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The Illinois Policy Team at Start Early is pleased to release our annual Illinois Legislative Agenda, a snapshot of the budget requests and legislative priorities for which Start Early will be advocating during the Spring 2021 legislative session in the state.

With the new legislative session underway, our team is focused on moving forward funding requests and legislation that will support families and providers across Illinois as they begin to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on our early childhood system.

Our goals for the year include:

  • Secure additional state funding to protect and strengthen the state’s early childhood system, with a specific focus on investments in the state’s early care and education workforce
  • Expand the state’s Medicaid program to cover doula and evidence-based home visiting services
  • Maintain telehealth as an allowable service delivery model in the Early Intervention program beyond the current public health crisis
  • Pass legislation to create a statewide paid family and medical leave program
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Start Early's Illinois Legislative Agenda

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Our Illinois legislative agenda outlines several budget requests and legislative priorities for the Spring 2021 legislative session.

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For decades, our policy team has been a leading voice and advocate for early learning and care in Illinois.

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Washington State Governor's Office

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The latest news and updates from the Washington State Governor’s office.

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Dept. of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF)

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Learn more about DCYF’s government and community efforts to build strong relationships with federal, state and local governments.

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Washington State Legislature

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Links to calendars, agendas, bills and more for the Washington State Senate and House of Representatives

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We work at local, state and federal levels to create effective, equitable and interconnected educational opportunities for our youngest learners.

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The Illinois Policy Team at Start Early is proud to share our first-ever policy agenda! This new, three-year policy agenda represents Start Early’s policy priorities in Illinois through fiscal year 2023 and encompasses not only our advocacy efforts in Springfield, but the administrative policy and systems-building work we do with our public and private sector partners.

Our agenda demonstrates our commitment to ensuring that Illinois has an early childhood system that is designed, implemented and sustained in order to equitably provide a continuum of high-quality services to children from before birth through age 5.

To that end, we will be focused on five key priorities:

  1. Increasing investments in and strengthening the design and implementation of Illinois’ core early care and learning programs
  2. Strengthening the infrastructure of Illinois’ core early care and learning system
  3. Recruiting and retaining a representative, well-compensated and qualified workforce
  4. Improving the health, mental health and well-being of young children and their families
  5. Improving economic security for families with young children

Incorporated in this agenda are objectives that support the work of the Illinois Prenatal to Three Coalition, a collective effort to advance the Illinois Prenatal to Three (PN3) Policy Agenda. The comprehensive and multi-year PN3 Agenda was developed by a broad group of more than 100 diverse stakeholders with a goal to ensure that Illinois’ youngest children and their families, especially those furthest from opportunity, are on a trajectory for success. In partnership with the Governor’s Office of Early Childhood Development, we are thrilled to continue leading efforts to forward the work of the Coalition. We are eager and excited to roll up our sleeves alongside so many partners and get to work for Illinois infants and toddlers! Learn more.

In addition to our three-year policy agenda, each winter we will unveil our one-year legislative agenda, which features our top priorities for the state’s General Assembly. Stay tuned for our 2021 Legislative Agenda in January. Until then, we invite you to read our Start Early Illinois Policy Agenda for Fiscal Years 2021-2023. To stay in touch and learn about new publications or updates on our agenda, please sign up for Illinois policy email alerts and follow Start Early’s Illinois Policy Team on Twitter (@EarlyEdIL).

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Start Early Illinois Policy Agenda

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Start Early’s policy priorities in Illinois for Fiscal Year 2021 – Fiscal Year 2023.

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Start Early, provides resources, technical and support services, content expertise and peer learning opportunities to early childhood advocates and practitioners and systems and government leaders. Our goal is to create conditions that enable meaningful policy reforms and system improvements at local, state and federal levels and transform practice across the nation.

That said, we are pleased to share our annual 2020 State Policy Update Report, which provides a snapshot of early childhood care and education budget and policy changes during the 2019-2020 legislative sessions. This robust report illuminates trends and connects early childhood policy and funding advances across the country.

Included in the Report:

  • Legislative, budgetary and administrative changes across 29 states organized by topic, demonstrating the breadth of the work done by state early childhood leaders and advocates.

Topics Include:

  • Early Care and Education
  • Infant and Family Supports
  • Early Intervention
  • Home Visiting
  • Workforce and Higher Education
  • Revenue, Data and Governance

Additional Report Insights:

  • Data that illustrates how state priorities shifted in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and policy recommendations based on the lessons learned during the subsequent economic upheaval
  • Stories from state advocates that give voices to policy wins and showcase the direct impact of their work

2020 State Policy Report Resources

Snapshot

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This report overview offers a two-page reflection on the comprehensive report and provides recommendations for future early childhood field policies.

Download Snapshot

Full Report

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A comprehensive analysis of state responses and stories from state advocates, including an appendix with individual state’s responses to the survey.

Download Full Report

Abbreviated Report

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A comprehensive analysis of state responses and stories from state advocates, but does not include an appendix of individual state’s responses.

Download Abbreviated Report

State Policy Update Report Launch Webinar Recording

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Watch the recording from the December 2020 State Policy Update Report Launch Webinar & Panel.

Download State Policy Update Report Launch Webinar Recording

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Learn more about how we support services to drive effective early learning and care policies in 21 states and Washington, D.C.

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The Challenge

In 2018, California passed a bill (AB 2960) to ensure that families have access to timely, accurate information about high-quality Early Learning and Care (ELC) programs, how to enroll their children, and benefits they may be eligible for via an eligibility screener and the development of a public online portal – referred to as the “Parent Portal” – which must be created by June 30, 2022.

The Early Learning Lab (The Lab) was brought on board to provide design recommendations for the portal that would ensure it meets the needs and desires of the parents, providers, and stakeholders who will use the site.

Mother and child engaging with technology

Our Approach

The Lab convened and worked with the Parent Portal Stakeholder Workgroup, which consisted of representatives from the early care and education system in California, to develop its recommendations for the Parent Portal.

In addition to working with the Parent Portal Stakeholder Workgroup, The Lab:

  • Reviewed and synthesized existing user research from the California Child Care Resource & Referral Network (CCCR&RN) and the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, who conducted user research in San Mateo County with parents to better understand their pain points and opportunities when looking for child care, as well as child care providers – the two main end-users of the Parent Portal.
  • Conducted original user research, including facilitating a design session with members of the Preschool Development Grant (PDG) Parent Group, to better understand how to better meet the needs of low-income parents looking for child care.
  • Researched parent portals and eligibility screeners from other states in an effort to understand best practices for both types of online services.
  • Researched private child care finding web services to identify features they offer and understand processes they use to maintain their data services.

The Early Learning Lab's responsiveness to our project needs helped to create a clear path toward a high-quality platform that will transform how families can find care for their children.

Erika Mathur, manager of ECIDS Early Learning Data Governance at the Office of the Superintendent, Santa Clara County Office of Education

The Results

Through this project, The Lab delivered a set of near-term and longer-term recommendations to develop the Parent Portal as a robust platform that supports all of the stakeholders across the early learning and care sector in California.

These include specific recommendations on:

  1. Integrating subsidized child care related services into existing eligibility screeners offered by the State of California
  2. Increasing transparency and addressing the complexity of the waitlist process for subsidized child care slots
  3. Additional data on child care programs that families would find useful when evaluating program
  4. A roadmap and plan for ongoing platform improvements and enhancements for the Parent Portal to ensure it meets the evolving needs of stakeholders
  5. A communications strategy to increase awareness of the Parent Portal among various stakeholders

Publications & Resources

Note: Report was published prior to the Start Early and The Early Learning Lab merger.

Full Report: Parent Portal Summary

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This report includes recommendations for the design of the Parent Portal that will help ensure every family has access to information on California’s vast array of early childhood services.

Download Full Report: Parent Portal Summary

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Case Studies & Reports

The Early Learning Lab shares insights, tools and innovation processes developed through its solutions with the broader early childhood field.

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The Early Learning Lab

An innovation lab that uses human-centered design + systems thinking + technology to transform how we meet the needs of young children and families.

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Services & Solutions

The Early Learning Lab develops innovative technology solutions designed to empower parents, caregivers and teachers.

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Music plays a huge role in our culture and our lives from theatre, to television, movies and important ceremonies. But did you know that it can also play a big part in your child’s development?

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Lullabies, sing-a-longs, and nursery rhymes help build an intimate connection with your child, while also enhancing their fine and large motor skills and impacting their overall happiness. But don’t stop there, music and movement have so many benefits for your little one:

  • Expressing emotions
  • Awareness of movement and body positions
  • Creativity and imagination
  • Learning new words and concepts
  • Develop large motor skills
  • Improve balance, coordination and rhythm through dance and movement activities
  • Improve small motor skills‐learning finger plays and playing musical instruments

Here are some play-based activity ideas you can use to get musical with your toddler or preschooler:

  1. Dance party: Who doesn’t love a chance to dance it out to some fun music? Try listening to some music that gets your little one moving to the beat. They’ll not only be burning off some energy but also be working on their rhythm.
  2. Sing along: Let your kid belt it! Children like singing and are eager to let it out without the self-consciousness that comes with adulthood. Try using songs that repeat words or melodies. You can’t go wrong with the classics like “Mary had a little lamb,” “The ABCs,” or “Old McDonald had a farm.”
  3. Kitchen band: Let your child experience the thrill of playing a sold-out arena, aka your kitchen, with their DIY instruments. From upturned pots and pans, wooden spoons, containers filled with rice, or empty coffee cans the options are only limited by your imagination. By allowing your child to make a little ruckus with your kitchen things they’re learning concepts like loud and soft, as well as cause and effect when different materials hit wood, metal or plastic. So, have those ear plugs ready because this learning activity can go to eleven.

So until we can all get back outside and to our normal routines, we hope you’ll enjoy these activities and learning with your child through music and movement. Whether it’s hitting pots and pans with a spoon or singing silly songs, your child is learning through play and strengthening their bond with you.

Resources from our classroom to yours:

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Trauma-Informed Resources

SAMHSA’S Concept of Trauma and Guidance for a Trauma Informed Approach

This is a comprehensive guide that explores how to implement a trauma informed approach, organization, and system. Includes discussion on the context of trauma in community.

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Hope and Resilience Resources

Resilience: Center on the Developing Child Harvard University

This resource has printed and video info suitable to share with parents.
Science tells us that some children develop resilience, or the ability to overcome serious hardship, while others do not. Understanding why some children do well despite adverse early experiences is crucial, because it can inform more effective policies and programs that help more children reach their full potential.

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NEAR Sciences

ACEs Science 101

This is a link to the ACEs Too High website and includes an overview of the original CDC-Kaiser Permanente ACE Study. Also has a link to discover your own ACE score.

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How Childhood Trauma Affects Health Across a Lifetime: TED Talk

Pediatrician Nadine Burke Harris explains that the repeated stress of abuse, neglect and parents struggling with mental health or substance abuse issues has real, tangible effects on the development of the brain. This unfolds across a lifetime, to the point where those who’ve experienced high levels of trauma are at triple the risk for heart disease and lung cancer. An impassioned plea for pediatric medicine to confront the prevention and treatment of trauma, head-on.

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The NEAR@Home toolkit is a resource for home visitors to respectfully and effectively address ACEs with families.

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Of the 12 million children under age 3 in the United States, nearly 25 percent live in a family with earnings below the poverty level, with little to no access to quality and affordable child care. To address this problem, Congress appropriated $500 million in 2014 to expand access to Early Head-Start programs, which included the creation of Early Head Start – Child Care Partnerships (Partnerships).

In 2019, Start Early conducted interviews with a variety of state leaders regarding Partnerships programs. Interviewees included those who administer a Partnerships grant, and some who supported implementation of Partnerships in their states but did not have a Partnerships grant. As a result of these interviews, Start Early is proud to share our report on the lessons of implementation of the Partnerships across states.

Key Findings

Start Early found that states with Partnerships program have:

  • Leveraged multiple funding sources and state systems in new ways to support local program success and expanded access to high-quality child care for thousands of families.
  • Supported continuity of care without interruptions for infants and toddlers in working families with low incomes.
  • Raised the bar for what quality infant and toddler child care could and should be.
  • Created higher education pathways to build new skills and competencies for the infant and toddler workforce.
  • Piloted reforms that were ultimately scaled statewide to improve care for many more infants and toddlers.

Publications & Resources

Expanding High-Quality Care for Infants & Toddlers: Lessons from Implementation of Early Head Start – Child Care Partnerships in States

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Full policy paper detailing the history and current state of the country’s child care system and Partnerships programs.

Download Expanding High-Quality Care for Infants & Toddlers: Lessons from Implementation of Early Head Start – Child Care Partnerships in States

Overview & Resource Guide: Early Head Start – Child Care Partnerships

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A 2-page document that highlights the benefits and outcomes of the Partnerships and provides links to resources, reports, and videos from the Office of Head Start, Administration for Children and Families, First Five Years Fund, Bipartisan Policy Center, participating Educare schools, and more.

Download Overview & Resource Guide: Early Head Start – Child Care Partnerships

Snapshot: Expanding High-Quality Child Care for Infants & Toddlers

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A snapshot highlighting unique findings and recommendations for the Partnerships program and states across the country.

Download Snapshot: Expanding High-Quality Child Care for Infants & Toddlers

Communications Toolkit

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Find talking points, sample social media posts and a template email that can be utilized to engage with partners, programs, etc. about the report.

Download Communications Toolkit

State Profiles

Find state profiles and standalone state graphics for each of the states included in the full report.

Alabama

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Read the Alabama state profile included in the full report.

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Alabama Partnerships Graphic

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Washington, D.C.

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Read the Washington, D.C. state profile included in the full report.

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Washington, D.C. Partnerships Graphic

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Download Washington, D.C. Partnerships Graphic

Georgia

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Read the Georgia state profile included in the full report.

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Georgia Partnerships Graphic

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Louisiana

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Read the Louisiana state profile included in the full report.

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Louisiana Partnerships Graphic

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Maryland

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Read the Maryland state profile included in the full report.

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Maryland Partnerships Graphic

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Oklahoma

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Read the Oklahoma state profile included in the full report.

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Oklahoma Partnerships Graphic

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Washington State

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Read the Washington State profile included in the full report.

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Washington Partnerships Graphic

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In our fast-paced world it can feel like issues of violence and racism are dominating the content we consume from the news to social media to conversations with our friends and loved ones. While we are all working to process our thoughts, feelings and emotions around these difficult topics, so are our little ones. They are seeing these topics play out around them and, more importantly, they’re watching how the adults in their lives are responding. They might not be able to fully grasp what is going on, but even our youngest learners are picking up on our emotions in these challenging times.

That’s why here at the Start Early we created this series, Tackling Tough Topics with Your Little One, to give you helpful advice from our experts as well as tips to navigate discussing difficult topics such as violence, racism and loss with your children.

Why Racism?

The racially charged murders of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd have been in the spotlight recently, but for every high-profile death that makes national news, thousands of similar incidents are quickly dismissed or ignored. As our country works to dismantle and rebuild in the wake of these violent events, it’s important to remember that even though your child may be too young to understand it, they are seeing how racial injustice and anti-Black sentiment are playing out on a national stage. Children as young as 6 months old begin to notice race-based differences, and by age 2 children are beginning to internalize racial biases. That is why it is so important to talk to your children about racism and discrimination early on and in an age appropriate way.

How to Address the Topic of Racism

  • Five things to remember as a parent when talking to your child about racism:
    • Remember to take care of yourself. Do not binge on news and social media. Watch what you need to stay informed and then make sure you process the information in a health way.
      • Use mindfulness activities, exercise, spending time with your family, or music and movement activities, etc.
    • Practice what you want to say ahead of time. These conversations can bring up a lot of uncertainty and fear in parents, too. It’s ok to call a friend or family member and practice ahead of time so that you will feel more comfortable when the time comes to talk to your child.
    • Be aware of your own biases. Your child is paying attention to your behavior and learning from how you act and react in different situations.
    • Be open to your child’s questions around racism and encourage them to come to you with them. Remember, it’s ok if you don’t have all of the answers.
    • Consider that this conversation is approached very differently between Black and white parents.
      • The “talk” in Black families is often started very early, usually around when the child is 4 years old and includes:
        • Don’t resist police.
        • Don’t run when approached by police
        • Don’t talk back
        • When in a store, do not run and keep your hands visible at all times
        • Don’t think that just because your white friend can do it, you can to
        • Do stay close to your parent at all times
      • For white families sometimes the talk happens much later, or not at all, and parents don’t know where to start. If you are struggling to have the “talk” with your child, here are a few things to keep in mind:
        • Children aren’t colorblind, all children develop racial prejudices unless their parents engage them directly about it, which is why talking about racism is so important.
        • Be direct and intentional, use the words race and racism when talking about this topic.
        • Lead by example to help your child understand why it’s so important to be anti-racist
        • It’s ok to point out that skin color doesn’t have much biological significance, but skin color does have a lot of historical importance.
        • If your child does say or do something racist, help them to understand that it’s not ok. You can thank them for being honest, and even admit if you’ve felt that way before. But explain why it’s racist and wrong. Intention doesn’t matter, even if they didn’t mean it, comments and actions still do harm, and they need to know that.
  • For Infants and Toddlers
    • Read picture books—make sure they see images of themselves reflected in the pictures at storytime.
    • Make sure you present different races and cultures through books, toys, food, languages, etc.
    • Reinforce that difference is not bad—recognize and celebrate differences.
  • For Children Ages 3-5
    • Read books
      • If all of the characters in the book look the same, ask your child what they think about that.
      • Add different books that show black and brown children of different cultures being the hero or solving the problem.
      • Introduce age appropriate books the discuss topics of Civil/Human Rights, Discrimination.
    • This might sound simple, but it’s actually pretty important—ask your child how they feel. You know your child best and can sense when they are upset. Try asking what they might be worried about or afraid of so you can reinforce that you are there to protect and support them.
    • Use the idea of fairness to help describe how racism is unfair and unacceptable; young children understand the concept of fairness very well, and this will help them understand why we need to work together to make it better.

Other Resources

Stay tuned for the next article in our series which will cover how to talk to your little ones about loss. Connect with us for more resources, tips and expert advice.

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In our fast-paced world it can feel like issues of violence and racism are dominating the content we consume from the news to social media to conversations with our friends and loved ones. While we are all working to process our thoughts, feelings and emotions around these difficult topics, so are our little ones. They are seeing these topics play out around them and, more importantly, they’re watching how the adults in their lives are responding. They might not be able to fully grasp what is going on, but even our youngest learners are picking up on our emotions in these challenging times.

That’s why here at Start Early we created this series, Tackling Tough Topics with Your Little One, to give you helpful advice from our experts as well as tips to navigate discussing difficult topics such as violence, racism and loss with your children. During the first installation of our series, Kristie Norwood, Start Early grantee education manager, shares tips and resources on how to address the topic of violence with your child.

Why Violence?

To say that recent events in our country have been violent would be an understatement. Children see the violence happening around them whether that is on television, at school or simply by hearing what the adults in their lives are saying. Even though very young children may not be able to talk about these topics in depth, they can still pick up on and respond to how the adults in their lives feel. It is important to address the topic of violence with your young children to make sure that they have accurate information and can learn how to handle their emotions. Most importantly you want to make sure to reinforce that that you love your child and that you all are working as a family to be safe and to help keep others safe, too.

How to Address the Topic of Violence

  • For Infants and Toddlers

    • It’s critical to instill a feeling of safety and security with your infants and toddlers. Their well-being is linked to the strength of their relationships with their caregivers.
    • Let your child know that it is their job is to be a kid, and your job as their parent is to keep them safe.
    • Let them know that you are staying safe and are trying to be safe in everything that you do.
    • Even babies can sense if you are sad or upset, so as much as it might be difficult for you, try not to expose your children to your anxiety around this topic. It might be helpful to try a few mindfulness activities to reduce stress, such as breathing exercises or repeating positive mantras.
    • Work with your child to find a way to identify and process their own feelings of anger, stress, fear and anxiety in a healthy way. For example, you could ask them to draw a picture about how they are feeling and talk about it.
    • Talk with your child about their feelings and reassure them that you are there to love and support them.
  • For Children Ages 3-5

    • Have conversations about what they are talking about at school with their friends—this will let you know if they are discussing current events.
    • When your child starts to discuss topics like gun violence, death or police brutality, let them. It is only natural for them to be curious. Use this as a learning opportunity to ask how they feel about these topics.
    • When your child asks you a question, keep your answers short and focused on what you and your family can do to be safe.
    • Remember to stay calm and use simple language that your child will understand. And if you don’t know the answer, it’s okay to say just that.
  • For Both Age Groups

    • One of the best ways to start a conversation with your child is through books. Pick an age-appropriate book on the topic for storytime and then start to read. Your child’s questions will naturally develop from there.
    • Ask your child questions like: How do feel about that? Tell me more about that? Why do you think they are angry?
    • Monitor your child’s television viewing and screen time to prevent “overload.” This will help to ensure that you know what kind of content your child is consuming.
    • Try to limit your own viewing of the news or other potentially violent content to times when your child is either asleep or not in the room.
    • Explain the concept of safety using examples your child will understand. For example: Remember how we hold hands when we go outside so you don’t get lost? That is one way we stay safe. We work very hard to make sure that we can be as safe as possible.

Other Resources

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