Breathing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSgOW879jjA
4-7-8 Breathing-geared to kids by Fablefly
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmBYdfv5RSk
Rainbow Breathing by Go Noodle
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O29e4rRMrV4
Breathing and Stretching by Moovlee
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyvuaL_2avY
*For very young children, you can practice "smelling the flowers, hold 1-2-3, blow out the candles"

This entry was posted in Occupational Therapy, Tips from therapists and tagged breathing exercises, covid-19, Easterseals, Mental Health, Mental Health Month, occupational therapist, Occupational Therapy, occupations on by .

by Kathryn Murphy, MSPT

My name is Kathryn and I am a Physical Therapist at Bucks. With all of the virtual services going on now, I do not have all of the tools at my home that I need for my sessions. I had a friend of mine, Mike, come to my rescue. I met Mike a few years ago at the indoor rock climbing gym where I climb. He recently purchased 3-D printer. He printed me a red shaker and even did a non-contact drop off!

This shaker filled with rice will help me:

Get the visual attention of my students with decreased vision.

As a teaching aide for parents. I can now show them exactly where to place a toy with their child when working on gross motor skills. I use a doll to help teach parents and now I have a toy!

Get the attention of the student using their hearing.

Cheer for my students in a fun way when they do something great!

Participate in music class with Ms. Amanda 😉

THANK YOU MIKE!

This entry was posted in General info and tagged 3D printing, Easterseals, physical therapy on by .

by Adrienne Krysiuk MS, OTR/L
My first day of work and I was super excited to see my kiddos since it has been a few weeks since I saw them last. I was also super nervous and anxious about doing teletherapy. I kept asking the questions, how was I going to manage a caseload of 17 plus kids and manage my own five year old? Most importantly, I could not understand how I was going to effectively provide occupational therapy intervention with preschoolers who have Autism Spectrum Disorder through a little screen. As the 2019-2020 school year already had its own set of challenges, not one of us could figure out how to do this type of hands off interaction with our Easterseals kids through this platform. As we reflected, the slew of emails arrived and we really started to panic. We all started going to online trainings, reading blogs and asking questions, conducted team meetings and practice runs with our colleagues. We all became computer experts in zoom and GoTo Meeting, we connected with colleagues and families throughout the day, sitting for longer than any of us are used to and then we became the minority of people who are still part of the workforce.

Since practicing teleintervention for a few weeks now, I am still trying to manage a hectic schedule between work and family. My son at this moment is trying to lay low because he knows he is getting away with watching way too much TV and no one has been after him to do his school work for awhile. The overall challenge of teletherapy has been a good learning experience and now familiar. In fact, at this point in time, I am a proponent of teleintervention and I feel this could be offered as part of the IEP plan. Of course I would rather be working directly with my kids and coworkers, but we (the school team) have always discussed how beneficial it would be to have a better way to follow up at home. When you are working on certain skills, such as managing challenging behaviors or carrying over potty training, it would be very helpful to coach the parent more directly in the child's home environment; to really bridge the gap between home and school and further support our kiddos success. This unfortunate pandemic event has been that opportunity, possibly causing positive change and providing more options and choices for our families.

It has been an adjustment period for the parents to say the least and I give a shout out to all of our special needs parents out there, we see you and you are doing a great job, so hang in there, we got your back. Again, looking on the bright side through this unique time, I also find myself appreciating the small things that help me get through the day, one benefit I enjoy, I know many people share this with me, is illustrated in the picture. I cannot complain about the reduction of my now nonexistent commute, being able to get ready for work in 15 minutes or even caring if my comfy uniform matches or represents the correct season; dressed in my Easterseals teletherapy uniform.

This entry was posted in General info, Occupational Therapy and tagged autism spectrum disorder, challenging behaviors, Early Intervention, Easterseals, goto meeting, IEP, teleintervention, teletherapy, zoom on by .

Visual supports can be an important tool in helping to facilitate communication. Throughout our centers, these visual supports are everywhere. They help children understand schedules and behavior expectations. They allow children to communicate with family, teachers and therapists about their needs and feelings.

The Assistive Technology team has created a visual communication board for families to use at home. This board contains vocabulary that is most relevant to preschoolers.

We hope you find this helpful! Stay tuned for middle school and high school versions.

Here is a pdf version as well
Covid Communication Board

This entry was posted in Assitive Technology, General info and tagged assistive technology, communication board, Easterseals, visual communication, visual support on by .

Miss Amanda has put together another mini music therapy session for this week! Tune in and sing along.

This entry was posted in Music therapy and tagged Easterseals, Music therapy on by .

Easterseals teachers and therapists are experts in their fields. Social distancing has posed challenges that have put a spotlight on just how innovative and dedicated the team is.

Miss Milly recently worked with student Alondra. She was a superstar! After the session, her mom sent a sweet picture!

This entry was posted in child stories and tagged Easterseals, teletherapy, virtual learning on by .

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The entire team at the Early Intervention Center is missing all the kids. They are collaborating and working hard to continue instruction and therapy. The virtual services are a wonderful connection, but it just isn't the same. So, they have put together this video to let the kids know just how much they are missed!

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Focus on Emotional Literacy :

Resources to Teach Emotional Literacy:

Feeling Buddies- A 5-step process self-regulation process to help children recognize their triggers, label their feelings and accept and manage emotions.

Zones of Regulation - a framework and easy to use curriculum for teaching children strategies for emotional and sensory self-management. The Zones approach uses four colors to help children identify how they are feeling in the moment given their emotions, level of alertness, as well as guide them to strategies to support regulation.

- a comprehensive program that promotes emotional and social competencies, reducing aggression and behavior problems in preschool through elementary school.

- National Center for Pyramid Model Innovations allows programs to create their own SEL curriculum using free resources.

Explicitly teach children to identify, understand, and express emotions

Free materials to build emotional literacy can be found at National Center for Pyramid Model Innovation

Emotion check in chart - Children can "check-in" by placing an indicator with their name or picture on how they are feeling throughout the day. This provides teachers with an opportunity to talk about how feelings can change and provide strategies to manage changing feelings.

Use a mirror to teach children what eyes or body language look like with different emotions.

Use social stories or children's literature to support understanding of emotions.

Provide opportunities for students to observe you use coping skills. "I wasn't expecting to change classrooms today, I'm feeling a little overwhelmed, I'm going to take three deep breaths, does anyone want to breath with me? My body feels calm, I'm ready to change rooms." Useto help support these opportunities

Provide opportunities for students to observe you use coping skills such as talk aloud/narration: "I wasn't expecting to change classrooms today, I'm feeling a little overwhelmed, I'm going to take three deep breaths, does anyone want to breath with me?....My body feels calm, I'm ready to change rooms."

Use to help support these opportunities.

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Focus on Emotional Literacy : Resources to Teach Emotional Literacy: Feeling Buddies- A 5-step process self-regulation process to help children recognize their triggers, label their feelings and accept and manage emotions. Zones of Regulation - a framework and easy to use curriculum for teaching children strategies for emotional and sensory self-management.

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Building Trauma Informed Services

Early childhood mental health consultants can help to build trauma informed services through programmatic consultation. Consultants can work with Early Head Start and Head Start administrators and staff and provide guidance and recommendations for staff education, program policy, and practices that will prepare them to work effectively with a high-risk and potentially traumatized population. The focus of this work would include:

Understanding the impact of trauma on infants, toddlers, young children and their families

Having intake, screening, observation and interview practices that incorporate strategies relevant to trauma, trauma history, and recognizing trauma signs and symptoms.

Revisiting policies and procedures, such as those that address program emergencies, crisis situations, reporting child abuse and neglect, community partnerships, resource and referrals, etc. to be sure that they address issues related to trauma.

Having guidelines for classroom procedures, daily routines, home visiting, etc. that consider the impact of trauma, address the individual needs of children and families impacted by trauma, provide reminders about avoiding unintentionally "re-traumatizing" a child or family in their care, and how to generally support these children and families through the Early Head Start and Head Start program.

Training and supporting staff that equips them to cope with the challenging work of serving young children impacted by trauma and their families and helps to avoid secondary trauma and burn-out.

Building strong collaborative relationships with community resources that are also trauma-informed and/or provide trauma related services.

Advocating for trauma informed policies and trauma focused services and interventions in your Early Head Start and Head Start community to help strengthen community partnerships and build much needed supports for children and families impacted by trauma.

(Adapted from Cooper et al, 2007 and Zindler et al, 2010)

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Early childhood mental health consultants can help to build trauma informed services through programmatic consultation. Consultants can work with Early Head Start and Head Start administrators and staff and provide guidance and recommendations for staff education, program policy, and practices that will prepare them to work effectively with a high-risk and potentially traumatized population.

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As communities open up for outdoor exercise, open parks like ours did recently, and the late spring weather forces more of us outside, more and more children will be in public places. Whether it is when a parent is forced to take a child to a grocery store for essential goods because there is no available childcare or a chance run-in with another family at a park or running trail, we need to equip our children and students with the tools to remain safe when they are in shared spaces inside and out. Here are some of my ideas for how to teach children to stay 6 feet apart from others in public.

These tools are about maintaining proper social distancing, for more about how to explain COVID-19 / Coronavirus to young children check out this PBSParents article. It's the most appropriate advice I have found for preschoolers.

How To Teach Young Children To Stay 6 Feet Apart

Explain why we need to stay 6 feet apart.

There is no perfect way to do this because every child processes information differently. Some are very sensitive and will turn a little information into a dire warning, others will need constant reminders, and it still won't sink in. The general information all children should have is that there are germs going around, and if we stay 6 feet apart, we make it harder for the germs to spread. If your family is wearing masks, this is also when you would explain those are added protection to keep germs from spreading.

Use Play

Measure It
Get out the measuring tape and show your child how far 6 feet is. Make it fun. Go to different areas of your home and have your child make estimations about what is 6 feet from where they are standing. Is the wall? Measure it. Is the bathtub 6 feet from the toilet? How about the fridge to the kitchen table? If you have a yard take it outside. This is all part of learning about staying 6 feet apart.

Throw it.
Can you throw a pillow 6 feet? What about a ball? Find whatever is safe to throw and try. Again, this is all part of giving your child the tools to understand how to keep themselves safe. Part of that is a firm understanding of what 6 feet is essential for when you remind them, " Sally, 6 feet back.".

Red Light, Green Light
This game is an essential tool for parents of very young children that do not yet have a firm grasp on what 6 feet looks like. Yelling "Stop" can scare kids and should only be used in an emergency. Yelling it as they are getting too close to a neighbor could be very upsetting to a young child, and we don't want to instill fear of people they shouldn't fear into our children. Instead, play the game Red Light Green Light Often, especially if and when you are in public. If you aren't familiar with the game, it's simple; Children line up in front of a caller (you). When you say green light, they go. When you say yellow light, they slow down, and red light means stop. We play it all the time at preschool, so we too can use this tactic if we need children to stop abruptly but do not what them to be scared. By practicing this often and making it fun, you can use it if your child is getting too close.

Bubble Up
This is not my idea, but it's genius. In my area, much like other parts of the world, we do a lot of outdoor activities. Running, biking, walking on forest trails, and visits to the beach, I live on an island, so there are lots of that. This pandemic has shifted how we explore these places, but most of us are still getting outdoors safely. This will help you do that, especially if you have a few kids. While walking together in a park or forest trail, it's okay for children to spread out, but when there is another person, the family needs to quickly get together to make enough space for other people to pass safely. This is when a parent or observant kiddo yells, "Bubble up!" the family scoots together, clearing the way for the other party to pass. This can also work if your child is getting too far from you at the park, or you need to pick them up to provide proper social distancing for others or your family. "Bubble up!" is a light-hearted way to get to you fast without using fear. This is a scary enough time for kids. We need them to know they are safe, but that simple measures like this are how they stay safe.

Practice Often

These tools will help, but they can only help if you practice. Social distancing is a new skill we all need to learn. Play bubble up at funny times, like when you have a family movie night and pile up on the couch, you can play red light green light as your kiddos are running upstairs for bathtime. Get in on the fun and have your children be the one calling out red light green light too. Mine used to love to yell red light just as I was heading to the bathroom. Stinkers!

We have no choice that, for now, this is our norm, but we do have an opportunity to empower our kids through play. Answering their questions about not giving their buddy a high five when they see them in the neighborhood with "Because I said so." might stop the questions, but it won't stop them from wondering why and jumping to their own conclusions. Talk to your children, answer their questions, and use play to practice these new skills.
Please note social distancing rules are different based on your local community, and you may not be in a position to leave your home. I am not advocating for anyone to break those rules and take a child out when it's not safe. Your local rules rea set up by your local officials based on the situation in your area. Please follow them to the best of your ability.

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How to Teach Children To Stay 6 feet Apart

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As more communities start to open after COVID-19 lockdowns parents need tools to teach their children how to stay 6 feet apart in public and shared spaces.

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Providing Distance Family Supports

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This article explores the meaning behind challenging behavior in toddlers and how parents and caregivers can set age-appropriate limits.

The year between age 2 and age 3 is an exciting one. Toddlers are realizing that they are separate individuals from their parents and caregivers. This means they are driven to assert themselves, to communicate their likes and dislikes, and to act independently (as much as they can!). Toddlers are also developing the language skills that help them express their ideas, wants, and needs.

At the same time, toddlers do not understand logic and still have a hard time with waiting and self-control. In a nutshell: Two-year-olds want what they want when they want it. This is why you may be hearing things like "no" and "me do it" and "no diaper change!" more than ever before. Try the strategies below to cope with challenging behavior in toddlers.

Learning to Handle Challenging Behavior in Toddlers

As a parent, your job is to help your young toddler navigate the tide of strong emotions she is experiencing this year. This is no small task, because the emotional lives of 2-year-olds are complex. This year they are beginning to experience feelings like pride, shame, guilt, and embarrassment for the first time.

Older toddlers are a lot like teenagers. Their feelings may swing wildly from moment to moment. They may be joyful when getting a popsicle and then despair when it drips on their hands. When experiencing challenging behavior in toddlers, they need your loving guidance to figure out how to cope with their emotions. Your child is struggling with this when:

He has a meltdown when you can't understand his words

She says no when she means yes (you are offering her a favorite treat)

He gets so angry that he might throw a toy

She cannot settle for a substitute-if the purple pajamas are in the wash, she is inconsolable (even though you have offered the pink ones, the polka dot ones, the ones with the cupcake patch on the front, etc.)

He acts out when frustrated-will give up or get angry when he can't figure out how to make the jack-in-the-box work

Your child is learning to manage strong feelings when he:

Uses words or actions to get your attention or ask for help

Talks to himself in a reassuring way when he is frustrated or frightened. For example, he might say to himself, Daddy will come back, after you drop him off at child care. Or, I can build this again after his block tower collapses

Re-enacts a stressful event, like a doctor's visit

Uses words like I'm mad rather than throwing or hitting

Tells you the rules or shows that she feels badly about breaking rules. For example, your child might say no to herself as she does something off-limits, like opening the fridge. Or he might tell you at the park, Don't walk in front of the swings.

Practicing Self-Control

When you see challenging behavior in toddlers, it usually means that the child can't figure out how to express their feelings in an acceptable way or doesn't know how to get a need met. What helps your child learn is when your response shows her a different, more constructive way to handle these feelings.

Learning to cope with strong feelings usually happens naturally as children develop better language skills in their third year and have more experience with peers, handling disappointment, and following rules. Although children won't completely master self-control until they are school-age (and practice it all their lives!), here are some ideas for helping your toddler begin to learn this important skill:

TALK ABOUT FEELINGS AND HOW TO COPE.

Read books and notice aloud how the characters are feeling: The dog is really happy that he got a bone. And share your own feelings: I just spilled the baby's milk. I feel really frustrated! Will you help me wipe it up? Wow, it feels so good to have your help. When your child can label how he is feeling, it helps him gain control over his emotions and communicate them to others.

Once your child has named his feelings, you can suggest what he might do to feel better or solve the problem. This helps him learn what to do in the future when he faces a similar challenge. For example, if he is sad because his grandparents just left after a 2-week visit, you can suggest looking at photos of them or drawing them a picture.

OFFER YOUR CHILD IDEAS FOR HOW TO MANAGE STRONG EMOTIONS.

Young children need guidance when it comes to figuring out how to deal with big feelings like anger, sadness, and frustration. So when your child is really angry, validate what he is experiencing: You are really angry right now because I said no more television.

Then suggest that he jump up and down, hit the sofa cushions, rip paper, cuddle up in a cozy area for alone time, paint an angry picture or some other strategy that you feel is appropriate. What's important is to teach your child that there are many options for expressing his feelings in healthy, non-hurtful ways.

EMPATHIZE WITH YOUR CHILD.

It's okay to let her know that you understand the choices she is being offered are not the ones she wants: We have to leave now to go to Ms. Kelly's house. I know you want to stay home with Daddy. You miss me and I miss you during the day. But staying home is not a choice today. Daddy has to go to work. But when we get home, we will finish the puzzle we started and have a yummy dinner. Do you want to get into the car seat yourself or do you want me to put you in?

GIVE YOUR CHILD A VISUAL AID TO MAKE WAITING EASIER.

If your child has to wait until his oatmeal has cooled down, show him the steam rising from the bowl. Tell him that when the steam goes away, you can test the oatmeal on a spoon to see if it is cool enough. If you need to help your child brush her teeth for 2 minutes each day, use an egg timer so she can watch the countdown. Need 10 minutes to fold some clothes? Set a kitchen timer so that your child can keep track.

Timers are also great tools for helping children learn to share. Give them each a few minutes-using the timer-to play with a toy they both want, like the shiny new tricycle parked out back. It's also helpful to state the obvious: It's hard to wait sometimes, isn't it?

LET YOUR CHILD MAKE CHOICES APPROPRIATE TO HER AGE.

Some examples include: what to wear (perhaps offer 2 choices) and what to eat (within reason), what to play, who to play with. This gives her a feeling of control and supports her growing confidence and sense of competency (the belief that "I can do it").

Offering choices also helps head off the "Not That One" game where you keep offering your child different things and he keeps saying "Not that one, the other one!" Instead, try giving your child 3 choices and let him pick: You can have an apple, a string cheese, or a bagel for snack. What sounds good to you?

LOOK FOR WAYS TO HELP YOUR CHILD "PRACTICE" SELF-CONTROL.

There are many daily moments when you can teach your child this skill. For example, games that require turn-taking are great for practicing how to wait and share. Rolling a ball back and forth is an example. This game gives children the chance to wait and control their impulse to grab the ball. You can also take turns hitting a soft foam ball off a tee.

Or try acting out a story. Pretend play offers many chances to wait, take turns, and negotiate as children decide how the story will unfold. Another idea is playing "sharing music" where each of you chooses an instrument to play and set an egg-timer for 1 minute. When the timer goes off, switch instruments and set the timer again.

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Toddlers and Challenging Behavior: Why They Do It and How to Respond

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This article explores the meaning behind challenging behavior in toddlers and how parents and caregivers can set age-appropriate limits. The year between age 2 and age 3 is an exciting one. Toddlers are realizing that they are separate individuals from their parents and caregivers.

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ACF-PI-HS-20-02 FY 2020 Head Start Funding Increase

Discover the key role Head Start programs play in buffering the impact of trauma by promoting resilience for children, families, and staff. Learn more about implementing a trauma-informed approach.
Download the PDF
Trauma occurs when frightening events or situations overwhelm a child or adult's ability to cope or deal with what has happened. These kinds of experiences cause an extended stress response and lasting effects on the physical and mental health of children and families. Traumatic events can be a single event (e.g., a terrible accident) or chronic (e.g., domestic violence), and there are many factors that affect the intensity of a person's response. Exposure to trauma is more common than most people believe. It is also multi-layered, with individual, community, and historical experiences. That said, not everyone exposed to adverse experiences is traumatized.

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are often used as a way to estimate traumatic events. According to a national survey, 45% of children in the U.S. have had at least one ACE.

One in 10 children nationally has experienced three or more ACEs, placing them in a category of especially high risk.*

Head Start and Early Head Start programs play a critical role in buffering the impact of trauma by promoting resilience for children, families, and staff. The effects of trauma are lessened by protective factors such as strong parent-child relationships; relationships between staff, children, and families in Head Start and Early Head Start programs; and through relationships and supports within the community. Supporting staff wellness is a critical part of any trauma-informed approach in Head Start programs.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) defines a trauma-informed approach-using the 4R's-as one that:

Realizes the widespread impact of trauma and pathways to recovery

Recognizestrauma signs and symptoms

Responds by integrating awareness about trauma into all facets of the system

Resists re-traumatization of trauma impacted individuals by decreasing the occurrence of unnecessary triggers

Related terms used when discussing trauma include child and adult mental health; childhood and family adversity; ACE s; and toxic stress.

For more information about SAMHSA's critical trauma-informed approach principles and implementation domains, programs should review Concept of Trauma and Guidance for a Trauma-Informed Approach.

Head Start Considerations for Funding Trauma-Informed Approaches

There are many ways Head Start and Early Head Start programs can use quality improvement funds to implement a comprehensive, ongoing trauma-informed approach. Programs can implement activities that better equip all staff to implement the 4R's described above.

The following includes a limited, non-exhaustive list of examples:

Expand Mental Health Services

Improve preventive mental health screening, assessment, and interventions

Enhance mental health consultation for staff support and organizational improvement to help identify signs and symptoms of trauma and integrate supports and services to assist in healing

Ensure mental health consultation and other related intervention services include a trauma-informed approach and are integrated at intake and orientation

Build and/or enhance collaborative services with local substance abuse and mental health treatment programs, domestic violence service providers, disaster response programs, child welfare agencies, and others

Increase Classroom Quality

Hire additional qualified education staff to lower classroom ratios, enhance caregiver-child relationships

Provide ongoing coaching and support to education staff to address secondary stress and related turnover

Hire behavioral specialists to support children, classroom staff, and parents

Improve physical environments and learning spaces throughout the facility to help address the multiple domains of development and learning that are impacted by trauma

Invest in professional development and staffing patterns that foster continuity of care, and consistent, predictable, and nurturing environments

Strengthen Family Services

Enhance services that strengthen families, promote relationships, decrease parental stress, and improve family safety and financial security

Strengthen service provision related to housing access and stability

Provide enhanced job training, employment, education, and career services

Help families better access healthcare and nutrition services

Enhance transportation services to promote more regular participation by children and families in services designed to support development and learning and address trauma

Improve collaboration efforts and alignment with family-serving agencies to lessen family confusion and stress in dealing with multiple agencies

Support a Trauma-Informed Workforce

Provide training on trauma-informed approaches to all staff, governing boards, and Policy Councils, and ensure training is accompanied with coaching and opportunities for reflective practice and supervision

Support staff capacity with salary increases and additional benefits, such as employee assistance services and break times

Decrease family service staff and/or home visitor caseloads through hiring of additional qualified staff or other strategies

Create a Program-Wide Trauma-Informed Environment

Ensure any trauma-informed training implemented at the management-, governing-, or policy-level includes oversight to examine how the approach is being implemented

Conduct ongoing self-assessment to track program improvements related to integrating a trauma-informed approach over time

Expand Health Services Advisory Committee efforts to better support health and mental health services for children and families by implementing trauma-informed approaches

Resources for More Information

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Attachment B: Office of Head Start Guidance on Implementing a Trauma-Informed Approach | ECLKC

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Discover the key role Head Start programs play in buffering the impact of trauma by promoting resilience for children, families, and staff. Learn more about implementing a trauma-informed approach. Download the PDF Trauma occurs when frightening events or situations overwhelm a child or adult's ability to cope or deal with what has happened.

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Headspace is meditation made simple. It's a great way to give your mind a moment to pause. The practice of meditation has been around for thousands of years, and has been shown to reduce stress, foster compassion and increase overall happiness.

Headspace is proud to support Pure Edge and K-12 educators through a free one-year subscription!

Headspace has been downloaded more than 45 million times. Through short, easy-to-follow meditations, you'll learn breathing, visualization, and focus-based exercises that are designed to help you live a healthier, happier life. There are meditations for stress, sports, sleep, focus and creativity.

Train your mind for a healthier, happier life

A personal meditation teacher, right in your pocket

Learn whenever you want, wherever you are, in just minutes a day. It only takes a few minutes to change the rest of your day.

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Headspace is meditation made simple. It's a great way to give your mind a moment to pause. The practice of meditation has been around for thousands of years, and has been shown to reduce stress, foster compassion and increase overall happiness. Headspace is proud to support Pure Edge and K-12 educators through a free one-year subscription!

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Meaningful Mealtimes

Mealtime is a perfect time for learning! Build an awareness of sequence and patterns by talking about the steps in a recipe. Support language and literacy skills by describing the foods you are eating.

Little Muscles, Big Fun!

Before children can write legibly or tie their shoelaces, they must develop the small muscles in their hands and fingers! Tearing paper, using tweezers, rolling dough, and pinching leaves are examples of activities that grow these important muscles. Try these fun activities throughout the day!

Dressing for the Weather

Springtime means that the weather is changing almost all the time! Before your child gets dressed for the day, look at the weather forecast and talk about what the symbols and numbers tell us. Encourage your child to use what he knows about the weather to choose which clothes are best for your weather!

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Healthy at Home: A Toolkit for Supporting Families Impacted by COVID-19

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In order to serve educators and families during the COVID-19 crisis, ReadyRosie developed this free toolkit as a resource to support families with information and resources for supporting the children in their care. The current content on this site will be available throughout the summer.

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Your friends on Sesame Street are here to support you during the COVID-19 crisis. Our site is filled with rich content you can use with children to spark playful learning, offer them comfort, and help your whole family thrive.

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Calendar of Virtual Field Trips for Families March, April, May 2020

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Experiencing lots of "family togetherness" during the Coronavirus pandemic? KidsOutAndAbout.com provides over 250 ideas for making the most of your time together and avoid driving each other crazy.
Some of the best parenting advice I ever received was: "When it rains, play in the rain." There are ways of making the best out of any situation, this one included. We have a unique opportunity here: We can make the COVID-19 crisis into a moment that will live vividly in our kids' memories, so that in other times of uncertainty they'll recall fondly how their family pulled together and made the best of things, and they'll be able to do the same.

250+ Creative Ways to Keep Your Family Sane During the COVID-19 Crisis

Below are the categories for this article. Click on any of them to jump to that category below.

During a time when we're all practicing social distancing, events, classes, and activities go online!

1000 Things To Do During COVID-19: Online activities for Kids, Teens, & Families

Webcams, online tours, exhibits, sneak peeks, activities, games, and lots more: 24/7 virtual experiences

Classes that can be taken online: Kids, Teens, and Families

Today's online events (it's easy to click to tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow...)

Surprise, you're homeschooling! Tips to get you through

(Organizations offering virtual events, classes, or experiences can post them for free! Click here to get to the form.)

Games and Activities
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Clean/Fix
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Plan

1. Plan your next birthday party (theme, place, cake, decorations)

2. Plan an any-occasion or no-occasion party

3. Plan for summer camp (things to remember, and look up on the top of this KidsOutAndAbout.com page under our "Classes and Camps" menu)

4. Plan a staycation (look for our 101 Family Day Trips article under "Resources" on your local menu above)

5. Plan a bucket list from our Top 20 Places to Take Local Kids article as voted by local parents - find it under Favorites on our menu above

6. Plan a dream vacation

7. Plan a realistic vacation (where, when, how, what to pack, links to venues in the region)

8. Plan a month of educational theme days (themes like nature, sports, music, robots, Hamilton, or whatever)

9. Plan your day-by-day pandemic menu

10. Plan something to make each day

11. Plan your family's fire escape plan and have a fire drill

12. Plan a garden

13. Plan for higher education: High school kids can research colleges and scholarships, and brainstorm college essays

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Cook

1. The complete list of KOAA kid-friendly recipes and food tips

2. "Cuban" Cooking

3. ANY Cooking. Or baking.

4. Create a Family Cook Book

5. Invent a new recipe

6. Make an old family recipe

7. Have a feast

8. Create a cookbook based on your favorite story/book

9. Meal plan for a full week

10. Choose recipes from different countries and fix a different recipe for each course or for each day

11. Make off-season Christmas Cookies in spring colors

12. Make your own granola mix

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Science Experiments at Home*

1. Experiments from Spangler Science (a leprechaun trap, oobleck monsters, flying toilet paper, homemade root beer...)

2. Experiments from Science Cafe (homemade ice cream, lava lamps, naked eggs, a shrunken head...)

3. 32 Cool Science Experiments for Kids (that are Fun AND Easy!) -- they're sorted by the amount of time each takes

4. Study.com offers up 10 home science experiments (elephant toothpaste, dinosaur bones, a lung model....)

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Arts & Crafts
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Perform
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Outside your Perimeter: Driveway, Yard, and Garden

**Make sure you click on our RESOURCES link in our menu at the top of the page for plenty of ways to have fun outside and parks/trails where you can enjoy nature with your kids while staying away from others.
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Links to Online Fun and Learning

1. 12 Famous Museums You Can Visit From Your Couch

2. 5 rainy day toddler activities from American Baby. It works for snowy days too!

3. Winter Gardening Activities for Kids from the Green Mountain Gardener.

4. Help your child create an original book from a story/artwork: This service is from Tikatok.com but there are others that do this as well.

5. Documentaries available from streaming services. So you'll feel less guilty about screen time. Updated for 2020.

6. Online Craft classes from Creativebug.com

7. Online coding for kids at Tynker.Com

8. Tons of online art/craft classes for kids and teens at DIY.Org (free 14 day trial)

9. The Kid Should See This: Smart Videos For Curious Minds of All Ages

10. National Geographic: Kids Videos

11. The Brain Scoop: Videos exploring all kinds of science topics with Emilie Graslie, the Chief Curiosity Correspondent of The Field Museum in Chicago

12. Watch animal live cams at Explore.Org, including the famous Decorah Eagles

13. Sign up for a MASTERCLASS or two with your whole family

14. Find free educational explanations about just about any academic subject at Khan Academy

15. Pokemon Go app: Monster Collecting at Home

16. Nancy Drew mystery games from HER Interactive: Fun for the whole family, especially age 12 and up (younger kids may need help with the puzzles)

17. Actors read stories on Storyline Online

18. A list of educational companies offering free memberships due to school closings put together by the Amazing Educational Resources Facebook group

19. Virtually tour college campuses on YouVisit.com

20. Scholastic has launched online Learn at Home lessons

21. Check out animal cams from a variety of zoos, including the San Diego Zoo, the National Zoo, the Houston Zoo, and more

22. Many national parks also offer live webcams

23. Grown and Flown suggests 100 soft skills to teach teens

24. Amazon is offering free streaming of family shows

25. Google offers fun arts and cultural lessons

26. We Are Teachers has a big list of children's authors reading their books

27. Ultimate Boredom Buster: 101 Things to Do When Kids Are Bored

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Tips for Temporary Homeschooling

If your child's school has closed due to COVID-19 and you are suddenly tossed into monitoring your child's education, we can help! Below are a few tips to help you orient yourself to temporary homeschooling. Please click on the link below for our complete list of tips for how to manage this challenging time.

First...

Remember that everyone else is in the same situation.

Remember that the goal is to keep up the momentum of learning, not to imitate school or to compete to see whether your kid can do it better than the others.

Convey that we all have our work to do, and that you'll help your kids get set up to do theirs while you do yours.

Try to assume more the role of cheer-leading coach than overseer.

...and a lot more. Click here for our complete article: Surprise! You're Homeschooling!... It's full of tips to help you survive make the most of it.

Special thanks to Helena Robin, Katie Beltramo, and Carol White Llewellyn for their work on this article.
*We wanted to call the "Science" section "Science the $#!& out of the virus" to amuse fans of The Martian, but we restrained ourselves.

© 2020. This list may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, without written permission from KidsOutAndAbout.com. Feel free to link to it, though!

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250+ Creative Ways to Keep Your Family Sane During the COVID-19 Crisis

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Experiencing lots of "family togetherness" during the Coronavirus pandemic? KidsOutAndAbout.com provides over 250 ideas for making the most of your time together and avoid driving each other crazy. Our publisher, Debra Ross, says, "Some of the best parenting advice I ever received was: 'When it rains, play in the rain.'

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Ranks by age best media, apps, games for children

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Common Sense Media: Age-Based Media Reviews for Families

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Common Sense Media is the leading source of entertainment and technology recommendations for families. Parents trust our expert reviews and objective advice.

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PA Dept of Education

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Coronavirus (COVID-19) mitigation efforts have required school communities to work within changing, complex circumstances and unprecedented situations. The Pennsylvania Department of Education is committed to offering guidance and resources to support and help protect school communities during this pandemic.

V isit our What's New page for a daily summary of updates made across our COVID-19 website.

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Resources for School Communities During COVID-19

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Coronavirus (COVID-19) mitigation efforts have required school communities to work within changing, complex circumstances and unprecedented situations. The Pennsylvania Department of Education is committed to offering guidance and resources to support and help protect school communities during this pandemic. V isit our What's New page for a daily summary of updates made across our COVID-19 website.

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Resources for Families During the Coronavirus Pandemic | Common Sense Media

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Parents and caregivers: Keep kids learning, entertained, and calm during the COVID-19 pandemic with Common Sense Media. Navigate social distancing, school closures, and more.

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Because we use technology in many ways every day, infants and toddlers often have early interactions with electronic media. Here are some ways families and caregivers can find a healthy balance with technology and electronic media in their lives.

Use technology together
Talk and interact while using technology. Conversations help your child understand what she sees and how technology works. Talk about the content to help your child understand what she sees.

Be a good role model
Your child is watching your technology use, which can often interfere with daily routines. Put down your device and give your child your full attention. Use electronic media away from meal and sleep spaces.

Choose wisely
Choose age-appropriate programming. Infants and younger toddlers (under 18 months) can participate in interactive video chatting with relatives, but they do not benefit from programming or toys that claim to improve children's intelligence. Older toddlers (18-36 months) may benefit from some simple, child-directed programming with support from adults.

Balance your time
Infants and toddlers need hands-on practice with real objects. They benefit most from their interactions with people through play and conversations. Use technology to complement other activities rather than relying on technology to entertain, teach, or otherwise occupy your child's time.

Remember safety
Young children are attracted to blinking lights and screens. Childproof as needed, especially heavy electronic items such as big screen TVs, which are tip-over hazards.

IEL Resource

About this resource

Setting(s) for which the article is intended:
Intended audience(s):
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Related IEL Birth to Three Guidelines:

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Tech Time for Infants and Toddlers | Illinois Early Learning Project

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Here are some ways families and caregivers can find a healthy balance with technology and electronic media in their lives.

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Parents are likely feeling overwhelmed right now, as they are trying to help their children navigate the many changes that have accompanied the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as managing their own stress and responsibilities. Further, I have to imagine that they feel an enormous amount of pressure to provide educational and meaningful activities for their children while they're not in school.

We all know how incredibly important play is to kids - especially in times of crisis - but their activities don't need to be elaborate or Pinterest worthy! Sometimes simple is best.

As a child life specialist, I recommend trying some of the following activities at home to help keep your kids engaged and busy. Give them choices whenever possible. So much of what's going on right now is out of their control - giving them a little bit of that control back can help them feel safe.

INDOOR ACTIVITIES:

Dance party

A dance party is a great way to start off the day! Have them choose their own music and dance along. Further, YouTube is a great resource for kid-friendly workouts, including ones from our HealthWorks! program. Kid Yoga is also great and helps teach kids about paying attention to their bodies and how they're feeling.

OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES:

OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES WITH THE NEIGHBORS:

It's not easy to keep kids in their own yards and away from their friends. But it is still possible to have fun with them! Here are a few activity ideas kids can do with their neighbors while staying in their own backyards and respecting social distancing:

Play is truly therapeutic for children. By engaging in fun activities, they may find some stress relief, as well as normalcy and familiarity, during these uncertain times.

Emily Martin, MA, CCLS, has been a child life specialist for seven years, all of which have been spent at Cincinnati Children's. She started her career in the Emergency Department and now works in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. She has a bachelor's degree in Human Development & Family Studies and a Master's Degree in Child Life. She and her husband are the proud parents of a six-month-old little girl as well as their two dogs and two cats.

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Simple Activity Ideas for Kids During COVID-19

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Parents are likely feeling overwhelmed right now, as they are trying to help their children navigate the many changes that have accompanied the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as managing their own stress and responsibilities. Further, I have to imagine that they feel an enormous amount of pressure to provide educational and meaningful activities for their children while they're not in school.

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First Up

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First Up - Pennsylvania early childhood education advocacy group

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Dear First Up Community,

As our lives are being changed by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), we remain committed to all of you - to ensure you have the information and resources you need to take care of yourselves and your communities. In times of uncertainty, it's easy for our attention to be fractured - and we don't know where to go information. We are committed to supporting you as you navigate the changes in the ECE community and as you support your own friends and family. In the midst of it all, please remember to find time to look after your own needs as well.

To that end, we have collected some important resources about ECE Updates, fun activities parents can do with children, free meals for families who need them, unemployment compensation and advocacy updates, as well as resources for stress management.

Use the tabs above to navigate the page and please reach out to us if there is something you need that you can't find here.

You are a valued part of the First Up family. We are in this together. Take good care.

We will be updating the following collection of links as more information, processes, and policies are released. If you want to suggest an essential link/resource not found on this list, please email Mindi Leiber.

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COVID-19 Resources - First Up - Pennsylvania early childhood education advocacy group

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Dear First Up Community, As our lives are being changed by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), we remain committed to all of you - to ensure you have the information and resources you need to take care of yourselves and your communities.

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VIRTUAL PLAYDATES

Kids can talk to friends virtually and do a mutual activity together. We've used Facetime and Group Facetime, an app called House Party, and Zoom to talk with family, friends and even our entire preschool class (which was a little crazy!).

SHARE VIDEOS

Kids can take turns filming their own "educational" videos like dance lessons, cooking shows, storytimes, puppet shows etc. to share with friends.

TOY EXCHANGE

Kids can exchange a favorite (sanitized) toy with a friend so they both have a fun new toy to play with. We all know how during playdates, our kids' favorite part is playing with their friends' cool toys, so by sharing toys they get to experience something that reminds them of their friends and also adds the excitement factor that new toys always have. When we are finally able to go on playdates again they can switch back their toys and talk about how much fun they had playing with them!

TAKE A WALK "TOGETHER"

Take a walk with friends staying on opposite sides of the street and strap kids into separate strollers/wagon. Being strapped in is key, because otherwise it is hard to ensure kids keep their distance. (Of course this is dependant on your town's mitigation efforts, but as of now in PA we are still allowed to go outside for exercise.)

PICK A PEN PAL

Kids can exchange daily letters, pictures or emails with a friend telling them about what they've been up to and how they are feeling. Now is a great chance to bust out the cool stationary and stickers and let your little one write letters or draw pictures (while you transcribe).

Remember: you don't need to be doing all of these things or ANY of these things to be a good parent. We are all just doing our best. The most important thing is that everyone stays safe (and sane).

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Ideas to Keep Kids Connected with Their Friends During Social Distancing * U Ready, Teddy?

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Kids can talk to friends virtually and do a mutual activity together. We've used Facetime and Group Facetime, an app called House Party, and Zoom to talk with family, friends and even our entire preschool class (which was a little crazy!). Kids can take turns filming their own "educational" videos like dance lessons, cooking shows, storytimes, puppet shows etc.

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Wide Open School's mission lives on at Common Sense

With schools back in person, we have closed this dedicated distance-learning site designed to guide families and educators through the sudden shift to remote learning.
Discover More Great Resources for Families & Educators
Common Sense is dedicated to providing teachers and families with free resources to help kids learn, grow, and thrive with media and technology. Join our community for more tips and resources to support kids' learning and healthy development.

More Resources You'll Love

Get more free content like what you found on Wide Open School.
For Families For Educators
Thank You to Our Supporters & Partners

We are grateful to our supporters and partners for helping to bring these resources to kids, families, and educators everywhere during a global crisis. It is a testament to the power of creativity, collaboration, and a shared commitment to education and digital access for all.

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Wide Open School's mission lives on at Common Sense With schools back in person, we have closed this dedicated distance-learning site designed to guide families and educators through the sudden shift to remote learning. Discover More Great Resources for Families & Educators

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As communities begin to re-open, you may be facing a major transition for your family: Heading back to child care. If you imagine this change may be harder for your child after months of "just you," you are probably right.

Here are some tips for managing the preschool transition during and post-COVID:

Remember that this is not just a regular transition back to school. Your family has been going through a tough time. You managed a lot of stressors-balancing work and family demands, financial concerns, worries about illness. Even very young children sense when there is stress in the household. Your child has managed this period of confusing changes and now they are encountering yet another big transition-going back to child care. Stress adds up and our resilience can be run down over time. Your sensitivity and patience are key ingredients for helping your child make a successful move back to their care setting.

Your worries are important. As communities re-open, you may have concerns about the safety of your child's child care program. Many parents are feeling this way. Talk to your child's teacher and the program director to learn what procedures they are using to keep children safe and healthy.

Use pretend play to explore the routines of preschool or child care with your toddler. Take turns being the parent, child, and teacher. Act out common daily routines, like saying good-bye to mommy and/or daddy, taking off your coat, singing songs, reading stories, having Circle Time, and playing outside.

Read books about child care. If you're able to access a public library (or online stories), choose a few titles about going to preschool or child care. Talk about the story and how the characters are feeling. Ask how your child is feeling (excited, scared, worried, happy?). Check out titles like The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn, I Love You All Day Long by Francesca Rusackas, Bye-Bye Time by Elizabeth Verdick, or Llama Llama Misses Mama by Anna Dewdney.

Listen to your child's worries. It's tempting to quickly reassure your child and move on, but when you listen and respond to children's worries, they feel safe and supported. Explain that starting something new can bring up worries and questions and that lots of people feel that way. It can also be helpful to share a time when you started something new and how you felt.

Suggest coping strategies. When you allow your child to share her worries, you can help her think through how to deal with them. For example, if she is worried about missing you, the two of you can make a book of family photos to keep in her cubby and look at when she is lonely.

Notice nonverbal messages. Most 2- and 3-year-olds are not able to use language to fully explain how they are feeling. Your child may "act out" his worry by clinging, becoming withdrawn or more fussy, or by being more aggressive. Another common reaction is for children to begin using more "baby-like" behaviors. For example, if your child is fully potty trained, he may start have toileting accidents. He may ask that you feed or dress him even though he can do these things by himself.

It's natural to be frustrated by this return-to-baby behavior. But by meeting your child's need for nurturing with love and patience, you'll find they soon return to their "big kid" behavior. Remember that your child is facing-and managing-a big change in their life. They may need more support from you during this transition.

Get back into the routines of bedtimes and waking times. The transition to child care is easier when you are not also dealing with an tired, cranky little one. In the week before your return to your child's program, begin to use "school night" bedtimes and wake-up times so that everyone can get back into the child care routine.

When your child starts back, ask whether there is a new drop-off routine. Because of new health screening and sanitizing requirements, you may not be able to stay with your child to help them transition during morning drop-off. Talk to your provider about new drop-off procedures and ask if it will be possible to have a teacher stay with your child to help them with the separation.

Consider letting your child bring a special object from home. Does your child have a favorite stuffed animal or blanket that offers comfort? Check with your child care program to confirm your child can bring this object from home. A favorite teddy bear can ease the transition when you say good-bye at drop-off. A family photo in your child's cubby can also be comforting.

Talk with your child's teacher about how you soothe your child. When teachers use similar comfort methods, babies and toddlers feel more safe and "at-home" in the child care setting.

Keep your tone positive and upbeat. Children pick up on the reactions of the trusted adults in their lives. So try not to look worried or sad, and don't linger too long when it's time to go. Say a quick, upbeat good-bye and reassure your child that all will be well.

Think about creating a special good-bye routine. For example, you can give your child a kiss on the palm to "hold" all day long. Or, the two of you can sing a special song together before you leave. Good-bye routines are comforting to children and help them understand and prepare for what will happen next.

This hasn't been an easy year and a half, but the return to child care is one sign that life is going back to (a new) normal. Supporting your child through this process-staying patient and loving even in the face of challenging behaviors-is a loving way to take that next step, together.
Looking for more information? Visit zerotothree.org/coronavirus for our latest resources and updates for families.

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What Comes Next: Back to Child Care Following Shelter-in-Place

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If you imagine this change may be harder for your child after months of "just you," you are probably right.

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Working from Home

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Life is different for everyone. Most businesses are shut down and have asked their employees to work from home. Some, unfortunately, have even lost their jobs. Even people who were accustomed to working from home are now dealing with the presence of additional family members. Added to that, parents are being asked to help monitor their kid's schooling while juggling their own work demands.

Whether you are looking for a new job, working from home for the first time, or juggling having family members at home, it can be stressful. Here are some helpful tips on how to survive, actually thrive, working from home.

1. Get dressed in your usual work clothes each day. This helps to have the right attitude, posture, and presence.

2. Have set times for work that are posted at home. Knowing when you are and aren't available to other family members reduces frustration.

3. Have a workspace that is yours. Don't try to work from home in the dining room where the kids are also doing schoolwork. This is very distracting.

4. Take a lunch or dinner break with the family. This gives the kids a chance to interact in shorter intervals rather than waiting for the end of a workday.

5. Utilize technology by texting. Don't shout from one part of the house or room to another, text instead of as if you were at work.

6. Post a sign outside of your home office letting everyone know that you are working. Make sure to remove it when you leave, however.

7. Use the normal commute time for additional family time. Rather than working longer, spend the extra time with the family.

8. Don't expect perfect silence. With nearly everyone working from home, it is expected that there might be additional distractions. Go with the flow.

9. Limit your distractions. Place your home office in an area of the house that has the least amount of traffic or people.

10. Use earphones. Rather than expecting others to be quiet, use earphones for all calls. You can also play some calming music while working to reduce the outside noise.

11. Pay attention to how much time you are on your computer. Take breaks and look away from the computer. Too much screen time can harm your eyes.

12. Switch the chairs you are using. For instance, use one chair for phone calls and another for video calls. This small difference helps the monotony.

13. Reduce anxiety by doing a one-minute meditation. Focus on a relaxing picture and take deep belly breathing breaths for one minute.

14. Take standing breaks and stretch. Simple stretching moves will help you to keep from getting stiff.

15. Make sure you end your day. Don't keep working or checking email after your workday is over, be done and leave the rest for tomorrow.

16. Take a walking break in the afternoon. To increase your stamina for the rest of the workday, take a 20-minute walking break. The fresh air will do you good.

17. Eat right, drink water. Make your workday at home the most productive it can be by eating right, exercising, drinking water, and taking breaks.

18. Use any extra time you have to take a class, do continuing education, or learn a new skill. The training you gain during this time might make all the difference when life returns to normal.

19. Keep in touch with your co-workers. Set up regular calls, video chats, or workspace applications to maintain connections with your co-workers.

20. Set reasonable expectations for the family. This is a time to be flexible so practice that with each other. Don't expect perfection.

21. Communicate daily. Set a family time to talk about the day and review ways things could improve the next day.

Remember, whatever change you are experiencing today has the potential to grow you, strengthen you, and inspire others.

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21 Tips to Survive Working from Home | The Exhausted Woman

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Life is different for everyone. Most businesses are shut down and have asked their employees to work from home. Some, unfortunately, have even lost their jobs. Even people who were accustomed to working from home are now dealing with the presence of additional family members.

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Watch the entire CNN/Sesame Street coronavirus town hall | CNN

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CNN's Erica Hill and Dr. Sanjay Gupta partner with Sesame Street to explain the ABC's of coronavirus in a town hall for parents and kids.

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National Center for Pyramid Model Innovation

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National Center for Pyramid Model Innovation

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The following are resources to support families in helping young children cope with the challenges that might occur during stressful emergency or disaster situations. This website will be updated as we obtain more resources.

Let's work as a community to support our little ones! Do you have a COVID 19/emergency-related Pyramid Model or early childhood resource you want to share with families? Email it to sipayton@usf.edu.

For Early Childhood Professionals

For Early Childhood Professionals

ReOpening Early Childhood Programs

ReOpening Early Childhood Programs

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The following are resources to support families in helping young children cope with the challenges that might occur during stressful emergency or disaster situations. This website will be updated as we obtain more resources. Let's work as a community to support our little ones!

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Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf's March 13, 2020 announcement of statewide closure of all K-12 Pennsylvania schools for 10 business days effective Monday, March 16, 2020 may leave many families seeking resources to keep children safe and learning during this time.

General COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Information

Talking to Children About Coronavirus and Supporting Them

Finding Open Child Care for Life-Sustaining Positions

Resources for Families Affected by Coronavirus

Translated Materials

For more languages, visit the PA Department of Health website.

Resources for Early Childhood Education Programs & Professionals

Visit the Pennsylvania Key website for these resources.

Activities to Do While Children Are Home

Visit PA's Promise for Children Pinterest page for a variety of activities.

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Resources for Families in Pennsylvania on COVID-19 (Coronavirus)

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Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf's March 13, 2020 announcement of statewide closure of all K-12 Pennsylvania schools for 10 business days effective Monday, March 16, 2020 may leave many families seeking resources to keep children safe and learning during this time. For more languages, visit the PA Department of Health website.