Thoughts on Charlottesville from First 5 CEO Janis Burger
What happened in Charlottesville is on all of our minds. We’re all struggling with the images of terror, hatred and violence. The entire community is suffering, but the early childhood community has the additional burden of wanting to shield our children from potentially traumatizing images. As early childhood experts, we know that adults often underestimate children’s emotional intelligence. Charlottesville and the vitriolic aftermath has the potential to be very scary for young children. As First 5’s CEO, I want to acknowledge our current state and also offer some ideas and resources for how the early childhood community can support parents, families and neighborhoods to create environments where children thrive.
This year, we partnered with Sesame Street to create the Care Cope Connect - Comforting and Supporting Kids During Community Stress. The booklet has tips for how to make young children feel safe, self-care tips for caregivers and activity pages for kids. Check out the PDF link and if you are interested in getting some hard copies (all are English and Spanish) we have a limited supply that we can make available for free. Please contact Camille.Denzel@first5alameda.org
Below are a list of additional resources for talking to children about disasters (natural and human-made) compiled by the Georgia Association on Young Children (GAYC.)
- Tips to Help Children Cope with Disasters (article from NAEYC’s Teaching Young Children journal)
- NAEYC Resource List on Coping with Disasters
- Resources for Parents and Caregivers (from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network)
- Talking to Children about the Shooting (from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network)
- 5 Real-World Issues that Worry Young Kids (Parents magazine)
- Trauma & Stress (ZERO to THREE)
- Coping After a Natural Disaster (ZERO to THREE)
- Mass Shooting and Violence Resources (Child Care Aware)
- Talking to Children about Tragedies & Other News Events (from the American Academy of Pediatrics)
- How to Help Kids Feel Safe After Tragedy (PBS)
- Anti-Bias Education (Teaching for Change)
- Talking to Children about Ferguson and Social Justice (Little Pickle Press)
- When President Trump Speaks, Our Children Listen (Center for American Progress)
First 5 Alameda County is committed to equity, the underlying tenet in all of our work. We stand for love, inclusion, justice and a shared future of prosperity for all children.
.