Parent Resource Hub

The news cycle about local, national, and global events arrive in a steady stream from a variety of media sources, much of which is unavoidable for adults and young people who rely on or have access to digital devices. Racial violence, school shootings, climate disasters, and wars are happening with a terrifying frequency that can leave us all feeling bewildered and overwhelmed. 

To be able to navigate their own emotions in a healthy, safe, and productive way, children/students need a sense of safety from adults in their homes and schools. They will look to us for support and answers. When emotions are high, it can be hard to think about what to say or how to say it. Therefore, we hope this page is a helpful repository of resources as you guide your child(ren)/students in processing what is happening in our world. As new resources become available, we will update the page.

On-Campus Support

Kew-Forest is fortunate to have three qualified and experienced counselors who know our community: Ms. Ariana Goldklang in the Lower School, Ms. Valerie Gary in the Middle and Upper School, and Ms. Helena Fang, Kew-Forest’s Director of College Counseling, who also serves the Middle and Upper School. These individuals are available for in-building conversations and will be vigilant for signs of distress amongst our students and colleagues. Parents, please feel free to reach out to the appropriate school counselor, classroom teacher, division head, or advisor if your child is not coping well and/or you need guidance. True to our partnership in caring for your children, we will reach out to you if we hear or see something you should know about.

Guidance

There is no perfect formula for talking to young people about tragic events. Experts remind parents and educators that their approach should be age appropriate. The general advice for children of all ages is first to find out what they already know about events in the news, and to use straightforward and direct language to discuss and answer questions about these events. In addition, it is essential to give children time and space to express their emotions so their fears and concerns may be heard. Finally, we recommend shielding the youngest children from media exposure and reminding older children to access news coverage from more than one source. Given that photos and/or videos of prisoners and violence are already online, being mindful of media exposure is more important than ever. You may consider talking with your child(ren) about the accounts they follow on Instagram and Tik Tok where they may stumble across such images.

• Explaining the News to Our Kids (Common Sense Media)
• Handle with Care: Supporting Young People During Crises (Learning for Justice)
• Helping Children Cope After a Traumatic Event (Child Mind Institute)
• Helping Children Cope with Frightening News (Child Mind Institute)
• Helping Children With Tragic Events in The News (PBS Kids for Parents)
• Helping Kids Navigate Scary News Stories (PBS Kids for Parents)
• How to Help Children Feel Calm During a Global Crisis – (Talking to Kids & Teens About COVID-19 and other Global Trauma) (Hey Sigmund)
• Multilingual Trauma Resources (Child Mind Institute)
• Promoting Compassion and Acceptance in Crisis (National Association of School Psychologists)
• Something Bad Happened: A Kid's Guide to Coping With Events in the News by Dawn Huebner
• Talking to Children About Tragedies (American Academy of Pediatrics)
• Talking to Kids After Trauma (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration)
• Tips for Talking With and Helping Children and Youth Cope After a Disaster or Traumatic Event (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration)
• What to say to kids when the news is scary (NPR)
• When To Tell Kids About Bad News Events (Huffington Post through Child Mind Institute)

• Children’s Books About Elections That Might Inspire Grown-Ups, Too  (New York Times)
• The 10 Most Common Questions Teenagers Asked About The Election (Chalkbeat)
• Teaching the Election in Politically Charged Times (Harvard Graduate School of Education)

• How to Talk to Your Child About Natural Disasters (Verwell Family) 
• Talking to Children About Natural Disasters (American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry)
• Talking to Your Children About Disasters (American Red Cross)

• Elmo and his dad Louie talk about racism and protesting, a Sesame Street video for preschool and early elementary children that explains why people protest and what racism is
• Equity & Social Justice on Wide Open School powered by Common Sense provides a variety of resources including:
  • Raising Kids Who Embrace Race
  • How to Talk with Kids About Racism and Racial Violence
  • Helping Kids Process Violence, Trauma, and Race in a World of Nonstop News
  • Parenting in Support of Black Lives Webinar
  • Talking About Race
• Explaining the News to Our Kids (Common Sense Media)
• How to Talk to Kids About Difficult Subjects (Common Sense Media)
• Something Happened in Our Town, a picture book for young children that deals specifically with matters of race and interaction with law enforcement, and includes additional resources for parents and caregivers

• Anxiety Over School Shootings (Child Mind Institute)
• Guidelines to Talking to Kids about Attacks (Children's Hospital Los Angeles)
• How to Talk to Kids About School Shootings (Common Sense Media) 
• Strategies for Talking to Children About School Shootings (Psychology Today)
• Talking to Children About Violence: Tips for Parents and Teachers (National Association of School Psychologists/NASP)

• Building Resilience to Indirect Exposure to Terror (American Psychological Association)
• 8 Tips for How to Talk to Kids about Conflict and War (UNICEF)
• Helping Children Cope with Terrorism–Tips for Families and Educators (National Association of School Psychologists)
• Helping Children Cope with Violence and Terrorism (National Association of School Psychologists)
• Honesty, reassurance: How to talk to kids about Ukraine (Associated Press through Child Mind Institute)
• How to Talk to Kids about Violence, Crime, and War (Common Sense Media)
• Resilience in a Time of War: Elementary Students (American Psychological Association)
• Resilience in a Time of War: Middle School Students (American Psychological Association)Resilience in a Time of War: Tips for Parents and Teachers of Elementary School Children (American Psychological Association)
• Talking to Children About War and Terrorism (The National Child Traumatic Stress Network)
• Talking to Kids About Violence (National Association of Psychologists)
• Talking to Your Kids About War (VeryWell Family)
• Using Common Sense: Talking to your kids about the war in Ukraine (Raising Arizona Kids)
• Your kids are hearing about Ukraine. Here’s how to help them understand. (Washington Post)