As the world fights COVID-19 and the resulting lockdowns and social distancing directives, families face challenges managing stress, talking with children and navigating life during this crisis. Dr. Sanaz Kumar, assistant medical director of The Children’s Guild Outpatient Mental Health Clinic and a staff psychiatrist at The Children’s Guild School of Prince George’s County, specializes in family and child psychiatry and provides some advice for parents.

Dr. Kumar recognizes the stress families are experiencing. Routines have changed, and, in many cases, parents have added homeschooling to their list of responsibilities.

This can be especially overwhelming if one is trying to work remotely and still give their child attention or if they have lost their job and are worrying about finances.

One of the questions Dr. Kumar is asked most frequently these days by parents is “How do I explain COVID-19 to children when adults are having such a hard time grasping the enormity of what we are living through?” In these turbulent times, there is a real emotional cost to everyone, young and old. We even have children asking the question, “Am I or my parents or grandparents going to die?”

To that end, Dr. Kumar wrote Talking to Children about COVID-19 advising parents to talk with their children calmly, using developmentally appropriate language, presenting the facts and emphasizing action steps.

“Talking with your children frankly and thoughtfully can go a long way in alleviating children’s fears and helping them to understand and grow in these challenging times,” Dr. Kumar explains.

In this crucial time of distance learning, many of the students at The Children’s Guild and Monarch Academy schools do not have computers in their homes or access to the internet. To help its students, The Children’s Guild and Monarch Academy schools launched an initiative to raise funds to support the immediate purchase of 1,500 Chromebook laptops.

At The Children’s Guild DC Public Charter School, for example, most of the students live below the poverty line, and 22 percent are homeless. In Monarch Academy schools in Anne Arundel County, many students qualify for free or reduced lunch, and many parents have been laid off.

“If these student do not connect to online learning options during this time of distance learning, they will regress and lose the progress they have made since the beginning of the school year,” said Andrew L. Ross, president and CEO of The Children’s Guild Alliance, operator of The Children’s Guild and Monarch Academy schools. “Gifts of any size are appreciated but know $50 buys a WiFi hotspot for a family without internet connectivity, and $250 puts a Chromebook in the hands of a student.”

For more information or to donate, visit
KidsFirstAmerica.org/chromebooks