a number of school-age children that come from or have experienced traumatic situations and have had regular interaction with social workers and counselors–something not readily afforded to them at home.
Nutrition
Another important factor is that children will have two meals a day when they attend class in person. Nearly 30 million low-income children participated in the National School Lunch Program on a typical day in the 2017-2018 school year. A good number of them rely on getting both breakfast and lunch on a daily basis in school.
Contracting the Virus
We know that people with pre-existing conditions, which could be your mother, father, grandmother or whoever is in the school with you, can possibly contract or spread COVID-19. While there are a greater number of people recovering from it, contracting the virus is still very real and very scary to many.
Dr. Fauci mentioned that he supports kids going back to school with reopening protocols for two main reasons:
“A, the detrimental effects on children who are kept out of school, psychological and otherwise, and B, the downstream unintended ripple effects that go beyond the children and go to the parents who may need to interrupt their work,” he said.
So what happens now?
If your child is going to school IN-Person:
- Check in with your child each morning for signs of illness. If your child has a temperature of 100.4 degrees or higher, they should not go to school.
- Make sure your child does not have a sore throat or other signs of illness, like a cough, diarrhea, severe headache, vomiting, or body aches.
- If your child has had close contact to a COVID-19 case, they should not go to school. Follow the guidance on what to do when someone has known exposure.
If your child is only going to school VIRTUALLY
Be sure to have support. There may be other parents or friends of your child who are doing the same curriculum and who could benefit from group study, even if it is virtual.
Be sure to include some social activities. No matter if you’re pro going back to school or against it, all can agree that students needs social interaction. So planning social activities for your child to interact with kids their age (not just you as parents) is key.
Let me know that you don’t have all the answers. They might have a lot of questions, but let me know that you may not know when the virus may be “gone” or when things get back to “normal.” But continually reassure them that they are loved through it all.
Whatever this new school year looks like, you know what’s best for your child. You can help keep them safe. Stay alert, stay nimble and open for adjustment and stay optimistic. We’ll all get through this together.