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For Caregivers NEW YORK STATE RESOURCE GUIDE C A R I N G F O R Y O U R F A M I L Y D U R I N G T H E C O V I D - 1 9 C R I S I S ---PAGE BREAK--- Parental Resilience: The ability to recover from difficult life experiences, and often to be strengthened by and even transformed by those experiences. Parental Resilience is strengthened by problem-solving and finding ways to alleviate stress (deep breathing, taking a break, going for a walk). Social Connections: The ability and opportunity to develop positive relationships that lessen stress and isolation and help to build a supportive network. Accessing those people in your lives provides necessary emotional support and helps to alleviate your stress. Concrete Support in Time of Need: Access to supports and services that reduces stress and helps to make families stronger. Learn who is providing these services in your community and find out how you contact them. Knowledge of Parenting and Child Development: The ability to exercise effective parenting strategies to guide and know what to expect as children develop in multiple domains (physical, cognitive, language and social and emotional). Social and Emotional Competence of Children: Family and child interactions that help children develop the ability to communicate clearly, recognize and regulate their emotion and establish and maintain relationships. New York State Resource Guide for Caregivers in the Time of COVID-19 During this difficult time, we are all facing challenges that seem daunting and that we may feel unprepared for. This Resource Guide is intended to help navigate life with children through the pandemic and the days that follow. The Five Protective Factors serve to mitigate the negative impacts of trauma. This Guide is organized by each of the Factors: 1 ---PAGE BREAK--- Hotlines and Helplines Child Abuse Reporting Hotline 1-[PHONE REDACTED]* Domestic Violence Reporting Hotline 1-[PHONE REDACTED] Prevent Child Abuse NY Parent Helpline 1-[PHONE REDACTED]* *This is an information and referral line that can help direct you to the services you need. This is NOT the NYS Child Abuse Hotline. Mental Health Assistance 1-[PHONE REDACTED] COVID-19 Websites NYS Parent Portal: NYS Department of Health COVID-19 Information: New York City-specific COVID-19 resources: http://www1.nyc.gov/site/acs/about/covidhelp.page 2 ---PAGE BREAK--- Stick to a routine as best as possible. Get up at a reasonable hour, get dressed, eat breakfast. Maintaining a certain sense of normalcy during uncertainty helps keep you (and your family) on track. Modify daily activities. Maybe you are working from home, suddenly unemployed, or homeschooling. Adjust your schedule to accommodate this “new normal”. Be gentle with yourself. What is happening now is unprecedented. You won’t have all the right answers, and that’s o.k. Take time and space for yourself. Exercise or meditate, go for a walk, give yourself a facial, read a book. Do what works for you. Connect with others, but don’t compare yourself to them. Everyone will get through this in their own way. But the best way is together. Parental Resilience If you’ve ever travelled by airplane, you know the drill—in case of emergency, you are advised to put your oxygen mask on before you secure your child’s. Caring for yourself during this trying time will help ensure that you can care properly for your family. Tips: Self-care Strategies: the-covid-19-outbreak-the-importance-of-self-care How to Protect Yourself: How to Protect Your Family: family.html How to Protect Your Home: home.html How to Manage Stress and Anxiety: family.html Tips for Parents (video): time_continue=21&v=MdKeau2huT4&feature=emb_logge 3 ---PAGE BREAK--- Reach out to existing friends, family (supports) - STAY CONNECTED to the people you love (and be innovative about it!). Know who lives in your neighborhood and check in on those who may need your help through notes, phone calls, or texts. Offer a kind word, share from your toilet paper stash, or have your kids draw pictures or make art projects for neighbors. Create groups on social media or through FaceTime, Zoom, or Skype for your neighborhood, your schools, and your kids' friends. If you belong to faith-based or social support organizations such as a church or regularly attend 12-step programs, find those programs online. Many are offering streaming services or online resources for when people are unable to actually get out. Send a card or a note to brighten someone's day. Get involved in a group or organization that provides advocacy for issues facing children and families. Bolstering our safety nets and necessary services, like affordable and adequate child care; health care for vulnerable populations; and protections for front-line and essential workers will make our whole state stronger in the event of a future crisis--and make children safer on a daily basis. Social Connections Social distancing is really only physical distancing; it does not mean that we have to lose touch with loved ones, colleagues, and community. Here are some tips for enhancing existing connections and creating new ones. Tips: Kinship Navigator Virtual Case Assistance: http://www.nysnavigator.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Kinship-Navigator-Flyer-1.pdf Alcoholics Anonymous Online Meetings: NAMI-NYS Resources: http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event? oeidk=a07egz8q4y72f9585ec&llr=zga6rzjab&showPage=true 4 ---PAGE BREAK--- Reach out to others (within social distancing guidelines). Order grocery deliveries together. Mow a neighbor’s lawn or do some other chore for someone. Create a system of assistance for an elderly neighbor (one green square in the window means everything is alright; a red square means that help is needed.) Reach out for yourself. It’s o.k. to ask for help when you need it. Assisting others makes people feel useful. Donate to local charities and national relief efforts. Concrete Support in Times of Need Everyone needs help sometimes and we are all in this together. You can get and give help! There are many organizations assisting families, here are some resources to help you get started: Tips: Whether you find yourself unemployed or in need of food assistance, the following can be of assistance: New York State United Way: Dial 211 New York State of Help Open Enrollment Period Extended: http://www.nysnavigator.org/?page_id=5083 COVID-19 Emergency Paid Sick Leave: Hotline 1-[PHONE REDACTED] paid-sick-leave New York City DOHMH's COVID-19 information with City-specific resources: Text COVID to 692-692 to get regular updates Text COVIDESP to 692-692 for updates in Spanish Nutrition Assistance: www.FoodHelpNY.org and www.WIChelpNY.org Social Security: Child Care: 5 ---PAGE BREAK--- Stick to a routine. Routines are so helpful for children. Routines provide predictability for children, so they know what comes next and what to expect. Routines make children feel safer and more secure. A child who feels more secure is less likely to present with challenging behaviors. Some schools are providing more structured online curriculum than others, so follow those educational guidelines as best you can. Remember that children need routines, but they (and you) probably require some flexibility right now, as well. If your child has a therapist or counselor of some sort, take advantage of tele-health opportunities to connect virtually. Have any prescriptions delivered so that there is no gap in medication management. Identify coping strategies that work for you. If you don’t have a plan in place, make one. Discuss what each of you needs to be successful during this difficult time. Keep the lines of communication open. A child's behavior can tell you a lot. Even the most well-adjusted children and teenagers have their moments. Watch for warning signs. Continue to monitor screen time, but allow for creative ways to connect with friends. Knowledge of Parenting and Child Development Odds are you are not a teacher, child care provider, or counselor. Yet suddenly you are thrust into that role. If your child has special needs, those needs may be more intense than ever. Tips: NYS Parent Guide: How Do I Homeschool?: need-in-one-place.html Parents' Guide to Google Classroom: lepresent Helping Children Cope: podcasts/school-climate-safety-and-crisis/health-crisis-resources/helping-children-cope-with-changes- resulting-from-covid-19 NYS Parenting Education Partnership (NYSPEP) program database: Children’s Trust Fund Alliance parenting resources: 6 ---PAGE BREAK--- There are new stressors and uncertainties right now. Help your child(ren) navigate this new world by working with them to understand and regulate their emotions. Listen to their concerns, provide them with assurance, and be age-appropriately honest with them about how you’re feeling. This is an opportunity to help them strengthen problem-solving skills. Seek their input on how to organize their days, managing school work and chores--and let them weigh in on what is and isn't working well. Encourage and support healthy peer relationships. Kids (especially teens) miss their friends. Accommodate creative ways to make connections, such as watching a movie together on Netflix Party. Social and Emotional Competencies of Children Family and child interactions that help children develop the ability to communicate clearly, recognize and regulate their emotion and establish and maintain relationships. Tips: NYS Education Department’s Social-Emotional Resources List: http://www.nysed.gov/common/nysed/files/programs/coronavirus/talking-about-covid-19-memo-3-26- 2020.pdf Fostering Healthy Development: Ten Things Every Parent Should Know About Play: Questions & Answers on States’ Responsibilities to Children with Special Needs: 7 ---PAGE BREAK---