Limiting COVID chaos during the school year

Child: “Will I go back to school this fall? Parent: “I’m not sure yet.” Child: “Do you know when we’ll find out?” Parent: “I also don’t know that yet.” Child: “Will school be the same for the whole year?” Parent: “I don’t know that either.” Sound familiar? If the only thing you do know is that plans are in flux, you’re not alone. School plans seem to be changing frequently — before the school year even has started in some places! With so much uncertainty, how can families limit the potential chaos that may unfold from last-minute decisions and changes? Below are four tips that may help. Develop a plan for each school setup Schools seem to be deciding among having all students return, all students attend school remotely, and a hybrid plan of the two. Although you can’t prepare for everything in the future, you can contain some of the mayhem by creating a plan for your family based on each of the three school scenarios. Because there is the possibility that schools may change their decisions throughout the school year, it may be helpful to develop all three now, in case any of them might be needed. For example, when planning for a hybrid school year, have all caregivers in the house map out a schedule of child care coverage for the days when children would be home. For the remote learning days, creating a structured daily routine may help if the remote education doesn’t fill the whole school day. It’s also important to talk to children ab...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Children's Health Mental Health Parenting Source Type: blogs