COVID-19

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Families and their Children Continue to be Top Priority During the COVID-19 Pandemic

COVID-19 has impacted our lives in countless ways. If you need help with challenges caused by COVID 19 such as finding new childcare or help paying for childcare, Help Me Grow LA can help families get through these tough times. Below are resources, advice, and parenting tips which come from the CDC’s COVID-19 Page and the CDC’s COVID-19 Parental Resource Kit: Ensuring Children and Young People’s Social, Emotional, and Mental Well-being.

If you have experienced hardships due to COVID-19, Financial Navigators are available for residents of Los Angeles County. Visit the Financial Navigators page to sign up. To get help filling out the inquiry form, please call (800) 593-8222.

COVID-19 and Early Childhood

COVID-19, or the coronavirus disease can directly or indirectly affect young children. Beyond getting sick, the pandemic has affected the social, emotional, or mental well-being of many young children. Trauma during this time of development may have effects through adulthood. The pandemic has created many challenges for families with children with developmental concerns. These may include change in routines, break in continuity of care, learning or health care, missed important life events, and loss of security and safety. As a parent or caregiver, there are things you can do to help your child during these unprecedented times. Recognize and address your child’s fears and stress, teach and reinforce everyday preventive actions, help keep your child healthy, and help them stay socially connected.

Steps to Help Provide Stability and Support to Your Child

  • Maintain a normal routine.
  • Talk, listen, and encourage expression.
  • Under supervision, allow them to crawl and explore, returning to a trusted caregiver.
  • Give honest and accurate information.
  • Teach simple steps to stay healthy.
  • Be alert for any change in health or behavior.

Tips for You to Talk to Your Child about COVID-19

  • Act calm. Children will react to what you say and how you say it. They will pick up cues from the conversations you have with them and with others.
  • Reassure children that they are safe. Let them know it is okay if they feel upset. Share with them how you deal with your own stress so that they can learn how to cope from you.
  • Make yourself available to listen and to talk. Let children know they can come to you when they have questions.
  • Avoid language that might blame others and lead to stigma.
  • Pay attention to what children see or hear on television, radio, or online.
  • Consider reducing the amount of screen time focused on COVID-19. Too much information on one topic can lead to anxiety.
  • Provide information that is truthful and appropriate for the age and developmental level of the child.
  • Teach children everyday actions to reduce the spread of germs.
  • Remind children to wash their hands frequently and stay away from people who are coughing or sneezing or sick.
  • Remind them to cough or sneeze into a tissue or their elbow, then throw the tissue into the trash.
  • If school is open, discuss any new actions that may be taken at school to help protect children and school staff.

COVID-19 Resources for Early Care and Education Providers

The County of Los Angeles Department of Public Health Early Care and Education COVID-19 toolkit provides resources to help early care and education providers prepare for, and respond to, COVID-19 for childcare center-based programs and family childcare homes. The toolkit includes downloadable guidance documents, templates, and frequently asked questions from local, state, and national sources. A revised COVID-19 “Guidance for Early Care and Education Providers” is also available as a downloadable checklist available on our Resources page.

For up-to-date information about COVID-19 inLos Angeles County, visit the County of Los Angeles Department of Public HealthCOVID-19 Media Page here.

Links to Additional Covid-19 Resources

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