“In these uncertain times with new threats emerging to our physical and emotional well-being, our shared mission to change the odds for young people has never been so important. We are more committed than ever to building a field of allies all working together, using the best of what we know from science, to help all young people thrive.”
– Karen Pittman, President and CEO, The Forum for Youth Investment
As we all navigate this pandemic, the Forum seeks to offer reflections, tools, and resources – both our own and those from other leading national organizations – to help us all keep children and youth at the center as we’re adjusting. For example, in Karen’s recent blog, “What Happens When Out-of-School Time is All the Time?”, she ponders the critical questions of how we handle learning in this new age of social distancing.
We are closely monitoring the youth-serving field’s response and will be regularly updating the resources and tools organized below. In addition to this resource page, we are sharing tools and best practices on our social media channels. Follow @forumfyi on Twitter for regular updates and tools from the field. If you have resources you’d like to share, please email us at youth@forumfyi.org.
- Every Hour Counts Resource Guide compiles resources, tools, and guidance from afterschool intermediary organizations across the country.
- Centralized Resource Bank for Afterschool and Out-of-School Time includes examples of effective guidance, questions, suggestions, and best practices from the National AfterSchool Association, Afterschool Alliance, and other national partners.
- The California Afterschool Network COVID-19 Resource Center provides links to resources from federal and state agencies as well as other reputable sources to support access to information about how best to respond to the coronavirus disease.
- Let’s Talk the Future of Afterschool, a biweekly interactive conversation on Zoom, provides timely updates and resources to our membership and informs policymakers, funders, and other decision-makers about the state of the afterschool field's efforts and needs.
- Virtual learning supports designed by the Weikart Center provide support & instruction to engage in continuous quality improvement in a changing world.
- The Learning Policy Institute offers a resource guide and blog series exploring strategies and investments to address the current crisis and build long-term systems capacity to support learning.
- Supporting Our Learning Communities in a Time of Crisis from Next Generation Learning Challenges contains annotated list of links to high-quality tools and materials to support educators, schools, and learners with resources for next gen teaching and learning in remote and virtual settings.
- Research-Based Resources, Considerations, and Strategies for Remote Learning was a recent webinar focused on resources and strategies for educators teaching in a remote setting.
- SEL Resources During COVID-19 includes social and emotional learning resources provided by CASEL and designed to support educators, parents, and anyone who works with children.
- Managing Anxiety Around COVID-19 Tips from the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence Team offers a few ideas for managing the anxiety and uncertainty we’re all feeling.
- The AIR Informs podcast series features a range of experts from the American Institutes for Research to explore the different ways the coronavirus pandemic is affecting lives.
- Science of Learning and Development Alliance (SoLD) Resources for Field Leaders contains resources that are informed by the findings of the science of learning and development and designed to advance equity for parents, students, families, and caregivers; educators at any level of the system; and advocates, policymakers, organization and system leaders.
- Edutopia is offering a range of tips and guides, including how to support student well-being and new strategies for special education in a time of distance learning.
- Resource Center for Camps by the American Camp Association offers best practices for coronavirus and communicable disease prevention and management.
- In The Future of Healing: Shifting from Trauma Informed Care to Healing Centered Engagement, Shawn Ginwright provides a moving reminder reflecting on one youth’s challenge to him and to all us working in “trauma-informed spaces.” This is an essential read in light of a recent NPR story that posits that the pandemic constitutes “an adverse childhood experience” for every child.
- AYPF’s COVID-19 Response Information Hub provides weekly updates by youth population & supports for parents to facilitate collating relevant resources.
- The Virtual Facilitation Guide from Equity Meets Design is designed for organizations and people who are learning how to better facilitate in a virtual space, especially given the current challenges facing organizations.
- COVID-19 and Race: Principles offers commentary, resources, and actions around a set of core principles for a common-sense, street-smart recovery that will benefit all people.
- Race, Economy, and COVID-19: How America’s Race Problem Exacerbated the Crisis – A Book Talk with Eduardo Porter is an upcoming webinar on April 29 from the Economic Opportunities Program at the Aspen Institute that will examine “how racial animus has stunted the development of nearly every institution crucial for a healthy society, including organized labor, public education, and the social safety net.”
- Comprehensive Services for Children, Youth, and Families during the COVID-19 Crisis by the Boston College Center for Optimized Student Support outlines key actions that state and local policymakers can take to meet urgent youth and family needs.
Across the country, many children’s cabinets are already implementing these and other key steps. - Coronavirus: What You Need To Know from the National Governors Association offers comprehensive updates on state actions as well as guidance and resources under federal programs.
- Local Children’s Cabinet Network: COVID-19 Resources for Children's Cabinets is designed to help children’s cabinets leverage their structure to address children’s needs holistically during this crisis, drawing on resources local, state, federal, and nonprofit examples.
- National League of Cities Local Action Tracker chronicles actions taken by local leaders in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, categorizing them by state and policy area.
- Policy Levers for State Human Service Agencies in Response to COVID-19 contains a quick-reference on federal flexibility available under SNAP, TANF, Child Care, and Child Welfare, including whether approval is needed.
- Turnaround for Children Resource Page is a curated list of resources for parents and caregivers, teachers, educators and leaders—for any adult who has a trusting, supportive relationship with a child—and for children and young people themselves.
- Building Positive Conditions for Learning at Home is a new resource from AIR that highlights four related concepts that are essential to consider: (1) adult readiness to support their child’s learning; (2) emotional safety; (3) supportive spaces; (4) engagement in learning.
- The Three Rs (relationships, routines and resilience) from Pamela Cantor and Turnaround for Children offer tips and resources to help parents and families enrich the lives of young people in these three domains.
- Parents 2020: COVID-19 Closures – A Redefining Moment for Students, Parents and Schools by Learning Heroes reveals findings from an April 2020 national survey of parents and guardians dealing with their children’s education during the COVID-19 crisis.
- COVID-19 Resource Sheet for Opportunity Youth United is a dynamic, collaborative sheet to share resources among the OYUnited & youth organizing community. It includes events and opportunities, funding opportunities, general resources and supports, and a space for community asks.