COVID-19 Back to School Prep
COVID-19 Back to School Prep
by: Jasmine Reed
School reopening plans are emerging, and understandably there’s a bit of anxiety for parents and children alike, regarding what they can expect. We know that making the final verdict to send your child back to their specific schooling, during a pandemic, is not an easy one. Below are a few helpful tips we put together, to help you and your child get adjusted to the “new normal.”
#MasksButMakeItFun - The CDC is recommending that children ages 2 and up wear masks in public. Though we know that’s a bit of a task within itself, something that might make your child more open to the idea is having a mask that has a fun and less intimidating design. Here’s a link to some kid-friendly masks you can shop for, online! We highly suggest getting at least 2-3 you can rotate between.
Mask Tip: Spray the masks with a disinfectant at the end of each day. If possible, hand-wash them at least once a week and let them hang dry. Also, be sure to label their masks somehow, so that they don’t get mixed up with a
Classmate’s.
2. There’s a Song for That - One thing you can get your child in the habit of doing is having a designated “hand-washing song” they can memorize and sing when washing their hands at home AND school! Here are some cute, kid-friendly song ideas you can choose from. To make things even easier, the “ABCs” song will suffice! This will just help ensure they’re doing the recommended 15-20 seconds.
3. Create a Designated Disinfectant Area - Ideally, this would be a place that you can disinfect all of your belongings and discard any non-essential clothing and shoes, before fully walking throughout the house. This just aids in the prevention of spreading any germs your little one may have picked up from school (and you, from work or other errands).
Disinfectant Tips: Having a hard time keeping up with areas in the house you should disinfect? The CDC released an article with helpful tips and areas to keep in mind!
4. Keep them Informed - It’s very likely that things will be totally different when your child returns to school and the routines/processes they were used to before have changed. One thing that could help prepare your child for those changes is communicating those updates to them, ahead of time. Reach out to your child’s school and find out what precautions they’ve implemented to keep children and staff safe and healthy. Then, set aside time to explain those safety measures to your child using age-appropriate language. This could help ease whatever anxiety they’re feeling about returning and hopefully prevent them from being caught off guard, when they return.
COVID Communication Resource: If you’ve found communicating all things COVID-19 to your child to be a bit challenging, check out this article from Parents.com.
5. Check-In and Reassure - The news regarding COVID-19 can be a bit overwhelming as an adult, so just imagine how your child must feel. It’s so important that you take out time to check in with your child(ren) and see how they’re feeling. What do they know about COVID? Do they have any worries or fears surrounding it? Be open and honest with them, but steer away from causing alarm or panic. Make sure they know everything you all are doing as a family, to keep yourselves and those around you, safe and healthy. Also, be mindful of how you’re responding to everything COVID-19 related, because that can also have an influence on how they’re processing everything. If you need to take a break from news for a much needed breather, don’t hesitate to do so.
We hope these resources were helpful! Please reach out with any questions you have. We understand that these are very nerve-wrecking times, but rest-assured that we’re doing everything on our end to ensure your child and our staff’s well-being. We’re looking forward to ringing in a new school year with you all!