# data[].attributes.body
https://www.therapistaid.com/worksheets/mindfulness-for-children.pdf

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Helping all Boulder County children thrive

"If intervention is instituted before kindergarten entrance, many problems can be prevented and the large majority can be ameliorated. The earlier the referral the better."
- Pediatrics in Review Vol. 33 No. 10 October 2012

Who We Are

The Boulder County Assuring Better Child Health and Development (ABCD) Partnership is a multi-disciplinary group of partners dedicated to improving the early childhood system in Boulder County. Members represent an array of agencies that offer early childhood services, or support early childhood professionals.

Our Purpose

The ABCD Partnership aims to build partnerships and collaborate to promote and support the developmental screening process for young children in Boulder County.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The Boulder County Assuring Better Child Health and Development (ABCD) Partnership is a multi-disciplinary group of partners dedicated to improving the early childhood system in Boulder County. Members represent an array of agencies that offer early childhood services, or support early childhood professionals.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
A Q&A by-and for-people with privilege who want to learn more about racial justice

Demonstrators hold signs at a Black Lives Matter protest in Birmingham, England, on June 4, 2020. Photo: Mike Kemp/In Pictures via Getty Images

For a while now, I have been part of a community of white anti-racist activists that are working on understanding our own relationship with racism and anti-blackness and...

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Answering White People's Most Commonly Asked Questions about the Black Lives Matter Movement

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Where do I donate for Black Lives Matter? Why is the uprising / protesting violent? Should I go protest? Won't I get Covid-19 if I protest? What should I say to my Black friends? What should I tell my kids about the protests? We answer 10 of white people's most commonly asked questions.

# data[].attributes.headline
Reflections and Resources: Advancing Racial Equity and Inclusion in the Workplace Symposium

# data[].attributes.subject
Reflections and Resources: Advancing Racial Equity and Inclusion in the Workplace Symposium

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The Denver Public Library has prioritized research and learning related to racial equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI), and recently hosted the Advancing Racial Equity and Inclusion in the Workplace Symposium. This was a dynamic and engaging 3-day online gathering with diverse voices committed to prioritizing how libraries, and other organizations, can look at how they are advancing racial equity and inclusion in the workplace.

In addition to over ten hours of panel presentations, the symposium included self-care sessions at the beginning and end of each day, virtual networking opportunities, and a World Café for individuals to assess and discuss where their organizations are in their workplace racial equity journey. Kudos and congratulations to the planning committee, especially to Ozy Aloziem, Community Connections Program Coordinator at Denver Public Library, for hosting this outstanding event.

Screen capture of the symposium's EDI version of Jeopardy, courtesy
Denver Public Library

WebJunction prioritizes opportunities for library staff to come together in interactive and engaging ways, and this symposium provided numerous opportunities for attendees to share their own questions, experiences and expertise, through chat, at virtual networking tables (using Remo software), and even in an EDI version of Jeopardy! Thank you too, for striving to make the symposium accessible to all, providing a live sign language interpreter for most sessions, and live transcription with Otter.

The symposium sessions were recorded and are now available on the Denver Public Library's YouTube channel or on the Symposium Replays page. Library staff and leadership can view the recordings and discuss the content as a group (online or in person), and explore the resources and reflections shared during the symposium. Here are some of those resources, including facets of engagement to consider if you're planning your own online event.

The Prework and Reminders page was updated daily, with short introductory videos from presenters, session handouts, and self-care resources. This check-in served as a good way for attendees to prepare for each day.

In her opening remarks, host Ozy Aloziem shared some of her own story, as well as reflections on Kiese Laymon's book, Heavy: an American memoir.

Aloziem also included an acknowledgement of Indigenous land. "We want to acknowledge that we are occupying Indigenous land, we acknowledge that 48 contemporary tribal nations are historically tied to lands that make up the state of Colorado. We acknowledge and honor the Cheyenne, Arapaho and Ute Tribes, and all of the original Indigenous peoples of the land upon which Denver Public Library stands." Someone shared this fantastic Native Land map during the acknowledgement.

A multitude of tweets were posted during the symposium using these hashtags: #DPLsymposium and #WorkPlaceRacialEquitySymposium

Throughout the event, Progressive Stacking was encouraged, inviting BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) to add an *asterisk before their question or comment in chat, so their voices could be prioritized. "Progressive stacking is a technique intended to give marginalized voices a chance to speak, particularly in an environment where there is a dominant group. What this means is if you choose to self-identify as belonging to a marginalized racial or ethnic group and you'd like to ask a question or make a comment in chat you can choose to include an asterisk at the start of your question. Our community moderators will be compiling questions during the sessions and will prioritize those with an asterisk." Learn more about Progressive Stacking.

Table hosts reporting in World Cafe debrief session, and graphical recorder
capturing summary, courtesy Denver Public Library

The World Café debrief near the end of the symposium served as a way for attendees to debrief and discuss next steps, as they return to their organizations with this important work. Attendees were introduced to the World Café model as "a structured conversational process for knowledge sharing in which groups of people discuss a topic at several small tables like those in a café." This session was an interactive way for individuals to assess and discuss where their organizations are in their workplace racial equity journey. In the debrief session, the three questions explored during the discussions were summarized by each of the table hosts:
Question 1: What is something you are walking away with? Or that moved you?

Radically rethinking and imagining new systems requires that everyone in the room takes care of themselves.

This is a journey; it's going to take time.

As this work is emotional and heavy for staff, make sure your organization leadership knows that staff need help in prioritizing and actualizing this work.

We need to challenge our systems to radically rethink how this work is happening.

Self-care and wellness are most important. (This was mentioned multiple times throughout the symposium.)

Finding the people that can support this work.

EDI work is harder and can take more time than we expected.

With both a professional and personal focus...how do we get our families involved.

Question 2: What is one actionable item you're committed to? What's your plan?

Get involved in the hiring process.

Change boards and organizations to be more diverse. Improve recruiting efforts.

Take more breaks...schedule breaks for self-care.

Learn how to apply the principles.

Bring experts in if you don't have internal capacity (outsiders can also help to build internal trust).

Take the time to go through the resources and digest more deeply.

Make a point to hear from the community, especially community-led efforts.

Do mentoring differently and better to empower people to make change.

Question 3: How do you hold yourself accountable?

Working with others to make change, don't do it alone. Find accountability partners, allies.

Focus on specific actions.

Include EDI goals in your personal performance goals and do an EDI audit to make sure you're applying what you're learning.

Connect with other organizations to help with accountability at an organizational level too. Involve yourself across networks, not just within your organization.

Make connections with early-career people.

Create new positions for diverse staff.

Push your organization for more action, accountability, and a public statement about EDI commitments.

Resources

Many resources were shared by presenters and attendees in chat. Here are a few for you and your team to explore:

AWAKE to WOKE to WORK: Building a Race Equity Culture (pdf), from Equity in the Center

We Here, a supportive community for BIPOC library and archive workers

LibRev, a newcommunity "where anyone who works in libraries is welcome to discuss how to improve libraries for workers and communities."

Challenging the 'Good Fit' Narrative: Creating Inclusive Recruitment Practices in Academic Libraries, by Sojourna Cunningham, Samantha Guss, and Jennifer Stout

Webinar, Disrupting White Supremacy Through BIPOC Solidarity, hosted by the Northern California chapter of the Chinese American Librarians Association, presented by Sofia Leung (also a Symposium presenter in a BIPOC only session, BIPOC Solidarity in Traditionally White Spaces).

In the session, Equity, Evaluation and Accountability, there was discussion about expanding on SMART goals to make them inclusive and equitable, or SMARTIE. See this SMARTIE goals worksheet (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-bound, Inclusive, and Equitable), for example.

A number of posts from In the Library with the Lead Pipe were shared by presenters and attendees. Read those posts tagged with Diversity.

A recent WebJunction webinar, Doing the Work Externally and Internally: Race, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, was mentioned in chat as a good resource to explore hosting circles of dialogue or healing circle discussions.

When the levees break: the cost of vicarious trauma, microaggressions and emotional labor for Black administrators and faculty engaging in race work at traditionally White institutions, by Myntha Anthym and Franklin Tuitt

Challenging the 'Good Fit' Narrative: Creating Inclusive Recruitment Practices in Academic Libraries, by Sojourna Cunningham, Samantha Guss, and Jennifer Stout

Taking AIM: Integrating Organization Development into the Creation of a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Audit, by Kawanna Bright and Nikhat J. Ghouse

The Inclusive Services Assessment and Guide for Wisconsin Public Libraries

Working from Home While Black, by Laura Morgan Roberts and Courtney L. McCluney

Why People of Color Need Spaces Without White People, by Kelsey Blackwell

Topographies of Whiteness: Mapping Whiteness in Library and Information Science, edited by Gina Schlesselman-Tarango

The Characteristics of White Supremacy Culture, from Dismantling Racism: A Workbook for Social Change Groups, by Kenneth Jones and Tema Okun

Planning a Library Diversity Residency Program: Strategies for Diversity Coordinators to Build Support for their Programs, by Gerald Holmes

"We Are All for Diversity, but . . .": How Faculty Hiring Committees Reproduce Whiteness and Practical Suggestions for How They Can Change, by Özlem Sensoy and Robin DiAngelo

ACRL Diversity Alliance

The BIPOC Project

The symposium sessions and discussions presented a wealth of resources to help libraries dive deeper into much-needed EDI efforts as a field and within our own organizations. WebJunction is committed to providing more EDI resources and programming for library staff learning, including the upcoming September 15 webinar, Strengthen Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Practice Through Self-Paced Learning, to learn about Multnomah County Library's Racially Just Toolkit. Please join us for the webinar, and find more in WebJunction's topic area for Access & Equity, including the See Also list.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Reflections and Resources: Advancing Racial Equity and Inclusion in the Workplace Symposium

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The Denver Public Library has prioritized research and learning related to racial equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI), and recently hosted the Advancing Racial Equity and Inclusion in the Workplace Symposium. This was a dynamic and engaging 3-day online gathering with diverse voices committed to prioritizing how libraries, and other organizations, can look at how they are advancing racial equity and inclusion in the workplace.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Black Lives Matter

Like many people around the world who have seen the video footage of the white police officer forcibly pressing his knee into the neck of George Floyd, a Black man, rendering him unable to breathe and resulting in his death, we at Denver's Early Childhood Council are struck with horror, grief, and rage at yet another tragedy in an already trying time. This event is one of many that illustrate unjust systems that fail Black people and communities of color over and over again.

What does this have to do with early childhood? Quite a lot.
School-to-Prison Pipeline
We know that an average of 250 preschoolers are suspended from preschool programs each day across the United States. These children represent the very beginning of the school-to-prison pipeline, with African-American children suspended or expelled from preschool more often than other children.
Lack of Leadership Opportunities for Women of Color
According to an Early Childhood Workforce Survey completed in Colorado in 2017, people of color are less likely to occupy early childhood leadership positions.
Undervalued Workforce
In a field where professionals are often paid poverty-level wages, African American educators earn an average of $0.78 of every dollar per hour compared to their white peers. The lack of fair and equitable pay is problematic for the field as a whole and non-white educators are even more likely to experience low pay, despite their education level.
A Commitment to Improve
Given these realities, we must do better. At the Council, we are examining our approaches and committing to improving equity within our organization and field. We are advocating for policies that address systemic racism and finding opportunities to dismantle systems of oppression. The events of the last couple of weeks have raised our awareness and deepened our commitment to building a more equitable future.

As we ask ourselves how to improve, many of you are likely also reflecting on what you can do. Here are a few first steps you can take:

First, listen to your family, friends, and colleagues. These events- and systemic racism- can be traumatic, so pause and be present for those in your life who need space to process.

Educate yourself on how to be anti-racist.

Vote and engage with local and state leaders to demand policy reform.

Encourage your friends and neighbors to fill out their census so resources are equitably distributed to communities that need them most.

Donate to social justice organizations or those helping to fund bail for unlawfully imprisoned protestors.

There are boundless resources for talking with children about racism. We've collected a few and put them here:

Your Kids Aren't Too Young to Talk about Race: Resource Roundup

CNN and Sesame Street to host a town hall about racism

How to Talk to Your Kids About Protests and Racism

For more resources and insights on diversity in Early Childhood Programs:

The Importance of Promoting Diversity in Early Childhood Programs

Increasing Qualifications, Centering Equity: Experiences and Advice from Early Childhood Educators of Color

Together, we can keep the conversation going. We can shape strong futures together.

Back to Our Blog
Photos courtesy of Jill Stefansen, Minneapolis, MN

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Black Lives Matter | Denver's Early Childhood Council

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Like many people around the world who have seen the video footage of the white police officer forcibly pressing his knee into the neck of George Floyd, a Black man, rendering him unable to breathe and resulting in his death, we at Denver's Early Childhood Council are struck with horror, grief, and rage at yet another tragedy in an already trying time.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
NOTE: We welcome you to take the Challenge on your own, but we also offer a guided version of the 21-Day Racial Equity Challenge that is done with a cohort on a monthly basis. You can sign up here.

Welcome to the Michigan League for Public Policy's 21-Day Racial Equity Challenge! We would like to thank Food Solutions New England, whose Challenge we have used as a model and adapted to highlight racial inequity and our related policy priorities here in Michigan.

Several years ago, the League made a decision to apply a racial equity lens to the anti-poverty work at the heart of our mission. The disparities in health, wealth and well-being that we seek to eradicate are largely a result of racism enshrined in public policy over the course of U.S. history. Today, we cannot hope to achieve our mission of economic security for all Michiganders without understanding the origins of the concept of race, how it influences us as individuals and as an organization, and how it functions to preserve inequity in our laws, institutions and systems.

We would like to thank the following partners for their knowledge, perspectives and guidance in putting the Challenge together:

Fay Givens, Choctaw/Cherokee, Executive Director of American Indian Services, Inc .

Dr. Kay McGowan , Choctaw/Cherokee, Cultural Anthropologist, Adjunct Professor at Eastern Michigan University

Dana Ashlock, Program Director, Jackson Community Foundation

Dr. Andre Fields , Associate Professor/Counselor, Grand Rapids Community College

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
NOTE: We welcome you to take the Challenge on your own, but we also offer a guided version of the 21-Day Racial Equity Challenge that is done with a cohort on a monthly basis. You can sign up here. Welcome to the Michigan League for Public Policy's 21-Day Racial Equity Challenge!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Strategic Clarity

Ann Mei Chang, Bridgespan fellow and author of Lean Impact: How to Innovate for Radically Greater Social Good, shares steps nonprofits can take to unleash their capacity to innovate in "Beyond Survival: Five Keys to Unlock Social Innovation Amid the COVID-19 Crisis."

The crisis has forced leaders to make challenging decisions quickly-and more loom on the horizon. Bridgespan's "A Compass for the Crisis: Nonprofit Decision Making in the COVID-19 Pandemic" provides a set of decision-making principles that can help nonprofits navigate tough tradeoffs.

Bridgespan's "Eight Steps for Managing Through Tough Times" details specific steps for weathering uncertainty, including planning contingencies and protecting your core operations.

Bain & Company's "Protect, Recover, and Retool" brief offers guidance on how to both "act now" to protect and run your organization today and "plan now" to retool your organization for the future.

Racial Equity Tools shares an extensive list of racial equity and social justice resources to inform COVID-19 responses.

The NAACP offers "Ten Equity Implications of the Coronavirus COVID-19 Outbreak in the United States," a detailed resource outlining actions to take, in both the short- and long-term, to meet the immediate needs of those most vulnerable to the effects of the pandemic.

In Washington State, which had the nation's first confirmed case of the coronavirus, nonprofits were on the leading edge of the response. In Bridgespan's Reports from Seattle Nonprofits, four nonprofit leaders shared their first-person accounts during the first weeks of the crisis.

Strong Organizations

Effective Leadership

Financial Health

General

The World Health Organization and Centers for Disease Control continue to be go-to sources for the latest developments and recommended actions.

Independent Sector offers "Information on COVID-19," a curated list of resources and articles to help members of the charitable sector serve their communities.

The National Council of Nonprofits provides easy links to the various state associations of nonprofits-trusted entities that are curating the rapidly evolving information on the virus and tailoring it to their state-specific context.

India Development Review offers a crowdsourced list of guidelines and practices for organizations, funders, and foundations in India grappling with the effects of COVID-19.

The Leap of Reason Ambassadors Community has created an evolving list of resources around leadership, nonprofit management, and more.

We also have a list of resources specific to the needs of funders that we invite you to share with your funders.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Resources for Nonprofits

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Ann Mei Chang, Bridgespan fellow and author of Lean Impact: How to Innovate for Radically Greater Social Good , shares steps nonprofits can take to unleash their capacity to innovate in "Beyond Survival: Five Keys to Unlock Social Innovation Amid the COVID-19 Crisis."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
As Coronavirus cases rise, so too does our anxiety...and the anxiety of our kids, which can only further exacerbate our own anxiety.

You may notice that your children are misbehaving, being more clingy, overflowing with hyper energy, being more demanding, or experiencing moodiness and irritability. These can all be signs of anxiety in children.

The hallmark of this pandemic seems to be uncertainty. With so much uncertainty, it can be hard to talk to your kids about what is going on. Without direct conversation about what's happening, children's anxiety will rise.

Set aside time each day to check in with your child. Read on for tips for these conversations, as well as the best resources I've found to support your child if they're experiencing anxiety.

Tips for Before you talk to your kids:

1. Take care of yourself first ... have this conversation with your child when you feel grounded and calm. Our nervous systems talk to each other through special mirror neurons in our brains ... so if you're trying to keep it cool on the outside but are freaking out on the inside, your child is likely to pick up on that.

2. Reframe ... although supporting your child through something that you are also likely nervous about is hard, reframe it as an opportunity to strengthen your relationship with your child. Take advantage of the many teachable moments popping up throughout the day about patience, problem-solving, compromise, getting along with others, the need for personal space, and the need to be able to share openly about feelings.

3. Be Aware ... kids understand themselves and based on what they observe in adults. While pretending that everythign is fine isn't healthy, managing your own mental health and anxiety around your children is important to help them ease their own anxiety.

4. Be present ... once you feel calm and grounded, show your child that you are present by getting on their eye-level, putting away your phone, and focusing your attention only on your child.

5. Prepare ... come up with some key developmentally-appropriate facts you want to share, such as

1. Children are at lower risk for getting sick than older adults

2. If children do get sick, their case is often mild

3. Help kids see the meaning in staying home by explaining what 'flattening the curve' means: "we're staying home to help stop germs from spreading and make sure sick people get the help they need from doctors and health care workers."

Tips for talking to your kids about COVID-19:

1. Ask questions first ... ask your child what they already know about the Coronavirus and then fill in gaps in their knowledge with developmentally appropriate information.

2. Validate their emotions ... let your child know that all emotions are okay. You can share that you want to hear how they are feeling and that it can help to talk openly about what emotions they are experiencing. Normalize that even though emotions can be difficult, they don't last forever and can be made lighter by sharing them with someone they trust.

3. Lead with empathy ... put yourself in your child's shoes and let them know you understand how much their world has changed and that it must make them feel sad, angry, confused, and bored. "Some kids are really worried they're going to get sick. Others are just excited to have so much time off school. What's going on for you?"

4. Check for understanding ... kids want to know that they are understood. When showing empathy, check to see if you got it right by saying something like, "You must be so sad to not see your friends right now. Is that right? Do you feel sad?"

5. Help them cope with their emotions ... help kids brainstorm how they can cope with big emotions ... perhaps by taking deep breaths, talking to a trusted adult, drawing pictures, writing in a journal or writing a story, or going for a walk.

6. Model healthy coping ... find opportunities to share how you are taking care of your own emotions. For example, "I'm going for a ten minute walk because it helps me feel better" ... or, "writing helps me process things."

7. Remind them this is temporary ... while we don't know when social distancing measures will be lifted, we do know that this is a temporary situation. Remind them that we are doing the hard work of social distancing now so that they will be able to see their friends again and go back to school next year.

Tips for Reducing Anxiety:

1. Aim for Consistency ... children thrive on schedules, routines, and consistency. While a schedule doesn't have to be rigid and very detailed, providing a general frameworks such as always doing online school work after breakfast and outdoor play after lunch can be comforting to children and adults.

2. Limit Technology, Social Media, and News ... all of which have been show to lead to increased levels of depression and anxiety.

While one of the most research-backed tools for helping your child's anxiety is managing your OWN anxiety, below are some of the resources my clients and I have found helpful for kids struggling with anxiety during the Coronavirus pandemic.

Resources For Children's Anxiety About COVID-19:

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Supporting Your Child's Anxiety Through a Pandemic - Kindred Counseling

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
As Coronavirus cases rise, so too does our anxiety...and the anxiety of our kids, which can only further exacerbate our own anxiety. You may notice that your children are misbehaving, being more clingy, overflowing with hyper energy, being more demanding, or experiencing moodiness and irritability. These can all be signs of anxiety in children.

# data[].attributes.body
Thanks for taking a moment to explore the resources I have curated during this COVID reality. Here's a little about me. Best, Kate

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Kate Kalstein has devoted her entire career to strengthening nonprofit organizations through leadership, advocacy and the law to enable them to focus on progress. An attorney with more than 10 years professional experience, Kate has great expertise in a broad range of issues and focus areas including education, healthcare, community services, and government relations.

Prior to launching Kate Kalstein Consulting in 2009, Kate served as Legislative Counsel to the California Judges Association and Director of Policy and Planning at the Edgewood Center for Children and Families in San Francisco. She received her law degree from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law. Today Kate is based in Denver, Colorado.

A Texas native, Kate studied Political Science and Music at Texas Christian University before joining the AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps and serving as a Team Leader in the southeastern region working in areas of need.

Kate is an active member of the Consultants' Leadership Forum sponsored by The Denver Foundation and CausePlanet. Appointed by Governor John Hickenlooper in fall 2015, Kate proudly serves as Commissioner to the State Commission on Community Service, Serve Colorado. Kate is proud to have worked with dozens of nonprofit boards and numerous nonprofit organizations to strengthen communities across the country including WeeCycle, Social Venture Partners, All Kids Covered, the Arc of Colorado, the Basalt Education Foundation and the Colorado Bar Foundation.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Kate Kalstein has devoted her entire career to strengthening nonprofit organizations through leadership, advocacy and the law to enable them to focus on progress. An attorney with more than 10 years professional experience, Kate has great expertise in a broad range of issues and focus areas including education, healthcare, community services, and government relations.

# data[].attributes.body
Need to chat?? I’ve opened up time on my calendar and welcome you to sign up as needed.
Do you have a question focused on strategic nonprofit leadership? Need a thought partner in these uncertain times? Or just need a mental health break to share your feelings with a listening and supportive ear?
https://calendly.com/katekalstein/30minchat

# data[].attributes.headline
These organizations continue to provide valuable information through their websites, e-newsletters and social media.

# data[].attributes.subject
These organizations continue to provide valuable information through their websites, e-newsletters and social media.

# data[].attributes.body
Comprehensive list of supports

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Covid-19 Resources for the Denver Community.docx

# data[].attributes.body
Yale's Free Course: The Science of Wellbeing

Enroll in Yale University's The Science of Wellbeing course for free. The course is a series of challenges designed to increase your own happiness and build more productive habits while learning about misconceptions of happiness and the underlying research that shows how we can all find it.

# data[].attributes.headline
Great Social Emotional Resources from CASEL

# data[].attributes.subject
Great Social Emotional Resources from CASEL

# data[].attributes.body
Regular updates, webinars, information and more

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL), Chicago, IL. 22K likes. CASEL is the nation's leading organization advancing the development of academic, social and emotional...

# data[].attributes.headline
Nonprofit AF – Exploring the fun and frustrations of nonprofit work

# data[].attributes.subject
Nonprofit AF – Exploring the fun and frustrations of nonprofit work

# data[].attributes.body
If you don't read Vu Le's work, this is a perfect time to start.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Exploring the fun and frustrations of nonprofit work

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
FREE DOWNLOADS - Rachel Ignotofsky Design

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
All art has been uniquely created by RACHEL IGNOTOFSKY and is available for personal use only! The artwork CAN NOT be used for commercial use or be resold/redistributed by any means or profit in any way without written permission and licensing!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
FREE DOWNLOADS - Rachel Ignotofsky Design

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
All art has been uniquely created by RACHEL IGNOTOFSKY and is available for personal use only! The artwork CAN NOT be used for commercial use or be resold/redistributed by any means or profit in any way without written permission and licensing!

# data[].attributes.body
On Facebook @makepaducah

# data[].attributes.body
On Facebook @makepaducah

# data[].attributes.headline
Given the new work from home reality a few supports to help connect over the miles...

# data[].attributes.subject
Given the new work from home reality a few supports to help connect over the miles...

# data[].attributes.body
Easy way to save/share a variety of information

# data[].attributes.body
On Facebook @makepaducah

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Schools are closed. Restaurants are closed. Libraries are closed. Stores are closed. Entertainment spots are closed. No play dates. No real dates. Just four walls and our families.

I'm not going to sugar coat it, friends - this is tough. But we can do this. We are in this together.

And we at City Mom Collective are here for you. We have assembled a massive post of sanity-saving ideas to help get you through the next few weeks. Online educational resources. Board games. Movies. Plus, lots of other activities to keep little hands and minds busy.

These resources come from our huge network of writers, who live in communities across America and even military moms stationed around the globe. We care what is happening to you and your family.

So, let's get to it...

Online Educational Resources

Parents are suddenly teachers, too. We didn't train for this. (We appreciate you more than ever, teachers!) But ok... we will do our best. Fortunately, we have countless resources at our fingertips that are fun and educational.

ABC Mouse - Designed for children aged 2-8. More than 9,000 activities and the first month is free.

ABC Ya - More than 400 fun and educational games for grades pre-k through 6.

Adventure Academy - From the creators of ABC Mouse, this is the next step - designed for kids 8-13. Sign up for a free month.

Duolingo - Free. Learn a language (or multiple languages). Simple and fun.

Go Noodle - Think of it as "active screen time" to wake up kids' bodies and engage their minds.

History for Kids - A student started building this site when he was 12 as part of a school project. History, described in terms kids will understand.

iCivics - Free civics games and resources. Great even for the older kids.

Khan Academy - Free online videos, exercises and quizzes. This nonprofit's mission is to provide a free, world-class education for anyone, anywhere.

Lunch Doodles with Mo Willems - Don't let the pigeon drive the bus. Draw him instead. Visit Mo's studio virtually once a day at (or after) 1 pm EST.

National Geographic for Kids - The little-person version of the 132-year-old yellow border magazine.

PBS Kids - Hop on the Rocky Mountain PBS website to play with Daniel Tiger, Elmo and other favorites.

Prodigy Game - My kids will turn off X-Box and ask to play math games here instead. Seriously. It's designed for grades 1-8.

Scholastic Learn at Home - Free 20 days of articles, videos, learning challenges and stories. Children can complete them in any order.

Typing Club - Free online typing tutorial for kids.

The above list should get you started. More comprehensive resources below:

Family Board + Card Games

My family loves playing games. A few of our recent favorites are Trekking the National Parks, Throw Throw Burrito (a dodgeball card game) and Exploding Kittens. If those don't sound like your style, check out these ideas for all ages:

Apps + Podcasts for Kids

Let's face it. None of us want our kids to sit on devices all day. But sometimes, we need a few minutes (or an hour) to get things done. There is no shame in handing your kiddo a tablet, mama. We have all been there and we will all be there again.

Your kids might even accidentally learn something.

Books + Audiobooks for Kids (and Moms)

Books. If your kids like to read, this is your secret weapon right now. Otherwise, now would be a great time to cuddle up and show them the beauty of books.

Fortunate enough to still have open libraries? Hop over today and stock up. If libraries in your area are closed, many are still allowing you to check out electronic materials from home. Set up your kids' tablets (or yours) and check materials out straight to the tablets.

Prefer paper copies? Check sites like Scholastic and Barnes & Noble. Or call your local book shop to see if they are accepting orders or shipping.

Here are some great book ideas:

Need more ideas? One of the writers at Seacoast Moms Blog is a librarian. Lucky! Here are a slew of reading-related thoughts from her.

Don't forget to catch up on reading yourself!

Family-Friendly Movies + TV Programs

Have your kids seen ET? How about Goonies? An American Tail? Land Before Time? Oldies, but goodies, friends. Maybe it's time to check a few out from the library or find them on your favorite streaming service.

Movies give you solid time to get things done while your kids relax. Have an extra hour or two? Sit down, snuggle with your littles and enjoy the moment.

Other Activities to Keep Kids Busy

School's out. It's hour three. They've watched Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Three times. You've read some books. You need more ... Ask and you shall receive, dear mamas.

Anxious about Coronavirus? Some Resources for You, Mama

OK. So here's the thing. We're moms. That means we're tough. But it also means we worry - about our families and about the world at large. That's just part of our DNA. But we don't have to go it alone, friends. Here are thoughts from other moms around the country - may their words give you comfort.

Other thoughts? This is 2020. Use delivery services, curbside takeout, grocery pick up and anything else that will make your life easier for the moment. Lean on each other. Be kind. And please... comment below with your own tips, thoughts and recommendations. The more we share, the more we can help each other.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Schools Closed? The Mega List of Sanity-Saving Ideas for Families

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Schools are closed. Restaurants are closed. Libraries are closed. Stores are closed. Entertainment spots are closed. No play dates. No real dates. Just four walls and our families. I'm not going to sugar coat it, friends - this is tough. But we can do this. We are in this together.

# data[].attributes.body
Tools for connection, well-being for parents and educators, and practices to promote calm.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
DailyGood: Guide to Well-Being During Coronavirus

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Greater Good's mission is to share scientific research that can help promote a happier, more compassionate society. With the recent COVID-19 outbreak, they have committed to bringing forward stories, tips, and tools for these uncertain times. The following page will continue to be updated with resources for individuals, families, and educators.

# data[].attributes.headline
How You and Your Kids Can De-Stress During… | PBS KIDS for Parents

# data[].attributes.subject
How You and Your Kids Can De-Stress During… | PBS KIDS for Parents

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
How You and Your Kids Can De-Stress During Coronavirus | Parenting Tips & Advice | PBS KIDS for Parents

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
If you are feeling stress about COVID-19, you are not alone. Here are some tools for kids and parents to use to help navigate these worries and stresses in this or any situation.

# data[].attributes.body
Link above for more coloring sheets... or click on the image for a sample.

# data[].attributes.body
On Facebook @makepaducah

# data[].attributes.body
Museums, National Parks and more

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Here Are Some Incredible Virtual Tours To Help You Pass The Time

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Here are a list of virtual tours, walks, and adventures to lose yourself in and forget you’re self-isolating.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
FREE DOWNLOADS - Rachel Ignotofsky Design

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
All art has been uniquely created by RACHEL IGNOTOFSKY and is available for personal use only! The artwork CAN NOT be used for commercial use or be resold/redistributed by any means or profit in any way without written permission and licensing!

# data[].attributes.headline
Mental Health Apps (some free, some paid)

# data[].attributes.subject
Mental Health Apps (some free, some paid)

# data[].attributes.body
All reviewed by mental health professionals with guidance for ease of use, effectiveness & more.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Mental health apps can be effective in making therapy more accessible, efficient, and portable. Below are apps (listed alphabetically) that have been reviewed by ADAA members over the last few years. These volunteer reviewers are mental health professionals with degrees in psychology, medicine, social work, and counseling; they are not involved in the development or marketing of mobile apps.

This is targeted at individuals with PTSD who are in active treatment with a trained CPT (cognitive processing therapy) therapist. Designed to be used by the patient in concert with CPT treatment, this app offers a great deal of education about PTSD symptoms and a step-by-step, session-by-session approach to following the assessments that correspond with each of week of CPT treatment. The variety of possible prompts and reminders, from scheduling appointments to reminders for homework, add an additional layer of important structure and predictability often required with treatments for PTSD.

Targeted to anyone who wants to learn meditation to reduce anxiety and stress and improve their attention and awareness; good for a beginner to establish a regular meditative routine. The skills taught include mindfulness and cognitive diffusion, breathing exercises, meditation practice, tips for increased relaxation, concentration; may be applied to anxiety and depressive disorders, PTSD, and OCD, especially in conjunction with a health provider.

This app does a terrific job of describing basic concepts with a creative animated interface, presenting meditation in a user-friendly way with clear instructions; creating an online forum; supplying podcasts; normalizing mind-wandering; and illustrating main points with videos.

This app is not intended as a treatment substitute for those with serious anxiety and related disorders or depression.

Targeted to help adolescents, teens, and young adults gain insight into and basic skills to manage their symptoms of anxiety disorders, including GAD, social anxiety, specific phobias, and panic attacks. It's also useful for managing worry, performance anxiety, test anxiety, and perfectionism. The skills taught may be applied to individuals with physical, emotional, cognitive, or behavioral manifestations of anxiety, providing users with more helpful, balanced ways of thinking about feared situations.

It does a terrific job of readily offering lists of active coping strategies tailored to the type of anxiety and a variety of methods to manage anxiety; the information and strategies are simple and clear. "Chill out" tools such as breathing exercises, mental imagery, and mindfulness strategies are provided in text and audio format. "Quick Tips" are included to assist with anxiety in the moment. Users can "favorite" the methods that work for them. It is not helpful for people looking to track their symptoms and progress, those easily overwhelmed by many choices, or those with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

Designed for individuals with PTSD, specifically those working with a therapist using prolonged exposure (PE) treatment. The skills taught include education about the treatment, and common reactions to trauma, and breathing retraining.

Not useful as a self-help treatment for PTSD; to get the most out of it, individuals should be in therapy.

Rating

Ease of Use= 4
Effectiveness = 4 (Education, Self-Monitoring, Treatment)
Personalize = 3
Interactive/Feedback = 2
Research Evidence = 1

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Mental health apps can be effective in making therapy more accessible, efficient, and portable. Below are apps (listed alphabetically) that have been reviewed by ADAA members over the last few years. These volunteer reviewers are mental health professionals with degrees in psychology, medicine, social work, and counseling; they are not involved in the development or marketing of mobile apps.

# data[].attributes.body
I use  Waking Up from Sam Harris. He never wants cost to be a barrier so if you are unable to pay email support@wakingup.com and they will help you set up for free.

# data[].attributes.headline
Free Yoga, Meditation and More (@Peloton)

# data[].attributes.subject
Free Yoga, Meditation and More (@Peloton)

# data[].attributes.body
Peloton app is free for 90 days. Download it, no credit card needed to start, and then enjoy a range of guided walking/running activities, yoga, meditation, and other exercise activities.

# data[].attributes.body
All HBR coverage on COVID is free.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Executive Summary

During the global pandemic, a palpable sense of collective grief has emerged. Grief expert David Kessler says that grief is actually multiple feelings that we must manage. In an interview with HBR, he explains how the classic five stages of grief (denial, anger, bargaining, sadness, acceptance) apply today, and the practical steps we can take to manage the anxiety. Those include balancing bad thoughts with good; focusing on the present; letting go of things you can't control; and stocking up on compassion. Kessler also talks about a sixth stage of grief: meaning. After acceptance, he says, we will find meaning in the hard-to-fathom events and we will be stronger for it.

HBR Staff/d3sign/Getty Images

We've made our coronavirus coverage free for all readers. To get all of HBR's content delivered to your inbox, sign up for the Daily Alert newsletter.

Some of the HBR edit staff met virtually the other day - a screen full of faces in a scene becoming more common everywhere. We talked about the content we're commissioning in this harrowing time of a pandemic and how we can help people. But we also talked about how we were feeling. One colleague mentioned that what she felt was grief. Heads nodded in all the panes.

If we can name it, perhaps we can manage it. We turned to David Kessler for ideas on how to do that. Kessler is the world's foremost expert on grief. He co-wrote with Elisabeth Kübler-Ross On Grief and Grieving: Finding the Meaning of Grief through the Five Stages of Loss. His new book adds another stage to the process, Finding Meaning: The Sixth Stage of Grief. Kessler also has worked for a decade in a three-hospital system in Los Angeles. He served on their biohazards team. His volunteer work includes being an LAPD Specialist Reserve for traumatic events as well as having served on the Red Cross's disaster services team. He is the founder of www.grief.com, which has over 5 million visits yearly from 167 countries.

Kessler shared his thoughts on why it's important to acknowledge the grief you may be feeling, how to manage it, and how he believes we will find meaning in it. The conversation is lightly edited for clarity.
HBR: People are feeling any number of things right now. Is it right to call some of what they're feeling grief?
Kessler: Yes, and we're feeling a number of different griefs. We feel the world has changed, and it has. We know this is temporary, but it doesn't feel that way, and we realize things will be different. Just as going to the airport is forever different from how it was before 9/11, things will change and this is the point at which they changed. The loss of normalcy; the fear of economic toll; the loss of connection. This is hitting us and we're grieving. Collectively. We are not used to this kind of collective grief in the air.
You said we're feeling more than one kind of grief?
Yes, we're also feeling anticipatory grief. Anticipatory grief is that feeling we get about what the future holds when we're uncertain. Usually it centers on death. We feel it when someone gets a dire diagnosis or when we have the normal thought that we'll lose a parent someday. Anticipatory grief is also more broadly imagined futures. There is a storm coming. There's something bad out there. With a virus, this kind of grief is so confusing for people. Our primitive mind knows something bad is happening, but you can't see it. This breaks our sense of safety. We're feeling that loss of safety. I don't think we've collectively lost our sense of general safety like this. Individually or as smaller groups, people have felt this. But all together, this is new. We are grieving on a micro and a macro level.
What can individuals do to manage all this grief?
Understanding the stages of grief is a start. But whenever I talk about the stages of grief, I have to remind people that the stages aren't linear and may not happen in this order. It's not a map but it provides some scaffolding for this unknown world. There's denial, which we say a lot of early on: This virus won't affect us. There's anger: You're making me stay home and taking away my activities. There's bargaining: Okay, if I social distance for two weeks everything will be better, right? There's sadness: I don't know when this will end. And finally there's acceptance. This is happening; I have to figure out how to proceed.

Acceptance, as you might imagine, is where the power lies. We find control in acceptance. I can wash my hands. I can keep a safe distance. I can learn how to work virtually.
When we're feeling grief there's that physical pain. And the racing mind. Are there techniques to deal with that to make it less intense?
Let's go back to anticipatory grief. Unhealthy anticipatory grief is really anxiety, and that's the feeling you're talking about. Our mind begins to show us images. My parents getting sick. We see the worst scenarios. That's our minds being protective. Our goal is not to ignore those images or to try to make them go away - your mind won't let you do that and it can be painful to try and force it. The goal is to find balance in the things you're thinking. If you feel the worst image taking shape, make yourself think of the best image. We all get a little sick and the world continues. Not everyone I love dies. Maybe no one does because we're all taking the right steps. Neither scenario should be ignored but neither should dominate either.

Anticipatory grief is the mind going to the future and imagining the worst. To calm yourself, you want to come into the present. This will be familiar advice to anyone who has meditated or practiced mindfulness but people are always surprised at how prosaic this can be. You can name five things in the room. There's a computer, a chair, a picture of the dog, an old rug, and a coffee mug. It's that simple. Breathe. Realize that in the present moment, nothing you've anticipated has happened. In this moment, you're okay. You have food. You are not sick. Use your senses and think about what they feel. The desk is hard. The blanket is soft. I can feel the breath coming into my nose. This really will work to dampen some of that pain.

You can also think about how to let go of what you can't control. What your neighbor is doing is out of your control. What is in your control is staying six feet away from them and washing your hands. Focus on that.

Finally, it's a good time to stock up on compassion. Everyone will have different levels of fear and grief and it manifests in different ways. A coworker got very snippy with me the other day and I thought, That's not like this person; that's how they're dealing with this. I'm seeing their fear and anxiety. So be patient. Think about who someone usually is and not who they seem to be in this moment.
One particularly troubling aspect of this pandemic is the open-endedness of it.
This is a temporary state. It helps to say it. I worked for 10 years in the hospital system. I've been trained for situations like this. I've also studied the 1918 flu pandemic. The precautions we're taking are the right ones. History tells us that. This is survivable. We will survive. This is a time to overprotect but not overreact.

And, I believe we will find meaning in it. I've been honored that Elisabeth Kübler-Ross's family has given me permission to add a sixth stage to grief: Meaning. I had talked to Elisabeth quite a bit about what came after acceptance. I did not want to stop at acceptance when I experienced some personal grief. I wanted meaning in those darkest hours. And I do believe we find light in those times. Even now people are realizing they can connect through technology. They are not as remote as they thought. They are realizing they can use their phones for long conversations. They're appreciating walks. I believe we will continue to find meaning now and when this is over.
What do you say to someone who's read all this and is still feeling overwhelmed with grief?
Keep trying. There is something powerful about naming this as grief. It helps us feel what's inside of us. So many have told me in the past week, "I'm telling my coworkers I'm having a hard time," or "I cried last night." When you name it, you feel it and it moves through you. Emotions need motion. It's important we acknowledge what we go through. One unfortunate byproduct of the self-help movement is we're the first generation to have feelings about our feelings. We tell ourselves things like, I feel sad, but I shouldn't feel that; other people have it worse. We can - we should - stop at the first feeling. I feel sad. Let me go for five minutes to feel sad. Your work is to feel your sadness and fear and anger whether or not someone else is feeling something. Fighting it doesn't help because your body is producing the feeling. If we allow the feelings to happen, they'll happen in an orderly way, and it empowers us. Then we're not victims.
In an orderly way?
Yes. Sometimes we try not to feel what we're feeling because we have this image of a "gang of feelings." If I feel sad and let that in, it'll never go away. The gang of bad feelings will overrun me. The truth is a feeling that moves through us. We feel it and it goes and then we go to the next feeling. There's no gang out to get us. It's absurd to think we shouldn't feel grief right now. Let yourself feel the grief and keep going.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Executive Summary During the global pandemic, a palpable sense of collective grief has emerged. Grief expert David Kessler says that grief is actually multiple feelings that we must manage. In an interview with HBR, he explains how the classic five stages of grief (denial, anger, bargaining, sadness, acceptance) apply today, and the practical steps we can take to manage the anxiety.

# data[].attributes.headline
A Trauma-Informed Approach to Teaching Through Coronavirus | Teaching Tolerance

# data[].attributes.subject
A Trauma-Informed Approach to Teaching Through Coronavirus | Teaching Tolerance

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Last week, as schools across the nation closed their doors to slow the spread of the coronavirus, TT reached out to our community to learn what support you needed at this time. Among the most common responses was a call for trauma-informed practices to support students over the coming weeks and months.

For guidance, we reached out to our friends at the National Child Traumatic Stress Network with a series of questions. A group of researchers, psychologists and educators were quick to respond. We're grateful to Laura Danna, Dr. Jane Halladay Goldman, Dr. Jen Maze, Dr. George Ake and Dr. Isaiah Pickens for their answers, and we hope their recommendations offer some much-needed support during this difficult time.

We know that in some districts, schools have just closed, while in others, there's an expectation that classes will shift to distance learning. This change can be a challenge for educators as well as students. From a trauma-informed standpoint, what do educators need to be conscious of as they navigate this transition?

Establishing a routine and maintaining clear communication are crucial.

Maintaining and communicating predictable routines is very important. Doing so helps students to maintain a sense of psychological safety-a sense that they can manage stress or connect with someone who can help them manage stress.

It is important not to assume that students understand your routine is changing due to current events. Even if routines shift as you determine the best ways of connecting, taking the time to explain the changes and provide a predictable agenda is helpful. It will reduce student stress and increase their confidence that important adults in their lives are capable of taking care of them.

It's also important that educators ensure that the information they provide to students is digestible. Moving to remote learning and having fewer direct interactions can make assignments feel more overwhelming and daunting-particularly when several directions are given at once. Break directions down into smaller bites when necessary and encourage students to ask clarifying questions even if it appears they understand.

Finally, we can't assume students' experiences with remote learning or their understanding of a global pandemic are universal. Encourage students to lead the way in sharing what they understand and do not understand about their current situation. You can do this by asking open-ended questions, such as, "How are you feeling about not being in school?" which can provide insight without letting assumptions guide the conversation. Approach students' experiences with curiosity. Aim to clarify misinformation and connect students with other important adults (such as family) who help them feel safe.

Relationships and well-being can take priority over assignment and behavioral compliance.

In shifts to distance learning, educators will need to actively focus on maintaining attitudes of inclusivity. Now more than ever, students should feel valued and welcome regardless of their background or identity.

Remember that students may be dealing with many different home life situations while trying to maintain their academics, and there are myriad reasons they may be embarrassed to share about why they can't complete assignments. Educators should communicate that, regardless of challenges, students' efforts are appreciated.

In work with students right now, educators should let relationships be the focus. It is important to ensure students have structure and to hold high expectations. But students will fare best if they know their teachers care about their well-being just as much as their behavior and assignment compliance.

Educators can display their investment by creating relational rituals before checking on distance learning assignments with students. For example, students and educators can share one tough moment and one hopeful moment of the day, or educators and students can share one new lesson they learned about themselves during the day. Participating in these shares can help educators build and maintain connection despite the distance.

What are a few key points educators need to understand about stress, trauma and their effects? Are there specific approaches to student support they should be prioritizing during this crisis?

When people are facing stress and difficult life circumstances, it can particularly affect three areas: a sense of safety, feelings of connectedness and feelings of hope. In each of these areas, educators can make an impact.

Sense of Safety

A sense of safety is the belief that your needs-and the needs of those you care about-will be met. It is a belief that you will be protected from harm and that those around you will be safe. Educators can expect that many students' sense of safety will be compromised right now. None of us have ever seen a time like this, when institutions that provide safety and structure are closed, and the news talks about death rates and hospital bed shortages. For the many families that are experiencing or will experience significant income loss, this crisis may also mean food insecurity or an inability to pay rent and bills-all of which can severely damage a child's sense of safety.

But there are steps educators can take to support a sense of safety in children. They can:

Reach out, provide space and encourage students to connect with them or another trusted adult or counselor to talk about their safety concerns. Offer students a way to connect if there is something that they need help with or are worried about.

Encourage students to talk to friends or family members on the phone.

Help students plan some virtual playdates to distract them from their worries.

Recommend or include in lesson plans and packets some fun, free activities that kids can do at home.

Encourage families and caregivers to avoid watching the news in front of their children (as that can be upsetting), keep as much of a regular family routine as possible, and plan activities such as going for walks or hikes or playing board or video games together.

Connectedness

Connectedness refers to having relationships with others who can understand and support you. As we are practicing social distancing and have closed most public places, educators will need to get creative to help students feel connected.

To foster a sense of connectedness, educators can:

Make time to ask students about something fun they are doing right now.

Greet students by name and create a touch-free or virtual routine (similar to a handshake, a hug or a high five) to invite connection, either online or at meal pick-up.

Consider putting students together in small groups to work on projects or activities and encouraging students to work together online or by phone. These activities may include virtual puzzles or scavenger hunts. The key is to help the student feel connected to others in the class by sharing an important part of themselves that helps the class get to know them better. Foster a sense of community by highlighting each student's contribution to the group activity.

Plan activities through the use of web-conferencing sites that allow students to see, hear and interact with each other and their teacher.

Talk directly about the importance of connecting with others.

Incorporate space for play and fun activities into online lesson plans or take-home packets.

Hope

Hope is the expectation that everything will work out and the feeling that things will be all right. Right now, many people may be feeling discouraged, hopeless or angry. Adults and students may be feeling a great sense of loss for activities that will not be taking place as usual. Students particularly may be disappointed in missing out on sports, competition, performances and other important rituals of the spring semester.

To encourage a sense of hope, educators can:

Have students connect with someone in their family or community to ask a person they respect how they stayed hopeful in troubled times.

Teach about other historical times of crisis, including how these ended and communities rebounded.

Encourage students to get fresh air and to move when possible.

Share some of the many stories of hope and helping that have come out of this current crisis.

Share a positive affirmation or a strength of a student-it can go a long way right now.

Let students know that people find help in different ways, including through spiritual beliefs and practices, and encourage students to discuss things that bring them hope.

Facilitate and encourage students meeting virtually or by phone with a trusted adult who can show them a different perspective, help to identify their talents and strengths, list their options and resources, and encourage and support them.

In addition to the suggestions above, are there any activities for students (either for online classes or that students can do independently) that you recommend educators try?

Now is a time to provide opportunities for students to complete activities that affirm their competence, sense of self-worth and feelings of safety. There are many social emotional learning practices and wellness activities that teachers can encourage students to complete independently or online.

These activities can promote self-regulation when students are feeling stressed and provide a healthy sense of control over controllable aspects of an overwhelming situation. Some possible social emotional and wellness practices can include the following:

Promote self-awareness by having students review a feelings chart and share how they are feeling. To help them communicate their feelings, encourage the use of a scale, such as, "On a scale of 1-10, how bored are you feeling?" or "Are you feeling a little lonely, somewhat lonely, or very lonely?"

Recommend quick mindfulness or self-soothing exercises such as smelling a flower or completing four-corner breathing prior to completing the lesson. Four-corner breathing simply involves inhaling deeply and exhaling deeply four times. Students can complete this breathing exercise by standing up and taking one inhale and exhale breath while facing each of the four corners in a room.

Model and normalize a range of emotions by giving students opportunities to express themselves in nonverbal ways. This may include drawing a picture about how their lesson or day is going or showing the most important thing that happened to them that day. Teachers can complete this exercise first and share with students to model how to share with others in a way that feels safe and helps us feel connected.

Have students complete a virtual or long-distance appreciation or gratitude circle. Encourage students to write one thing they appreciate about classmates. Add your own, and then give each student the appreciations written about them.

Give students the chance to share what they've learned or a chance to teach their classmates. This can include having students find and teach brief self-soothing or mindfulness exercises that promote self-regulation.

Are there students in particular situations that educators should be keeping closer contact with during this period? Do you have recommendations for ways educators can reach out?

While not all families have a history of exposure to trauma, children with identified histories of trauma may be especially vulnerable to the impact of significant changes in schedule, routine and expectations that come with social distancing, canceled classes, remote learning and reliance on caregivers for academics.

Other students may also be at additional risk during this time:

students who have had anxiety;

students who have depression or suicidal ideation;

students who have learning and attention disorders;

students whose families may have lost jobs or income;

students who have loved ones particularly vulnerable to the COVID-19 virus;

students who have a caregiver who is a healthcare worker or in another occupation where they are exposed to the virus or are being asked to respond in an intense way;

students who may be less supervised because of caregivers' work.

Even remotely, however, there are ways that educators can provide extra support to these students:

Educators can reach out to caregivers to check in and offer or explain the supports that they typically use in the classroom with their children.

Educators can set up individual conferences via computer or phone to check in with students and ask about their safety and worries.

Educators can and should connect with school mental health professionals to know how they can connect students and families with them when necessary.

What kinds of stressors or potential trauma will families and caregivers be facing during this time that educators should be aware of? How can educators help?

In general, it is important to consider that the stress adults might be facing during this time of uncertainty will probably be mirrored in children. Families could be dealing with high levels of stress, and they probably will be for an extensive amount of time. Educators can consider sharing messages about how families need to give themselves some space when emotions run high, and they can model how to regulate emotions to help children cope.

Educators should have an appreciation for how kids might respond to stress and consider how stress might play out by age group. Whenever possible, they should share this information with caregivers.

Educators can also play a role in promoting the message that caretakers should try their best to establish a routine, involve children in the development of their own schedules, and maintain reasonable expectations of children, knowing that some changes are just difficult to predict.

Finally, we understand that in other countries, rates of domestic violence and child abuse have increased during the COVID-19 crisis. Stress and increased isolation are risk factors for abuse. Families experiencing difficult financial issues or job loss during this time might be especially at risk. But all families will be under increased stress and isolation with varying levels of support and resources.

For more information about child trauma and child traumatic stress, the National Child Traumatic Stress Network has many resources to help educators and caretakers better understand the impact, consequences and resilience of children and families exposed to trauma. This page is a good place to start.

What steps do you recommend for educators who want to be there for their students but who might also be dealing with their own stress right now?

Practice self-kindness, and remember that it is best to take care of yourself before you try to take care of anyone else.

Take time to check in with yourself to gain insight into where you may be struggling. Once you identify the issues, work to create a plan to address the issues you can control and to work on letting go of the ones you cannot.

Utilize social supports as needed. Consider planning a virtual coffee break or lunch hour with colleagues or other educators via Zoom, where you might share strategies that are or are not working, talk about what you're cooking or watching on Netflix, and experience a much-needed sense of community

Create a routine that includes getting up at a regular time, getting ready and dressed for the day, a work schedule, some way to move your body and some breaks to connect to others.

Remember that, as adults, we are the best predictors of how our students and children are doing; they are watching and listening to us. When we take care of ourselves, we're showing them how they can take care of themselves, too.

Are there any specific resources, articles or other information you recommend?

Some of the answers above were adapted from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) publications, including:

These resources from the NCTSN expand on some of the recommendations above:

These resources from the Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress can be helpful:

Educators can may find these resources from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) useful:

These resources from Substance Abuse Mental Health Services (SAMSHA) may also provide support:

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
A Trauma-Informed Approach to Teaching Through Coronavirus

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Teaching Tolerance provides free resources to educators-teachers, administrators, counselors and other practitioners-who work with children from kindergarten through high school. Educators use our materials to supplement the curriculum, to inform their practices, and to create civil and inclusive school communities where children are respected, valued and welcome participants.

# data[].attributes.body
Let's be honest... when in doubt listen or read Brené Brown and it will get better.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Featured Content

From Brené

A primer for navigating the progression of my written work.

By Brené Brown

From Brené

I'm not here to make people comfortable or to be liked. My purpose is to know and experience love. This means excavating the unsaid. In the world and in me.

By Brené Brown

From Brené

Cultivating meaningful connection is a daring and vulnerable practice-and one that isn't possible without being a good steward of the stories we tell and the stories we hear.

By Brené Brown

Conversations with leaders, change-makers, and those who help unlock the deeply human part of who we are.

Books by Brené

Looking to dive deep into reading and resources? Check out the hubs.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Brené Brown is a researcher and storyteller who's spent two decades studying courage, vulnerability, shame, and empathy.

# data[].attributes.headline
6 Free Online Speech Therapy Resources For Kids

# data[].attributes.subject
6 Free Online Speech Therapy Resources For Kids

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.provider_name
Speech Buddies Blog: Speech, Language & Pronunciation Guides

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
As parents, you know there are many ways to enrich your child's speech and language skills, including games, books, and language modeling activities. Online speech therapy resources offer your child a way to refine and practice their speech and language skills at home. Sometimes your child needs a little extra speech therapy, whether it is to refine certain skills they are learning on at school, reinforce what they are working on with their SLP, or just an extra resource to help build speech sounds. When looking to enhance your child's speech therapy using online resources, we have located a few favorites that won't take a bite out of your wallet.

Looking for Virtual Speech Therapy?

Speech Buddies Connect is the first online network for parents to find and book appointments with top-quality, certified & local speech professionals. You can filter your search to find Speech-Language Pathologist that offer virtual therapy in your state.

The Best Tools & Games for Speech Practice at Home

Tongue Placement Tools for the R, S, SH, CH, & L Sounds: Speech Buddies Placement Tools are easy to use. They train the tongue to make the correct shape by providing targets that you can feel. They help with lisps and pronunciation. Getting started is simple. Choose the right tools for your child, practice for 10 minutes 3 times a week, and see results. With a little guidance, kids 5 and up can even use them on their own! Each kit includes a customized instruction guide, a special carrying case, and online games. The 30 day guarantee makes trying Speech Buddies
Placement Tools stress-free. 4 out of 5 parents wished they used our tools sooner!

Speech Therapy Practice Cards: Flashcards are a fun way to practice any words as well as the R, S, SH, CH, and L sounds. These cards are specifically designed to tackle tricky sounds at the beginning, middle and end of words. The cute pictures and suggested games will entice any child to practice their speech.

Speech Delay Book Bundle: This Speech Delay Book Bundle encourages first words. Memorable songs and silly questions entice children to express themselves and help speech delay. These books are great for children ages 1 year to 6 years old and are perfect for any child learning to talk.

6 Favorite Online Speech Therapy Websites:

StoryPlace.org: StoryPlace.org is a website that has a number of online stories and interactive activities for preschoolers and elementary-aged students. Each theme includes an online story, online activity, printable "take-home" activities and suggestions for parents. A booklist that corresponds to each theme is also offered.

FunwithSpot.com is a cute website for preschoolers and young children. Children familiar with the Spot book series will love the fun language-based games. There are also parent and teacher resources.

FunBrain.com; This website offers a number of free online games for kids. Games touch upon a variety of topics, including vocabulary, grammar, reading, math and some that are just for fun! Check out Plural Girls, Grammar Gorillas or click on the reading tab for some great language activities.

Scholastic.com: Scholastic.com's Family Playground is a great website for preschool and school-age children and their parents. This website includes a variety of games and activities for children related to popular characters and children's books such as Clifford, Magic School Bus, Walter Wick, and I Spy.

Articulation Games (by Tracy Gefroh Boyd): This is a great site where children plan a variety of games to practice r's, s's, l's, sh's and ch's.

The Tongue Twister Database: A fun collection of tongue twisters to practice speech sounds and giggle at the same time!

Tell us some of your favorites! We'd love to build our collection!

Looking to Put Your New Tablet to Use?

An important part of using online speech therapy tools is to interact with your child while he or she is online. The best online speech therapy sites are not intended to engage your child passively, (think staring at a video game on tv), rather they are to be used as a tool to engage your child and get his brain making connections. Making learning fun is also a crucial component to get your child engaged. Playing online speech therapy games should not feel like homework for your child, rather, a fun activity that you can do together. Here are a few of our favorites, what are some of yours?

Update: The Speech Buddies Team just added some boards to the FREE Bitsboard app! It's easy to download and play speech games today on your iPad or iPhone! Bitsboard is a revolutionary app that allows anyone (educators, education companies like Speech Buddies, and even parents) to customize fun, visually pleasing, and versatile games around a given theme.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
6 Free Online Speech Therapy Resources For Kids

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
As parents, you know there are many ways to enrich your child's speech and language skills, including games, books, and language modeling activities. Online speech therapy resources offer your child a way to refine and practice their speech and language skills at home.

# data[].attributes.body
Science-based practices for a meaningful life, curated by the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Executive Summary

It may feel like a whole new world, but you don't need to reinvent schedules and activities for your family during the coronavirus crisis. In fact, it's better for working parents to try to stick to old schedules and regimens as much as possible-just revisiting them for our new normal. Try three steps: identify your family's old routines and decide which you can keep as similar as possible, create modified work schedules that allow you and your partner to get as much done as possible around those routines, and swap in new ways of doing old things. And the good news is that there are still ways to lean on your village of friends and family even if you can't actually be with them.

Westend61/Getty Images

Amir and Ria are working professionals living in Seattle: he works at Amazon and she's the CEO of an early-stage start-up. They have two kids, Amara and Aryan, who are 6 and 2 years old. They're used to managing the usual challenges of dual working parents - coordinating childcare with schools and activities, managing meals and household chores, and spending quality time together on the weekends.

Things all became more complicated with the outbreak of the coronavirus in Seattle and its suburbs a couple of weeks ago. First Amazon asked all employees to start working from home, and then a week later Amara's school announced they would be closing for four weeks, with potential for more. Ria's office and Aryan's daycare closed soon after. Since then, Amir and Ria have been trying to juggle full-time childcare for both kids and working from home while trying to preserve as much productivity as possible.

For the first week, they approached the situation like a vacation, with little structure around schedule or duties. This quickly turned into a frustrating situation for everyone. They weren't getting work done, they were worried about how much they were relying on a tablet to keep Amara entertained, and regular things like meals and cleaning seemed to be just piling up. That they were all stuck together in a closed space just made it all worse.

As a company building software to help working parents collaboratively run their families, we routinely gather the best practices of busy parents and in the past days have been polling families in Seattle, San Francisco, and New York City that have already been experiencing this new normal.

Their experiences have taught us that the key is to invent new ways to preserve old routines. Maintaining a sense of familiarity and consistency is both comforting and therapeutic in times of upheaval - but it's also practical. When you're going to be fighting for every inch of productivity, you want each day to feel like an established habit, no wasted time on wondering what's for lunch or when we're going outside to play.

Here are three steps to bring your old plan into your new normal:

1. Maintain routines.

The first step is to keep the structure of the day the same as it has typically been. Beyond the benefits of familiarity, maintaining a regular schedule will give you firm guideposts for building your work and childcare schedules.

For one family we work with, their daily routine used to include breakfast at 8:15am for the kids and then a day of activities with the nanny once the parents left for work: an hour of free-play time, an outdoor adventure, lunch at home, and then a mix of educational and craft activities before one more outdoor time. They ate dinner at 5pm before the parents came home at 6pm. In the evening they read books and played before bedtime at 7:30 or 8pm.

I'd advise this family to keep their routine. Whether or not they still have the nanny, they should try to keep the meals, blocks of activity, and outdoor time. (I've personally used this approach when traveling with the family for extended periods.) You'll be creating the actual schedules in the next step but the key first is identifying the foundation based on what you already know.

2. Create modified schedules.

Next, build a schedule for each week that incorporates these routines at a high level but is modified to account for your work blocks and other new responsibilities meals, chores, childcare.

We've modified the "Sunday Check-in" planning rundown we created for busy working parents specifically in these chaotic times when planning out the week is even more important.

In your planning make sure you've covered:

What is your kids' schedule?

What will you have for each meal?

When will you do chores? (laundry, dishes, tidying, cleaning)

When are your key work meetings or times it's critical you have someone to cover your work while you handle a household task?

Take this info and put it into a calendar and start assigning shifts and duties to specific family members. Our family has a Google Calendar and we've created a simple example for families to use to create their kids' schedules and add shifts on top.

Finally, create work blocks. Depending on your childcare, community, and quarantine situation, here are three ways to make this work:

A partner swap: 4-hour shifts in which one partner works and the other cares for kids.

Short shifts: 30-minute to 2-hour shifts that rotate among some number of adults.

Video shifts: While you'll still need to be paying some attention, it's possible, especially with older kids, to organize virtual playdates (more on this below) or calls with grandparents that will keep them entertained while you're getting in a phone call or doing some heads-down work.

It will feel like you need to squeeze every ounce of productivity out of every minute in the day. It's a reality that many of us will have to find time to work early in the morning or after the kids are in bed. But be sure to schedule in breaks and unstructured times to unwind and connect with your partner and kids. This is going to be a marathon and it's important we find ways not to burn out.

3. Swap in new ways to do old things.

Finally, if your kids are used to having playdates or weekly activities, find ways to keep those events on the calendar, just in a new form. Everyone will appreciate the social time and, as a bonus, it also can buy you 30 minutes of uninterrupted work time. Some options to consider:

Virtual playdates: Choose Google Hangouts (or Zoom if you prefer) and then send invites to your kids' friends' parents. For the playdate itself, have a station set up in your house with a tablet, laptop, or Alexa Show/Facebook Portal ready to go. During the playdate, it can be as simple as the kids catching up and coloring together or one of the parents leading an activity or reading books.

Creative athletic activities for the kids. Register your kids for free online classes like Cosmic Yoga, Art Hub for Kids, or Go Noodle. Schedule these during the times they might otherwise be doing after-school activities. They should get some exercise every day - this could even be just going into the backyard and do some soccer drills or play catch.

Parent pods: Find a group of 3-4 other families you're close with and create a shared pool of resources, whether it's meal plans, activity schedules, or lesson plans.

Book club or sports viewing nights for you. Staying social, active, and connected is just as important for the adults. If you don't already have one, create a book club or a sport/TV show viewing club. Get it into people's calendars and set up a video call so everyone can watch together. Make sure to still get your workouts in with a run outside, an indoor circuit, or using online options. Even a family walk around the block will do wonders.

We need to lean on our village now, more than ever. The nature of this crisis requires that we find safe and responsible ways to help each other out while upholding our responsibilities at work and at home. Lean on your village - the other parents in your community - to share responsibility, looking out especially for those that might need extra help, such as healthcare or hourly workers left without childcare. Accept that things are not going to run completely smoothly and we aren't going to all be our 100% productive selves. But with tempered expectations, a flexible approach and resourcefulness, you'll be amazed at how we can all adapt. With any luck, we'll emerge from this crisis even stronger and more collaborative: a modern take on an age-old approach to parenting.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Executive Summary It may feel like a whole new world, but you don't need to reinvent schedules and activities for your family during the coronavirus crisis. In fact, it's better for working parents to try to stick to old schedules and regimens as much as possible-just revisiting them for our new normal.

# data[].attributes.body
Technology resources and information targeted to nonprofits

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Idealware - Helping Nonprofits Make Smart Technology Decisions

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Helping Nonprofits Make Smart Technology Decisions

# data[].attributes.headline
Online Brainstorming, Synthesis and Collaboration - MURAL

# data[].attributes.subject
Online Brainstorming, Synthesis and Collaboration - MURAL

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Put imagination to work

MURAL is a digital workspace for visual collaboration

Thinking canvas

Simply put what's on your mind on sticky notes. Then organize in lists, flowcharts, diagrams, frameworks, methods and drawings to activate and align your team.

Scaled transformation

MURAL's enterprise-class infrastructure and expert customer experience team enable you to scale collaboration and innovation quickly and securely.

Deep expertise on demand

Rigorous security protocols

Enterprise-wide deployment

Making members successful

What's our secret sauce? It's that we care just as much about the core product experience as we do about delivering a world class service to our members. We live by our "Make Others Successful" value that we adopted during our startup in residency at IDEO.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Online Brainstorming, Synthesis and Collaboration - MURAL

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
MURAL is a digital workspace for visual collaboration Simply put what's on your mind on sticky notes. Then organize in lists, flowcharts, diagrams, frameworks, methods and drawings to activate and align your team. MURAL's enterprise-class infrastructure and expert customer experience team enable you to scale collaboration and innovation quickly and securely.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
For something that's supposed to mellow you out and leave you feeling refreshed, meditation can be kind of stressful sometimes: How do I do it? When should I do it? And for how long? Before long, you've given up on meditating and put on yet another episode of Cheer.

Still, the practice is undoubtedly good for you. According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, meditation can help reduce stress, chronic pain (such as headaches), and blood pressure, as well as help you quit smoking and better navigate a variety of mental health conditions.

So, how do you finally buckle down and do it? Honestly, you should try an apps. (No, really.) "Meditation apps are a great supplement to a mindfulness practice as they help you continue anytime, anywhere, putting the power of mindfulness in the palm of your hand," says Pax Tandon, a mindfulness thought leader and author of .

Curious what apps experts recommend for discovering your meditation groove? Here you'll find your top choices, as well as why each one might work best for you.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
If You Just *Can't* When It Comes To Meditation, Give One Of These Expert-Backed Apps A Try

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
For something that's supposed to mellow you out and leave you feeling refreshed, meditation can be kind of stressful sometimes: How do I do it? When should I do it? And for how long? Before long, you've given up on meditating and put on yet another episode of Cheer.

# data[].attributes.headline
LAUNCH Together | Denver's Early Childhood Council

# data[].attributes.subject
LAUNCH Together | Denver's Early Childhood Council

# data[].attributes.body
This is the collaborative project I support in SW Denver. Lots of SW Denver specific resources, but also general support for social emotional well-being for children.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
LAUNCH Together | Denver's Early Childhood Council

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
We offer activities and programs to support social-emotional well-being for young children and their families.

# data[].attributes.headline
Resources on COVID-19 | Philanthropy Colorado

# data[].attributes.subject
Resources on COVID-19 | Philanthropy Colorado

# data[].attributes.body
Funding opportunities, CO and Denver resources and updates

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
For those looking for resources on the COVID-19 Coronavirus outbreak, we've complied a list below. Furthermore, we invite you to share with us if your organization has taken either of the following steps:

Considered or made a philanthropic contribution in support of the local/national/international response effort

Developed or distributed any type of new policy for employees, workplace/travel etc.

COVID-19 Resources & Information

Several Response Funds for COVID-19 have been established in Colorado:

How Colorado funders are responding:

Other resources for Philanthropy:

Resources for Nonprofits:

Local government links/resources:

State links/resources:

Recommended news links:

Workplace guidance for employees regarding COVID-19 prevention and procedures:

As always, if you feel sick, seek medical guidance from your health care provider and do not come to work until you are feeling better and have been diagnosed as not contagious. You should prioritize your health and ensure you do not expose your coworkers to infection.

If you feel you may have been exposed to an infectious disease, are exhibiting symptoms or have been diagnosed as contagious by your health care provider, you should immediately isolate yourself from others. Please contact your supervisor to inform them so that appropriate actions can be taken to prevent the spread of any infection.

If you have returned from areas with confirmed COVID-19 cases and experience cough, fever or shortness of breath within 14 days of return, you should call ahead to a healthcare professional and mention your recent travel or close contact. If you have had close contact with someone showing these symptoms who has recently traveled from areas with confirmed COVID-19 cases, you should call ahead to a healthcare professional and mention your close contact and their recent travel.

See below for further reading on the impacts of Coronavirus:

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
For those looking for resources on the COVID-19 Coronavirus outbreak, we've complied a list below. Furthermore, we invite you to share with us if your organization has taken either of the following steps: Considered or made a philanthropic contribution in support of the local/national/international response effort Developed or distributed any type of new policy for employees, workplace/travel etc.

# data[].attributes.headline
COVID-19: Five Helpful Responses for Families | Conscious Discipline

# data[].attributes.subject
COVID-19: Five Helpful Responses for Families | Conscious Discipline

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Kids don't say, "Beloved parent, I'm having difficulty in my daily life. I don't fully understand what's happening, I miss my friends, I'm afraid someone I know is going to die and it feels like life will never be normal again." Instead, they throw tantrums, become clingy, sulk, backtalk, refuse to do anything you ask, wet the bed, pick fights with siblings and suddenly forget how to do basic tasks they mastered years ago.

Whew! Let's step back, take a few deep breaths and learn a little about your child's brain: Safety is the brain's most basic need, followed closely by connection. When we feel unsafe or disconnected, our brains downshift from the higher centers responsible for learning and problem solving, to the lower reactionary centers. That's why all those challenging behaviors are popping up, and why a minor frustration is now Titanic in size.

We can help children (and ourselves) by creating a sense of safety, connecting, and cultivating a new sense of normal with these five tips:

1. Young children co-regulate with trusted adults and older children feed off our internal states. Our calm nurtures their calm. Our distress increases their distress. Check in with yourself. How are you faring? Practice active calming by taking three deep breaths when you feel yourself becoming frustrated, fearful, angry or desperate. Seek out activities and call people who calm you. Limit your news intake, social media and other sources of stress. Be a Safe Place for your child.

Acknowledge your feelings and your children's. Know that children's fits and meltdowns aren't just about the momentary point of frustration that triggered them; they're about the underlying state of uncertainty they're experiencing. Offer them calm, comfort and reassurance with deep breathing and phrases like, "You're safe. You can handle this. We'll get through this together." Encourage them to name and manage their feelings. And forgive yourself when you're the one who's had the fit or meltdown.
Helpful Free Resources:
2. Focus on safety and connection. The brain functions optimally when it feels both safe and connected. Children need to know that life is going to be different and that you will find a new normal together. Make safety and connection your top priority, especially in the first days; you can always add academics, chores and such later.

If you don't already practice active calming, start! Conscious Discipline uses S.T.A.R., Balloon, Drain and Pretzel breathing, and there are dozens of other websites with helpful breathing games and yoga for kids.

Build extra togetherness into your day. For young children, this might look like extra reading or playing blocks together. For older children, it might be doing a puzzle or playing a favorite video game together. Notice whatever your child is doing and join in their play. Go outside and play. Get down on the floor and play. Wrestle. Giggle. Snuggle. Hug, high five and enjoy. Connection isn't just good for your mood, it builds neural connections in your child's brain and increases cooperation (and who couldn't use a little of that right now?).

Age-appropriate information increases safety; "You're fine" does not. Information will help reassure and soothe children's fears, but it's important to know when enough is enough. Explain to children why life is different using the simplest terms possible. Answer their questions honestly, without offering too much detail or overwhelming them with information. Watch the news in private rather than having it running in the background all day. Limit social media for your children and yourself. Focus on statements like, "You're safe. You can handle this. We will get through this together," instead of dismissing with comments like, "Everything's okay," or "It's not something you need to worry about."
Helpful Free Resources:
3. Create your new normal. The brain thrives on predictable patterns. Our daily and weekly patterns have been turned upside down without warning. Creating a new normal begins with a new daily routine. Families with older children can work together to co-create your new daily schedule (co-creating gives children a way to exert some control over the situation), while parents of younger children will create the schedule for them. Plan it, draw it, label it, post it somewhere obvious and refer to it often so children know what to expect.

A successful daily schedule might be: Wake up, get dressed, eat breakfast, project time, outside time, lunch, free play, rest time, family time, dinner, wash/brush, PJs, read, bed. The activities during "project time" could vary between creative play (art, dress up, building blocks), academics, gardening, household projects, or exploring online resources like museum tours, dance classes or storytelling sites. Be certain your schedule has ample opportunities for play. Creating a rhythm to your days and knowing what to expect next cultivates a sense of safety.
Helpful Free Resources:
4. Give children ways to contribute. Contribution lights up the reward centers of the brain and releases feel-good chemicals like dopamine and serotonin. Verbally highlight the way your family is helping your community and hospitals by staying home. Draw pictures and make cards to mail, leave on friends' and neighbors' doorsteps, or drop off at a nursing home.

Provide lots of little ways for children to be helpful at home and offer authentic praise for their helpfulness. The contribution needs to be voluntary, not coerced, in order to release those feel-good brain chemicals. Ask, "Do you want to make my coffee this morning?" If the answer is, "No," let it go. If the answer is, "Yes," show them how to make coffee and then rave about how helpful it was for them to brew it.
Helpful Free Resources:
5. Shift toward seeing the best. Notice your inner and outer speech. Are you "stuck at home" with your kids, or do you have an opportunity to connect with family and keep the community safe while you work from home? Are you "stuck at work," or are you helping to keep the community running by staffing hospitals, grocery stores and other important functions in spite of the risks? Are selfish people hoarding things, or are frightened people trying to make sure their families have enough? Are government officials doing too much/not enough/stupid things, or are they doing the best they can with constantly changing information about an unexpected, unprecedented threat? Should those idiots know better than to go out, or are there millions of individuals who are helping each other by staying home to slow the spread of the virus?

It's easy to get caught up in what's going wrong. Instead, make an effort to consciously shift toward helpfulness. Use your words as a spotlight to illuminate the behaviors you want to see more of and aspects you find helpful amidst the fear. The more positive aspects you discuss around your children, the more they are able to see the best in the situation. The more you notice and verbalize children's helpful actions, the more helpful they will become. Shifting your perspective from what you don't want to what you do want paves the way for a healthier internal state for you and your children.
Helpful Free Resources:
For 20+ years, "We're all in this together" has been one of the basic tenets of Conscious Discipline. It seems ironic that a virus that requires social distancing to slow its spread has drawn our attention to how intimately connected we truly are as friends, neighbors, communities and nations.

Conscious Discipline offers a wealth of social-emotional information online to help you during this challenging time. Some of the items are purchasable, but in keeping with our belief that we're all in this together, many of our webinars, podcasts, videos, printables, articles and other items are absolutely free for you to use.

We hope these resources are helpful. We are holding you in our hearts and wishing you well during this challenging time. This article is also available in Spanish.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
COVID-19: Five Helpful Responses for Families | Conscious Discipline

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Kids don't say, "Beloved parent, I'm having difficulty in my daily life. I don't fully understand what's happening, I miss my friends, I'm afraid someone I know is going to die and it feels like life will never be normal again."

# data[].attributes.body
For those adapting to provide support in a new way...

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Andy Goodman is clear and funny and passionate and a relentless advocate for the power of storytelling. You may even find yourself telling a story about the power of his mastery.

Katherine Fulton | Former President, Monitor Institute

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Andy Goodman is clear and funny and passionate and a relentless advocate for the power of storytelling. You may even find yourself telling a story about the power of his mastery. Katherine Fulton | Former President, Monitor Institute

# data[].attributes.headline
COVID-19 Policy and Legislative Updates from Rocky Mountain Cradle to Career Partnership

# data[].attributes.subject
COVID-19 Policy and Legislative Updates from Rocky Mountain Cradle to Career Partnership

# data[].attributes.body
Regularly updated policy information (Colorado and national)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.provider_name
Rocky Mountain Cradle to Career Partnership

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
As our community comes together to manage COVID-19, the Policy and Legislative Advisory Network (PLAN) is committed to keeping the larger network abreast of policies, legislation, regulations, and rules being implemented across the state and nation in light of COVID-19.

To read the full update, click the button below.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
COVID-19 Policy and Legislative Updates 3.27.2020 | Rocky Mountain Cradle to Career Partnership

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
As our community comes together to manage COVID-19, the Policy and Legislative Advisory Network (PLAN) is committed to keeping the larger network abreast of policies, legislation, regulations, and rules being implemented across the state and nation in light of COVID-19.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
As schools shift to online learning, all students need internet access now. Stand for Children staff contacted these companies to better understand these options. Here are our recommendations:

Xfinity Wifi Hotspot and Spectrum Wifi Hotspot - Some internet providers have hotspots located in buildings and public places, but you usually need to be a subscriber to get access. Xfinity and Spectrum are now opening up these connections throughout their service area so that anyone, whether you subscribe or not, can connect.

Turning your phone into a hotspot - This is almost a surefire way to connect if you have a smartphone and a data plan. However, be sure to contact your mobile carrier to find out if data charges will apply if you use your phone as a hotspot. They might waive this or give you more data.

Lifeline (800-234-9473)

This is a federal program and legitimate option if you meet the criteria (i.e. your income, if you use SNAP or Medicaid, etc.). You'll have to provide documents that prove you're eligible. Once you qualify, you'll have access to lower prices for phone and internet services. Call them at 800-234-9473 or visit Lifeline's website to apply. Some internet providers (like Verizon) may ask you to show you're Lifeline eligible to use their low-cost or free options.

Xfinity Internet Essentials (855-846-8376)

Internet Essentials, Xfinity's low-cost option, provides two months of free internet service to new customers who apply by April 30.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
As schools shift to online learning, all students need internet access now. Stand for Children staff contacted these companies to better understand these options. Here are our recommendations: Xfinity Wifi Hotspot and Spectrum Wifi Hotspot - Some internet providers have hotspots located in buildings and public places, but you usually need to be a subscriber to get access.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.provider_name
Colorado Association for Infant Mental Health

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Here for early childhood mental health

Founded in 2001, COAIMH is a nonprofit (501c3) statewide membership organization run by staff and volunteers who work to promote education and research related to infant and early childhood mental health and, facilitate networking and cooperation among those concerned with the optimal development of infants and infant-caregiver relationships. We also strive to advocate for use of scientifically-based programs of care, intervention, and prevention of mental impairment in infancy and support local and state policies that promote family and infant mental health.

CoAIMH became an official affiliate of the World Association for Infant Mental Health (WAIMH) in 2002, and a state member of the Alliance for the Advancement of Infant Mental Health (the Alliance) in 2010.

Infant Mental Health is the developing capacity of an infant or young child to:

Develop close and secure relationships with others

Actively explore the environment and learn

Experience, express and regulate a full range of both positive and negative emotions

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Here for early childhood mental health Founded in 2001, COAIMH is a nonprofit (501c3) statewide membership organization run by staff and volunteers who work to promote education and research related to infant and early childhood mental health and, facilitate networking and cooperation among those concerned with the optimal development of infants and infant-caregiver relationships.

# data[].attributes.body
Easy, free way to allow others to schedule with you

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Free Online Appointment Scheduling Software - Calendly

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Find the perfect meeting time with super easy online appointment scheduling software from Calendly, and say goodbye to phone and email tag. It's 100% free, super easy to use, and you'll love our customer service.

# data[].attributes.body
Great for finding times that work for group meetings or also for asking for feedback/group decision polls

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Doodle is the fastest and easiest way to schedule anything - from meetings to the next great collaboration.

Trusted by 70,000+ companies

2+ million meetings scheduled last month

Enterprise-level security

Start taking appointments in 5 minutes

Professionals of all types get more done with Doodle

Get any kind of work or client meeting booked, fast.

Meet with candidates faster, stay in your own workflow.

Scheduling for entrepreneurs, freelancers, and leaders

Doodle's made for teams of all sizes.

Made to collaborate with your tools, too

Doodle integrates directly into your favorite apps.

Kick off the next great collaboration with Doodle.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Doodle is the fastest and easiest way to schedule anything - from meetings to the next great collaboration.