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Back to School with COVID-19

August 25, 2020

by Diane Kindler, MSW, LCSW

 

This will be a school year unlike any other due to the COVID-19 health pandemic. Traumatic histories and multiple moves mean that change is especially difficult for many children in foster care. Children who are prone to anxiety or depression may experience a worsening of symptoms. Behavior problems may intensify. Issues that seemed “under control” may reappear as some children regress under pressure. The impact of COVID–19 on their school plans will likely be very disruptive. 

How do you help a child who was struggling even before the world got turned upside down? While there aren’t any easy answers to these questions, here are some strategies that might work for you and your family:

Provide a routine – it’s more important than ever.  A regular schedule for meals, schoolwork, chores and recreation brings stability in a time when so many things have changed.

Talk about COVID 19 with your foster child. Provide age-appropriate information about the pandemic in order to decrease their sense of helplessness. Share with them ways in which people in their community are working to cope with the challenges of COVID 19. Keep them informed of developments which will affect them such as changes in their school schedule.

Never underestimate how much the basics of good care help children feel more secure.  Good nutrition, adequate sleep, and plenty of opportunities for movement every day help them cope with the stresses they are experiencing.

Focus on strengthening your relationship with your foster child.  Remember that the trusting relationship between a foster parent and their child provides the basis for healing and growth. Try to use your time together in a way that promotes your connection with each other. In the long run this “new normal” may provide some unexpected opportunities for your foster son and daughter to develop stronger connections to you and other family members.

Keep in mind that, even if they don’t say so out loud, your foster son or daughter is wondering about how their birth family is coping with COVID 19.  Let them know that you understand that they may be worried about their parents and siblings. Support them in maintaining safe contact with their families.

Don’t underestimate the educational value of everyday experiences. A great deal of important learning can occur within the context of everyday activities. Although they may not be learning math in a classroom your child can learn about fractions by measuring out ingredients to make muffins for breakfast. Watching the news together and discussing the upcoming elections with your older kids may be the most interesting social studies lesson they’ve ever had.

Accept that this is a stressful time for everyone including you. This may be the time to cut everyone, including yourself, some slack. In a crisis, you have to focus on the basics of living together. Try to fit in time for self-care, as hard as that might seem to do. Let the laundry build up a day longer and chill out with your family and watch a movie together.

Remember that this too will pass. Sharing your realistic optimism about the future with your foster child will help them deal better with the challenges they face in the present. 

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Foster Children Reach Their Potential Through Educational Stability

April 3, 2015

Changing schools can be difficult and disruptive for any child, but especially for students in foster care. Research shows that school transitions significantly interfere with learning and that even a single change can delay educational progress.

While placement in foster care is generally temporary, it is almost always best if children are placed with foster parents in their own community so they don’t have to change schools. Each time a child changes school, she/he loses approximately 6 months of knowledge and skills.

Last year in MA, a bill was introduced that would allow kids entering foster care to continue in their current school when it’s in their best interest. A critical factor in making this work is the availability of foster parents in the kids’ communities.

In 2014 alone, Plummer Foster Care had to turn away 200 children throughout Northeastern MA due to a shortage of foster parents. To help these kids achieve educational stability, it is essential that we find more people willing to foster kids of all ages, ethnic and economic backgrounds.

Fostering can be one of the most rewarding experiences of your life. To become a foster parent, you don’t need a big house, a spouse or partner or parenting experience. What you do need is dedication, patience and a strong desire to provide a stable and loving home for a child in foster care. Please consider becoming a foster parent for a youth in your community. To learn more, please visit https://plummeryouthpromise.org/.

Resources
http://www.fostercareandeducation.org/AreasofFocus/BlueprintforChange.aspx
https://malegislature.gov/Bills/189/House/H76

https://plummeryouthpromise.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Gabe-speaking-at-graduation-300x241-1.jpg 241 300 competenow /wp-content/uploads/2023/04/logo-1-1.png competenow2015-04-03 16:30:462023-04-29 07:12:44Foster Children Reach Their Potential Through Educational Stability

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