NPR, The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health conducted a five-part polling series in July – August 2020 to examine the most serious health and financial problems facing households across America prior to the expiration of federal coronavirus support programs, with an aim to identify vulnerable populations in urgent need of government help or charitable aid. The findings detailed in this report raise important concerns about disproportionate impacts of the coronavirus outbreak reported by Latino, Black, and Native American households beyond the elevated health risks they face battling COVID-19. In particular, these findings show these racial/ethnic minority households may have limited financial resources to weather long-term financial and health effects of the coronavirus outbreak, as large shares have already depleted their savings and are having major problems paying for basic costs of living, including food, rent, and medical care.

This Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) webpage includes CDC and partner resources and offers guidance in reducing stress children might encounter when transitioning back to in-person learning. Also included is the link to a CDC podcast entitled Transitioning Back to School or Early Child Education.

The third of a three-part series, this April 27, 2021 webinar from the Center for Health Care Strategies examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic reducing young children’s access to in-person early childhood and learning programs. Presentations covered approaches that states and communities might use to address development and learning needs as the children reenter early childhood and learning settings. Speakers included representatives from the Ohio Department of Education, the North Carolina Department of Health Benefits (Medicaid), and the Office of Head Start.

The second of a three-part series, this April 20, 2021 webinar from the Center for Health Care Strategies reviews challenges faced by families with young children in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic aftermath. Presentations covered opportunities to support families and connect them with community resources; strategies to increase parents’ knowledge of child development and communications skills while reducing their social isolation; mindfulness practices among staff at a supportive services agency; and the development of a virtual maternal-infant home visiting program. Speakers included representatives from the American Academy of Pediatrics, Families First of Boston, La Cocina of Colorado, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, and ZERO TO THREE.

Educare schools provide full-day, year-round early care and education for young children living in families from underserved communities. This brief illustrates the experiences and responses of Educare’s early childhood care and education (ECCE) staff during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as systemic inequities that Educare schools encountered. Interviews with staff from 18 Educare schools revealed three common themes: the importance of supporting the ECCE workforce’s physical and mental health and overall well-being; the redefinition of expectations and mechanisms for accountability; and the ECCE workforce’s ongoing commitment to professional development. The brief describes a set of identified challenges for each theme that the ECCE workforce encountered and overcame.

This research article examined the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact in relation to parental perceived stress and child abuse potential. Participants included 183 parents with a child under the age of 18 years in the western United States. Various tests and analyses were performed to assess the relationships among demographic characteristics, COVID-19 and mental health risk factors, protective factors, parental perceived stress, and child abuse potential.

This brief identifies factors contributing to poor mental health and substance use outcomes among children during the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on groups of children who are particularly at risk and barriers to accessing mental health care. While data has been limited for this population, the brief draws upon the National Survey of Children’s Health, the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System, the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, and surveys conducted during the pandemic.

Hosted in collaboration with Mental Health America and the GlobalMentalHealth@Harvard Initiative, this May 11, 2021 webinar focused on Peer Support and Youth Mental Health. In this 60-minute dialogue, Satvik Sethi of Runaway App, Martin Rafferty and Tia Barnes of Youth Era, and Dr. Cindy Liu of Harvard Medical School discussed the current challenges and successes in youth mental health, ways to empower youth, and tools to support them.

This blogpost summarizes the COVID-19 pandemic’s negative effect on mental health, particularly in low-income individuals, evidenced by increasing levels of stress and anxiety. Survey data indicate a rise since 2019 from one to four in 10 Americans who reported symptoms consistent with generalized anxiety disorder or major depressive disorders during the COVID-19 pandemic. The blogpost also refers to the relative decreases in self-reported cases of stress and anxiety with enactment of pandemic-related economic assistance and the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine.

This guide supports parents, rescue workers, and members of the larger community as they help children begin to recover from traumatic events and overcome those experiences. The guide includes the definition of trauma; common responses to trauma among young children (ages 5 and younger), children (ages 6 to 11), and adolescents (ages 12 to 17); and action steps when someone in crisis needs help.