Parent Resources

NHRCES 2021-22 HEALTH & SAFETY PLAN

• Updated 09/09/21 

INFORMATIONAL SERVICES

Study.com 

• Tips for Managing Back to School Stress for K12 Students During Coronavirus
• Helping Your Child with Back to School Anxiety During Coronavirus

Google Corona Educational Website

• Google launched an educational coronavirus website on 03/21/20 that contains safety tips and authoritative information about the pandemic.

How to Talk with your Child about the Coronavirus

• Here is a good article from PBS

How to Talk with your Child

• The National Association of School Psychologists and the National Association of School Nurses put out detailed guidelines for parents in late February explaining that when it comes to talking to kids about a pandemic, it’s best to reassure them while also providing “factual, age-appropriate information about the potential seriousness of disease risk and concrete instruction about how to avoid infections and spread of disease.”

How to protect your child from COVID-19 infection

• You can encourage your child to help stop the spread of COVID-19 by teaching them to do the same things everyone should do to stay healthy.
  • Clean hands often using soap and water or alcohol-based hand sanitizer
  • Avoid people who are sick (coughing and sneezing)
  • Clean and disinfect high-touch surfaces daily in household common areas (e.g. tables, hard-backed chairs, doorknobs, light switches, remotes, handles, desks, toilets, sinks)
  • Launder items including washable plush toys as appropriate in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. If possible, launder items using the warmest appropriate water setting for the items and dry items completely. Dirty laundry from an ill person can be washed with other people’s items.

Trusted Informational Websites

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
• Allegheny County Health Department
• Pennsylvania Department of Health 

ADVICE FOR PARENTS SUPPORTING STUDENTS

• Create a personalized space for learning. Home is a place that we look to for inspiration in learning environments, for comfort and a sense of belonging. Soft lighting, a comfortable upholstered chair, a favorite photo or books on display, or a warm, cozy blanket – elements of home create personalized learning environments where students feel a sense of ownership. Also consider access to power; ability to change posture and move throughout the day; some access to privacy for focus where possible; and proximity to work tools, other people at home and refreshments.
• Try to establish a dedicated – or at least regular – space in the home for students to do their virtual learning, even if it is a corner of the kitchen table. “It might be helpful to say, ‘This area is where school happens’ – there is something psychological about that routine,” Brayko says.
• Routine is important. Ask children at home what their schedule of classes is, from checking attendance in the morning and through the day. Particularly as some schools have rotating schedules, this is one way parents or caregivers can help children ensure they are organized.
• Take advantage of breaks in the day such as free periods, and before and after school hours to replace the physical activity and social interaction they are missing while not with their peers: active family outings such as going on a walk or a hike, or going out for a meal together, can give their mental wellbeing a boost.
• Keep checking in with your child about how they are doing, and encourage them to take any concerns or frustrations to their teachers so they can be resolved.

Source: Steelcase 360 series Making Distance Work about working remotely