Photo by Marcos Paulo Prado on Unsplash

During this time of COVID-19, home quarantine, and social distancing, young children and their grown-ups are feeling the strain but children ages 0-3 have a limited understanding of what is happening. Here’s an article from Psychology Today that shows what stress and anxiety might look like in your little one, and how you can help.

ACNJ hosted a ZOOM discussion on April 23 with NJ Department of Children and Families and Prevent Child Abuse NJ on child abuse and neglect in New Jersey, how COVID-19 has affected it, and how you can help prevent a tragedy by joining the #WeCan campaign.

From Trauma Informed Parent: This video presents Steve Gross, a clinical social worker and pioneer in the field of using playful engagement and relationships to overcome the devastating impact of early childhood trauma. He is the founder and Chief Playmaker of Life is Good Playmakers; a foundation that works to “harness the power of optimism to create healing, life-changing relationships for kids in need.”

Whether you are a parent, teacher, or another important adult, your child looks to you to figure out how to navigate the world.  Zero To Thrive is committed to helping families and professionals through the COVID-19 crisis with information and resources, including this video from Michigan Medicine to advocate for balanced caregiving or responses to children that are warm and kind and strong and in charge.

The National Center for Pyramid Model Innovations (NCPMI) website offers resources to support families in helping young children cope with the challenges related to the Pandemic, including handouts, scripted stories, infographics, and a webinar. This website will be updated as more resources are obtained.

Supporting Families and Caregivers of Infants and Young Children Affected by the COVID-19 Pandemic: a webinar presented by Gerard Costa, Ph.D. & Joy D. Osofsky, Ph.D.

Drs. Joy Osofsky and Gerard Costa addressed the impact of the changes in our world and personal lives brought about by COVID-19. Special attention was given to the ways in which infants, toddlers, and preschoolers are affected when their usual routines are disrupted and their ability to manage stress and stay regulated are compromised. These changes were described through developmental and relationship-based perspectives, highlighting the critical importance of establishing new routines to support co-regulating, attuned, and responsive relationships. Insights from the brain sciences were described to better understand the ways in which infants, children, and adults may react around the fearful climate of COVID-19. Strategies for speaking with, supporting, and playing with infants and young children were presented.  Importantly, the need for self-care of the adults in the lives of the children was addressed.

In the first episode of this special series on COVID-19, Harvard’s Center on the Developing Child, Dr. Jack Shonkoff,  discusses how to support healthy child development during a pandemic, including the importance of caring for caregivers.