Support for Families and Children

Recommended Resources:


AACAP: Resources for Helping Kids and Parents Cope Amidst COVID-19 (American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry)

Articles about discussing the coronavirus with kids, helping parents cope, talking to kids about loved ones who are sick, loss and grief, kids activities, and support for parents and children with disabilities. Informacion en Español.


CSTS: COVID-19 Pandemic Response Resources (Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress)

Wealth of articles and infographics for individuals, families, providers, and community leaders, with resources from national organizations such as the Center for Disease Control, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, World Health Organization, and National Child Traumatic Stress Network. Family topics include:

Managing Family Conflict While Home During COVID-19: Intimate Partners
Tips for Coping when Quarantined with COVID-19 Family Members
When Family Members are Hospitalized due to COVID-19
Finding the Right Words to Talk with Children and Teens
Supporting Homebound Children
Taking Care of Your Family
Discussing Coronavirus with Your Children
Mitigate the effects of home confinement on children during the COVID-19 outbreak


NCTSN: Public Health Resources (National Child Traumatic Stress Network)

Full resource guide to help you think about how an infectious disease outbreak might affect your family— both physically and emotionally—and what you can do to help your family cope in times of public health emergencies. Fact sheets and e-learning courses to support parents, children, teens, community leaders, as well as information regarding psychological health, family activities, and approaching media coverage. Includes information in Español and Chinese.


Parent/Caregiver Guide to Helping Families Cope With the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) (NCTSN)

This 5 page PDF offers strategies for reducing risk, coping with stress, hygiene practices, family dialogue, and an excellent chart with tips for how to approach conversations with children of different ages (preschool, school-age, adolescents).


Parents and COVID 19: Helping Your Children (InfoAboutKids.org)

Best practices for maintaining health, managing worry, strategies for planning and structure, and additional resources for parents and families.


Self-care for Resilience Toolkit (Mass General Clay Center for Healthy Young Minds)

Videos, podcasts and tips from experts on how to care for yourself and your family amidst COVID-19. Includes strategies for cultivating resiliency and self-care practices for school-aged children, middle school students, high school students and college students.


Coronavirus Anxiety Workbook (Jamma International)

Comprehensive workbook for managing anxiety in the context of coronavirus. This workbook utilizes Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) techniques to help the reader identify common physical & cognitive manifestations of anxiety, offering worksheets and practical tools for working with thoughts, seeking healthy distractions, building self-care routines, using gratitude practices and breathing exercises to calm the bodymind.

Further Resources

How to Talk to Your Kids About COVID-19

Additional Tips & Tools: