The following story, "Helping Kids Who Are Feeling Anxious and Isolated After Schools Shut Down," by Javeria Salman, was published by , a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education, and based at 911爆料网.
As schools across the Washington, D.C. metro area announced closures, Siobhan Davenport and her colleagues at Crittenton Services of Greater Washington (CSGW), a nonprofit that seeks to empower teen girls, began receiving dozens of calls and messages from middle- and high-school girls concerned about how the novel coronavirus would impact them.
At first, girls asked for information about the coronavirus itself and how school shutdowns would affect their access to school resources. But, as the days have gone on, more are worried about the basics, from job loss to food scarcity.
鈥淭wo of our young ladies have lost their jobs. For the majority of them, that income is essential to running their household,鈥� said Davenport, who鈥檚 the executive director of CSGW. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e concerned about their jobs. They鈥檙e concerned about their parents鈥� job.鈥�
, based in Washington, D.C., works with over 600 girls, in grades six through 12, from low-income and at-risk backgrounds. CSGW leaders hold weekly after-school programs providing girls with support to 鈥渙vercome obstacles, make positive choices, and achieve their goals,鈥� according to the organization. As schools closed, the organization had to pivot its in-person programming and services and go online immediately to address the social and emotional needs, including social isolation, of the girls it works with.
As the country adjusts to a new reality of social distancing and life in quarantine due to fears of the coronavirus, the move from brick-and-mortar classrooms to an online world 鈥� or no school at all 鈥� is sparking anxiety and fear, not just for kids and teens but also for their parents and caregivers.
Davenport said the girls want to stay engaged with the organization because program leaders are often some of the most trusted adults in these teens鈥� lives.
鈥淚t鈥檚 almost like a sister circle, they want to maintain contact with each other. They want to maintain contact with the program leaders during this time,鈥� said Davenport. 鈥淓ven though this generation is very much social media savvy, they still miss that face-to-face personal contact.鈥�
Davenport and the program leaders are keeping in touch with the girls through calls, group and one-on-one chats and emails, but plan on using video chats as the primary means of communication. The teens have suggested social media apps like , a group video chatting app, and classic video platforms like Zoom.
Experts say it鈥檚 important for parents and caregivers to provide children with social interactions, even when they may not be able to interact in person with their peers.
Jacqueline Ancess, co-director of the National Center for Restructuring Education, Schools & Teaching said one of the ways to help kids manage social isolation may be through online activities being provided by some schools, or through informal means like CSGW鈥檚 online weekly group meetings. Just because 鈥渨e鈥檙e supposed to say six feet away from each other,鈥� Ancess said, 鈥渄oesn鈥檛 mean that we need to be socially isolated from each other.鈥� (NCREST is based at 911爆料网; The Hechinger Report is an independent unit at the college.)
Ancess said parents can use Google Hangouts or Zoom to engage younger kids. 鈥淎 friend of mine gets her grandchildren on Google Hangouts or Zoom and they spend time singing together or they bake,鈥� she said.
Lynne M. Celli, executive director of leadership and professional education at Endicott College in Massachusetts, said parents and caregivers can also give 鈥渢he old fashioned way鈥� a try.
鈥淭he simple writing of a letter. Encouraging students to write letters to their friends that they aren鈥檛 seeing on a regular basis and putting it through the snail mail. I mean that seems sort of simplistic where we have such sophisticated technology, but I think incorporating everything that we can have at our disposal, to keep those social groups alive and well 鈥� it鈥檚 the most important thing,鈥� Celli said.
Groups such as ), have also provided social and emotional learning tips and for parents and educators on their websites during the coronavirus outbreak.
Ancess said adults should help children and teens talk about their emotions and understand their feelings so they can learn how to manage them. 鈥淧rovide them with opportunities that teach them how to manage their feelings.鈥�
Adults can help kids manage anxiety and stay engaged in school by trying to keep to a routine or develop a schedule, whether students are going completely online or doing take-home packets or a combination of both. 鈥淭here is routine when they鈥檙e in school and there should be a routine at home,鈥� Celli said. She added the family unit can design these routines, building social interaction into them. Celli suggested families go hiking and biking, play board games, paint or read and that parents and caregivers encourage kids to find new hobbies, if possible.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 the fun part of the learning and that reduces anxiety,鈥� Celli said.
Davenport said CSGW is working with teens to create SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, time-bound) goals and teaching them what it means to be self-motivated. The girls share goals with each other, which helps them to be accountable and remain engaged with school.
Also key to helping kids manage anxiety and fear during uncertain times? Adults should acknowledge their own anxieties and give honest answers to kids鈥� questions about what is happening. Adults need to be 鈥渁ware of their own behavior because children of all ages can pick up on our cues immediately and recognize that we鈥檙e anxious,鈥� said Celli.
She added it鈥檚 important for parents and caregivers to have open communication with kids, but to keep in mind that they need to speak to children at their own developmental or cognitive level. 鈥淚 know it can be very scary for adults and it can be very scary for children,鈥� Celli said. 鈥淚 can鈥檛 underscore (enough) self-awareness and self-regulation for adults.鈥�