How to Reach Me (and Please Do!)

Please do not hesitate to reach out if you need any help, support or guidance. I will be regularly checking my email (jstevenson@huusd.org). You can also leave a message on my voicemail (583-7876). I will do my best to respond within 24 hours.

How to Create an at Home Schedule

Not being in the classroom doesn't mean students should stop learning, and maintaining a regular, consistent schedule is important for managing anxiety and making their eventual return back to school a little easier. The schedule below is from Jessica McHale Photography - you have likely seen it on Facebook. Click image to view the full schedule. 

Other resource:

• Sample Schedules For Kids Home From School During Coronavirus Outbreak

COVID-19: Online Resources for Families

Coronavirus - COVID-19

• Talking to Children About COVID-19 (National Association of School Psychologists)
• Coronavirus Kid-Friendly Video (Brain Pop)
• Just For Kids: A Comic Exploring The New Coronavirus (NPR)
• Talking to Kids About the Coronavirus (Child Mind Institute)
• How to Talk to Your Child about COVID-19 (UNICEF)
• Talking with Children about COVID-19 (CDC)
• 10 Tips for Talking about COVID-19 with Your Kids (PBS)

Anxiety

• How to Help a Child Struggling with Anxiety (NPR)

Helping Your Child Manage Anxiety

• Talk to your child about anxiety, what is happening in their body and why it happens. Many children and young people don’t know what they are feeling when they are anxious, and it can be very frightening and overwhelming. 
• Help them to recognize anxious feelings so they can tell when they are becoming anxious and can ask for help.
• Tell your child it will be okay, and the anxiety will pass. It can be helpful to describe the anxiety as a wave to ride or surf that gets smaller after it peaks.
• Get your child to breathe deeply and slowly. (See: Deep Breathing Exercises for Kids)
• Distract them by focusing on something else. Engage them in an activity that they typically enjoy doing. 
• Calming visualization: Help your child imagine a safe place - somewhere that they feel relaxed and happy. It may be a grandparent’s or friend's house or a holiday beside the sea which they can picture when they are feeling anxious. 
• Progressive muscle relaxation: Most kids tense their muscles when feeling anxious. A simple two-step process helps children learn to use their muscles to relieve the physical stress they experience when anxious. 1. Tense a specific muscle group (e.g. arms and hands or neck and shoulders) and hold for five seconds and 2. release the muscle group and notice how you feel. Work head-to-toe to better understand all of the muscles affected by anxiety. 
• Get to the basics: Make sure your child is getting enough sleep, is eating healthy, drinking plenty of water and has consistent opportunities for physical activity and outdoor time.
• Another resource to check out: Calming Anxiety in Children. 

(Source: Psychology Today, Pyscom, Young Minds)

Signs of Anxiety in Children

Some common changes to watch for include:

• Excessive crying or irritation. 
• Returning to behaviors they have outgrown (i.e., bedwetting). 
• Excessive worry or sadness. 
• Unhealthy eating or sleeping habits. 
• Irritability and “acting out” behaviors in teens. 
• Poor school performance or avoiding school. 
• Difficulty with attention and concentration. 
• Avoidance of activities enjoyed in the past. 
• Unexplained headaches or body pain. 

(Source: CDC)

Supporting Your Child Through COVID-19

• Take care of yourself: Take steps to make sure your needs are being met by other adults. Avoid voicing your emotional concerns in front of your children and be sure to monitor your own stress and anxiety levels around your children. If you're feeling anxious, give yourself time to notice and process those feelings so that you can be fully present.
• Use age-appropriate language: For example, “a new germ that we don’t know very much about”, “we are doing everything we can to keep from getting sick.” When your children ask questions, answer them to the best of your ability, using words and concepts that are appropriate for their developmental stages. Likewise, be sure to create space for questions your children might have.
• Share family plans: Talk about what you are doing to stay healthy such as washing hands, cancelling vacations, avoiding places with lots of people and staying home if you aren’t feeling well. You can also reassure them that very few children have been sick and if they have been, their symptoms have been mild. Children are comforted by feeling a sense of control and by having predictability in their lives.
• Maintain routines: Stick to regular activities and routines for things like meals, naps, baths and bedtime. This increases predictability for kids. Spend time doing activities that promote calm in your family like reading together or getting outside for a walk. Children will be comforted by spending special time with you.
• Provide reassurance: Reassure children that the adults are managing the situation and that you give them permission to be children.
• Limit media exposure: This may include monitoring and appropriately limiting your own exposure to anxiety provoking information.

(Source: Psychology Today,  The Conversation)

MRV Community Resources

• Mad River Valley Food Shelf: (802) 496-2830 or (802) 496-9709 
• Meals on Wheels: (802) 496-2543 
• Mad River Valley Interfaith Council: (802) 839-8195 or (802) 461-6241 
• Free Wheelin’ (free transportation): (802) 249-3427 

(Source: The Valley Reporter)