Foster Care / Kinship Care COVID-19 Back-to-School Guidance

For children in foster or kinship care, in the absence of a high-risk medical condition or immune-suppressing medication, return to school is likely to benefit and support them.  Due to their unique health risk factors rooted in trauma history, return to school can promote resilience through establishing a routine promotion of social-emotional health, encourage a sense of normalcy, and reduce burden on caregivers. Return to school ensures an added layer of support physically and mentally as educators ensure children are thriving.

• In the event that schools are unable to open for in-person school or need to close during the academic year, advocates will need to encourage added layers of support for children in foster and kinship care.
• Caregivers will need to weigh the many complex aspects of return to school decision-making for children in their homes, and there are many resources available to guide these decisions and to support children with trauma symptoms through these challenging times. 

• Resources

  • Children's Health
  • Age-Related Reactions to a Traumatic Event
  • Fighting the Big Virus: Trinka's and Sam's Questions - From the National Child Traumatic Stress Network and available in different languages. Provides questions that Trinka and Sam have about the big virus and ways to answer those questions. 
  • Helping Children with Traumatic Separation or Traumatic Grief Related to COVID19
  • How to Support Your Child’s Resilience in a Time of Crisis
  • Parent/Caregiver Guide to Helping Families Cope with the Coronavirus Disease 2019
  • Return to School During COVID-19
  • Supporting Children During Coronavirus (COVID19)