For Families

• Early Edge California’s Distance Learning Resources for Dual Language Learners -  Includes screen free activities to do at home, classic children’s stories in Spanish, PBS Spanish, and online curriculum for ages 2-8. 
• Fresno Unified School District Home Daily School Schedule (Spanish)
• Unite for Literacy: Online illustrated book collection with Spanish narration
• Cuentos y Cantos: Spanish/English bilingual story time presented by the Long Beach Public Library
• ¿Qué hacer con los niños en casa? (Alas y Voz)
• CERO A TRES: Recursos en español
• Recursos para Familias y para Aprender en Casa (Alas y Voz)
• *NEW* YouTube playlist that includes informational videos in Spanish on COVID. Videos include topics such as:
  • Uso de cubiertas de tela para la cara
  • Que hacer y qué no hacer con las cubiertas para la cara
  • Distancia Social
  • Síntomas de la enfermedad del coronavirus 2019
  • Consejos para mantener los niños sanos
  • Cuando buscar atención medica por el COVID-19

Facts to share with students around Covid-19

• English K-5
• Español, Grados K-5
• English, Grades 6-12
• Español, Grados 6-12

How to Help Kids Know Fact from Fiction Regarding Coronavirus

Talking to Kids About the Coronavirus (article and video)
Cómo hablar con los niños sobre el coronavirus (en Español)

Anxiety and coping with the coronavirus 
Lidiar con la ansiedad y el coronavirus (en Español)

ABCs of Coronavirus: written by Sophia Nesamoney, a sophomore at Stanford University, and Sean Nesamoney, a sophomore at Menlo High School.

 Source: Common Sense Media (Ver en español)

Check in with yourself first.

Caregivers who have been coping with ongoing stressors are stretched thin and in need of support. Are you numb? Are you overwhelmed? Before we focus on what we tell our kids, what do we tell ourselves? How are you staying well? And if you aren't well, and many of us aren't, how do you get help? 

Create a safe space.

Talk to kids without distraction. Find out what they know and what they're worried about, and watch for signs of distress.

Listen to our children.

Listen deeply and support their actions. Don't just talk at them. Hear what solutions they're thinking about. We can support our children in leading without leaving them to clean up our messes. Many of our young people have shown the ability to tackle everything from climate change and gender equity to mass violence. 

Important stuff, in small doses.

While I believe it's important to talk to our children about the bad things going on in the world, if we are so lucky and privileged, then we can dole out the information to them in safer doses. The images and sounds of pervasive and chronic mass and racialized violence take a toll on our kids. Pick one event, one short clip from a protest, a social media post that resonates, or a YouTube clip of Trevor Noah's response, and use that as a conversation starter.

Cultivate stories of resilience.

Let us not forget that we have been through terror and trauma before. Every family has a story of survival and of resilience. Let's cultivate those stories. Let's listen, and let's move into action with compassion and empathy. Pay attention to, create, and share narratives, images, and sounds of our joy and resilience.

Commit to action, any action.

Action can be a protest, a petition, stepping in, and stepping up. But actions can be quieter, too, such as active listening, especially for White allies, to friends, to an apt podcast or audiobook, to activists, to community leaders. Follow activists on Instagram and Twitter who will inform, challenge, and educate; talk about their posts together.

I am holding on desperately and painfully to hope that things will feel better soon. We have been down this path before and we can survive together. Talking with – and listening to – our kids will help. 

For more information on talking with your kids about racism and violence. (Child Mind Institute)

Source: Child Mind Institute

Break the news.

When something happens that will get wide coverage, my first and most important suggestion is that you don’t delay telling your children about what’s happened: It’s much better for the child if you’re the one who tells her. You don’t want her to hear from some other child, a television news report, or the headlines on the front page of the New York Post. You want to be able to convey the facts, however painful, and set the emotional tone.

Take your cues from your child.

Invite her to tell you anything she may have heard about the tragedy, and how she feels. Give her ample opportunity to ask questions. You want to be prepared to answer (but not prompt) questions about upsetting details. Your goal is to avoid encouraging frightening fantasies.

Model calm.

It’s okay to let your child know if you’re sad, but if you talk to your child about a traumatic experience in a highly emotional way, then he will likely absorb your emotion and very little else. If, on the other hand, you remain calm, he is likely to grasp what’s important: that tragic events can upset our lives, even deeply, but we can learn from bad experiences and work together to grow stronger.

Be reassuring.

Talking about death is always difficult, but a tragic accident or act of violence is especially tough because of how egocentric children are: they’re likely to focus on whether something like this could happen to them. So it’s important to reassure your child about how unusual this kind of event is, and the safety measures that have been taken to prevent this kind of thing from happening to them. You can also assure him that this kind of tragedy is investigated carefully, to identify causes, and help prevent it from happening again. It’s confidence-building for kids to know that we learn from negative experiences.

Help children express their feelings.

In your conversation (and subsequent ones) you can suggest ways your child might remember those she’s lost: draw pictures or tell stories about things you did together. If you’re religious, going to church or synagogue could be valuable.

Be developmentally appropriate.

Don’t volunteer too much information, as this may be overwhelming. Instead, try to answer your child’s questions. Do your best to answer honestly and clearly. It’s okay if you can’t answer everything; being available to your child is what matters. Difficult conversations like this aren’t over in one session; expect to return to the topic as many times as your child needs to come to terms with this experience.

Diverse Book Finder offers recommendations about how to evaluate “diverse” and “multicultural” children’s books
Books About Racism and Social Justice
Africa Access
American Indians in Children’s Literature Blog
Anansesem - The Caribbean Children's Literature Ezine
The Brown Bookshelf
De Colores: The Raza Experience in Books for Children
Disability in KidLit
I'm Your Neighbor Books (featuring New Arrivals and New Americans)
Indigo’s Bookshelf: Voices of Native Youth
Hijabi Librarians
Kids Like Us
Kitaab World
Latinxs in Kid Lit
Rich in Color

Kids might have more questions about racism than ever before. Start a fruitful conversation by streaming one (or all) of the movies listed here. (Common Sense Media)

CA Meals for Kids: (App for phone) The CDE CA Meals for Kids mobile app has been updated to help students and families find meals during COVID-19 related emergency school closures. 

School Meal Locations:  a Google Document that lists school food locations in San Mateo and Santa Clara counties

Emergency Food Information: Second Harvest Food Bank's Food Connection Hotline (in any language) at 800-984-3663

Farmers Markets: Several farmer's markets remain open and most locations accept EBT. 

Mental Health Shelter in Place Resources: Mental health resources in San Mateo County.

California Surgeon General’s Playbook: Stress Relief for Caregivers and Kids during COVID-19 (PDF)

California Surgeon General’s Playbook: Stress Relief during COVID-19 (PDF)

California’s Resources for Emotional Support and Well-Being

Everyone On: Everyone On connects residents to low-cost home internet service, affordable computers and tablets, and digital literacy training. Residents can search its website to find low-cost offers in their area.

Comcast: To help ensure people stay connected to the Internet as more schools suspend classes and companies encourage employees to work from home due to COVID-19, Comcast has made Xfinity WiFi network free nationally.

Offline and online summer activities that will keep kids active and curious, with new themes every week.

• Preschool
• Kindergarten - 2nd Grade
• 3rd - 5th Grade
• 6th - 8th Grade
• 9th - 12th Grade

Tips for Families: 

Communicate: Use phone, text, email or parent buddy system to connect with your child’s teacher and school.

Use TV, radio and YouTube as educational resources. For how, see The Daily.

Talk as a family about your child’s day. Ask questions like “Were there any moments today when you felt proud of yourself?” or “What was challenging about your day?”

Share your smartphone. Make a schedule for when your children can use your device to access educational resources, even if it's just for 15 minutes a day. Learn to use Zoom and Google Classroom on your phone.

Collect items that can be used to make things. Put a separate box next to your trash can for “clean trash” like junk mail, food packaging, and containers. Encourage your children to use them for crafts and engineering challenges.

KMTP TV Channel 33: Learning Continues

Educational programs that your child can watch on television. Classes are offered Monday to Friday:

• 9:00 AM - 10:30 AM, Elementary
• 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM, Middle School
• 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM, High School

Here’s a sample schedule to manage your child’s time.

Tips for supporting students during distance learning (from SFUSD)

Digital Citizenship - Learn the basics of digital safety, etiquette, and citizenship.

Zoom Instructions for Students

Zoom Instructions for Logging in Through a Chromebook

Seesaw How-to (Instructions) for Students

Parents’ Ultimate Guides, Common Sense Media: Learn how you can keep up to date on the latest tech and media your kids are using.

Cyberbullying, Haters and Trolls, Common Sense Media: Find age-specific guidelines, videos, and articles to help with tough conversations – whether your kid is a bully or is being bullied.

(Source: Common Sense Media)

The Basics

• Provide structure and routine. Sticking to a schedule provides the stability kids need to keep their eyes on the prize. Plus, it minimizes their instincts to go rogue. When expectations are set, it's more likely they'll be met.
• Establish accountability. Maybe you can't motivate your kid—but their best friend can. Have them schedule daily check-ins over text or social media with a friend. Accountability helps kids realize they're not alone and gives them a tangible reason to work hard.
• Incentivize. Kids may be motivated by rewards, but you want to make it feel as though they've earned their treat (or you'll end up in a vicious cycle). If they finish one packet, they get a half hour on the tablet; two packets, 45 minutes; etc. (Screen-time rewards may not be your usual motivation go-to, but we are in unusual times!)

Make It Special

• Mark the occasion. Give kids something to look forward to. Plan an (online) family/friend celebration, like a virtual class party or a Zoom dance. Or do a family movie night and let them choose what to watch.
• Let them see progress. Use a calendar or another visual aid to mark time so they can see how much they've accomplished and how much more there is to go.
• Do a related activity. Build upon and extend what they're learning with a natural connection. If they're learning about the solar system, let them stay up late and use an astronomy app to map the night sky.

Mix It Up

• Be willing to experiment. If a kid is struggling with reading a book, turn it into a read-aloud or get an audiobook. If math is "too boring," do the problems on a whiteboard or outside using sidewalk chalk. A change of scenery can do wonders for a kid's motivation.
• Break up the day. If you have some control over when they do the work, break things up a little. Let them have a slower-paced morning and do their work after lunch. Make an agreement in advance: "If you take the morning off, you still have to get your schoolwork done before you can play online with your friends later today."
• Change the timing. There's nothing magical about the hours of 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.—that's just when we're all used to school happening. Of course, if your kids are in online classes, you have to accommodate those schedules. But for things like working through a packet of assignments from a teacher, there's no harm in experimenting with different times of day. Sometimes the change is all it takes.

(Source: Common Sense Media)

Appeal to a Favorite Teacher

A word of encouragement, such as a recorded video message, a text, or an email, from a beloved teacher can be just the thing. Your kid wouldn't want to let the teacher down.

Rule out other issues

Sometimes what looks like a lack of motivation is actually a kid covering up for a problem. Probe for underlying issues and address them. If they just need a mental health break, these mental health apps may help.

Signs and Symptoms of Mental Health Problems in Children During COVID-19

(Source: Child Mind Institute)

Adjust expectations

If we've learned anything during this crisis it's to expect the unexpected. Your kid may not end the year where they—or you—were hoping to. Insist on the bare minimum (completion of all assignments), and set up natural consequences for noncompliance (maybe they miss an end-of-year celebration). Empathize with your kid's feelings and move on. Allow yourself a moment to gather your strength and recharge. Celebrate the little victories, and remember, this too shall pass.

Let the Kids Become Teachers from Heather Wolpert-Gawron
When teaching from home, it’s really important to vary between digital and analog activities especially for students with IEPs. Does your family need an art teacher or a physical education teacher? Have your child take on the role of the teacher and have some family fun. 

Go Around the World in 30 Days from Erin Starkey
What if we spent the next six weeks at home learning about how global we really are? How might this global pandemic bring us together? Families could choose one country or region per continent (so one country per week, covering six continents in the 6+ weeks). It could take as little as 30 minutes a day for each activity. Learn more at this link.

Create a TV Cooking Show from Rhonda Hill, PBLWorks Director of District and School Leadership
Pretend that you and your kids are on a cooking show! Have them consider the groceries available/food at hand. Have a conversation about what constitutes a healthy/well balanced meal. Identify the ingredients that you have to use for dinners for the week and ask them to help you come up with new, easy, on-a-budget creations. Learn more at this link.

The Daily: SMCOE’s daily roster of culturally relevant resources and activities. 

WideOpenSchool from Common Sense Media: Free resources to support students.

• WideOpenSchool - PreK-5th
• WideOpenSchool - 6th-12th

At-Home Early Learning Math Learning Kit for Families (English) (Spanish)

At-Home Family Math Games, Grades Pre-K through 5

Updated: Join the Safe Routes to School Team each week for Story Time! Each week includes a game, a story, discussion questions and movement! Story Time is most appropriate for 3rd-8th graders.

New: Virtual Storytimes Keep Families Engaged (ilovelibraries.org)

Go Noodle: Movement and mindfulness activities for kids of all ages

Cosmic Yoga: Free yoga for a great break in the day

Art School: Video interviews and hands-on demonstrations with contemporary visual and performing artists.

Brainpop Arts & Music: Learning games, animated movies and activities

The Character Lab: Playbooks are written by experts on specific character strengths. Each includes a curated set of evidence-based resources, including recommended curricula, videos, and books.

Calm.com: This curation of content hand-picked to support your mental and emotional wellness through this time. And check back soon as we'll be updating these resources regularly.

iChill App: A free app of skills from the Trauma Resource Institute that can help us regulate our nervous system.

County of San Mateo County Managers Office: Immigrant Services: Provides resources and information for immigrant and refugee families. Connecting families to local services available to the immigrant community.

Immigrant Institute of the Bay Area: Provides high quality, affordable immigration legal services, education, and civic engagement opportunities.