Help for Parents

Help For Parents

Helping children and young adults deal with terrorism
from the National Association of School Psychologists

As the nation learns more about what happened and why, adults can continue to help children work through their emotions and perhaps even use the process as a learning experience.

For Parents to consider:
1. Focus on your children over the next day or so. Tell them you love them and everything will be okay. Try to help them understand what has happened, keeping in mind their developmental level.
2. Make time to talk with your children. If you do not talk to your children about this incident someone else will. Take some time and determine what you wish to say. 3. Stay close to your children. Your physical presence will reassure them and give you the opportunity monitor their reaction. Many children will want actual physical contact. Give plenty of hugs. Let them sit close to you, and make sure to take extra time at bedtime to cuddle and to reassure them that they are loved and safe.
4. Limit the amount of your child's television viewing of these events. If they must watch, watch with them for a brief time; then turn the set off. Don't sit mesmerized re-watching the same events over and over again.
5. Maintain a "normal" routine. To the extent possible stick to your family's normal routine for dinner, homework, chores, bedtime, etc., but don't be inflexible. Children may have a hard time concentrating on schoolwork or falling asleep at night. 6. Spend extra time reading or playing quiet games with your children before bed. These activities are calming, foster a sense of closeness and security, and reinforce a sense of normalcy. Spend more time tucking them in. Let them sleep with a light on if they ask for it.
7. Safeguard your children's physical health. Stress can take a physical toll on children as well as adults. Make sure your children get appropriate sleep, exercise and nutrition.
8. Consider praying or thinking hopeful thoughts for the victims and their families. It may be a good time to take your children to church or the synagogue, write a poem, or draw a picture to help your child express their feelings and feel that they are somehow supporting the victims and their families.
9. Find out what resources your school has in place to help children cope. Most schools are likely to be open and often are a good place for children to regain a sense of normalcy. Being with their friends and teachers can help. Schools should also have a plan for making counseling available to children and adults who need it.

What school staff can do:
1. Assure children that they are safe and that schools are well prepared to take care of all children at all times.
2. Maintain structure and stability within the schools. It would be best, however, not to have tests or major projects within the next few days.
3. Have a plan for the first few days back at school. Include school psychologists, counselors and crisis team members in planning the school's response.
4. Provide teachers and parents with information about what to say and do for children in school and at home.
5. Have teachers provide information directly to their students, not during the public address announcements.
6. Have school psychologists and counselors available to talk to student and staff who may need or want extra support.
7. Be aware of students who may have recently experienced a personal tragedy or a have personal connection to victims or their families. Even a child who has been to visit the Pentagon or the World Trade Center may feel a personal loss. Provide these students extra support and leniency if necessary.
8. Know what community resources are available for children who may need extra counseling. School psychologists can be very helpful in directing families to the right community resources.
9. Allow time for age appropriate classroom discussion and activities. Do not expect teachers to provide all of the answers. They should ask questions and guide the discussion, but not dominate it. Other activities can include art and writing projects, play acting, and physical games.
10. Be careful not to stereotype people or countries that might be home to the terrorists. Children can easily generalize negative statements and develop prejudice. 11. Refer children who exhibit extreme anxiety, fear or anger to mental health counselors in the school. Inform their parents.
12. Provide an outlet for students' desire to help. Consider making get well cards or sending letters to the families and survivors of the tragedy, or writing thank you letters to doctors, nurses, and other health care professionals as well as emergency rescue workers, firefighters and police.
13. Monitor or restrict viewing of this horrendous event as well as the aftermath.

For more information on helping children and youth with this crisis, contact NASP at (301) 657-0270 or visit NASP's website. NASP represents 22,000 school psychologists and related professionals throughout the United States and abroad. NASP's mission is to promote educationally and psychologically healthy environments for all children and youth by implementing research-based, effective programs that prevent problems, enhance independence and promote optimal learning.

Tips for Successful Meetings with your Child's Teacher

It's that time of year - Back to School Nights and Parent Conferences. Here are some questions we encourage you to ask:

How is my child doing in this class?
Is my child working up to his or her ability?
Is my child working at grade level?
Does my child have strengths and/or weaknesses in any subject areas?
Does my child participate in class discussions?
How well does my child get along with others?
Is my child having any problems?
What are they?
How can I help at home?
Is tutoring or extra help available ?
What is your homework policy?
What happens if my child does not hand in homeowork?
How much time should be spent on homework?
How often do you assign homework?
Does my child regularly complete the classwork and homework you assign?
How often do you give tests?
How is my child doing on tests so far?
Has my child missed any classes other than the ones I contacted school about?
How can I get in touch with you to meet with you again?

Additional questions regarding middle school, junior high or intermediate school students:

Will the school help my child choose a high school program of study?
What is the deadline for high school registration?
Can you recommend a high school program of study?
Does the school have career awareness classes or programs?

Additional questions regarding high school students?

What kind of career counseling is my child receiving?
Does the school have a job placement program?
What college counseling is my child receiving?
Is help available for completing college applications?
Where can I get information about financial aid?

For more help with school, contact the National PTA web site.

Here are PTA's in Delaware with web sites:
Delaware State PTA
Cedar Lane Elementary Middletown, DE
Christina Council Newark, DE
Forest Oak Elementary PTA, Newark, DE
Mount Pleasant Elementary, Wilmington, DE
North Laurel Elementary PTA, Laurel, DE
Region VI, State of Delaware Dover, DE - serving Caesar Rodney, Capital, Lake Forest, Milford and Polytech school districts
The Carrcroft PTA, Wilmington, DE

More are being added all the time. Click here to see the list of schools in Delaware with PTa web sites: FamilyEducation.com/DE

Educators agree on content for teaching reading

The big news is a new report from the Learning First Alliance, Every Child Reading: A Professional Development Guide, is that educators now agree on critical factors, such as comprehension and phonics, in teaching children to read.
It is a companion to an earlier LFA report, Every Child Reading: An Action Plan.
Both LFA reports can be downloaded from the Learning First Alliance site.

More links of interest to parents

These links have been selected to present parents with a variety of resources for nuturing conditions for effective learning from birth to college.

Helping with Homework: A Parents Guide to Information Problem-Solving
from ERIC, the Educational Resources Information Center - This and other "digests" from ERIC offer excellent help for parents, all of which are accessible from this link..

365 Outdoor Activities You Can Do with Your Child
Activities to do with your child by place and season.



Alliance for Parental Involvement in Education
Advocacy group that encourages parent involvement in education.
America Goes Back to School:Get Involved!
Involvement suggestions from the U.S. Department of Education
American Psychological Association
Use search feature on "Psychnet" page (search on "parenting") to find the latest research on parenting children of all ages.
American School Directory
Lists information on many of the schools indexed on the site.

Attention Deficit Disorder: Solutions for Teachers & Parents of ADD/ADHD Kids
Includes information on ADHD/ADD.
AudiologyInfo.Com
Contains information related to hearing, special hearing tests for children, and general hearing tests
Awesome Library
Organizes exploration of the World Wide Web with 10,000 resources.
Babyhood
Concentrates on infants to 24 months; includes information on parenting, health and safety, reading aloud, child care, and recreation.
Babyworld
Provides an alternative (British) point of view on caring for a new baby.
Bilingual Families Web Page
Contains articles on defining bilingualism and special problems of bilingual families
Bilingual Parenting in a Foreign Language
Contains family stories of parents raising their children in a foreign language, listings of resources.
The Bruderhof Saving Childhood Forum for people who believe that children need and deserve time and space simply to be children; many message boards; articles on relevant topics and trends, such as the damaging effects of TV, as well as ideas to make childhood memorable.

Center for Adolescent Studies
Focuses on meeting the social and emotional growth and development needs of adolescents.

Child & Family Canada
Information about child care & child development, parenting, family life, adolescence, learning activities, social issues and special needs.

Children Now
Contains legislative and advocacy information on children's issues and welfare reform.



Children's Literature Newsletter
Contains descriptions of fiction and nonfiction books for children of all ages.
Children's Literature Web Guide
Learn more about children's books.
Children's Software Revue
Includes software news and reviews.
Children's Television Workshop Online
Features articles from Sesame Street Parents that provide insight into preschoolers' physical, intellectual, and emotional development.
Colorado Parent Information and Resource Center
Contains information for parents on how to be effectively involved in education, research on parent involvement and parent interventions.
Community Update
Featuring "best practices" and focuses on how communities can learn from each other as they improve their schools.

Delaware Parent School

Delaware Parent School is a non-profit organization made up of many partners from across the state of Delaware who have committed themselves to increasing parent involvement focused on student achievement. They not only sponsor workshops and seminars for that purpose, but also the "Parents Make it Happen" TV Show and the "Parent to Parent" Radio Show.


Department of Education Publications for Parents
Lots of suggestions for parental involvement.
Disney's Family.Com
Contains sections on activities, computing, learning, parenting, food, and travel; parenting section can be searched by age of child and topic.
Dr. Greene's House Calls
Pediatric wisdom for the information age is provided in a question and answer format on this site.
Dr. Toy
A good site to visit for age appropriate toys, books, videos, CDs, and other children's products.

EarlyChildhood.Com
Contains advice from experts in the early childhood field.

Education Week on the Web
Education Week provides articles from past issues as background reading for interested parents and educators.
Fair Test Fact Sheets
Several fact sheets on testing are available.
Families and Education
Provides information and ideas to help parents understand how schools, how children learn, and how parents can contribute to the learning process.

Family Connections
Provide "read-alouds" that parents can use with their children.
Family Education Network
dedicated to helping you take an active role in the education of your children.
Family Explorer Monthly newsletter of science and nature activities intended for use by parents with elementary school age children.

Family Learning: Parent Involvement Materials
Ideas from the ERIC Clearinghouse on Reading, English, and Communication

Family Living Programs: Parenting the First Year
This site has the Parenting the First Year newsletter.

Family Time: Books Every Child Should Read
Includes lists of books recommended by a number of today's top writers and critics.

Fatherhood Project
Examining the future of fatherhood and developing ways to support men's involvement in childrearing.

Food and Nutrition Information Center
Contains information on healthy school meals.

Future of Children
Contains issues of an academic journal available in print and online.

Gauche! Left Handers in Society
Parents' section provides information on the early development of left-handers.
Gifted Resources Home Page
links to online gifted resources.
Hand in Hand
Works to share information about programs that expect, value, and nurture a family and community role in children's learning.
Helping Your Child Learn Science
Science activities parents can do with their children.

I Am Your Child
Contains information on child development from birth to age three.
Information for Women with Infants and Toddlers The U.S. Food and Drug Administration offers information for parents on infant nutrition, preventing poisoning, and infant formulas.
International Dyslexia Assocation
Explains dyslexia, provides reading lists and other information for parents, and suggestions on how to approach the IEP process.
Keeping Youth Drug Free
A Guide for Parents, Grandparents, Elders, Mentors, and Other Caregivers (Spring 1996) from the Department of Health and Human Services.
Kids Connect @ the Library
The "Librarian's Guide To Cyberspace for Parents & Kids".
Kids First
Evaluates and rates children's videos, CD-ROMs and television programs.
Kids' Money
Contains a survey on family allowance practices, money management, investing, a parents' book list, and a discussion group on kids' money.


KidsHealth.Org
Provides information about growth, food and fitness, childhood infections, immunizations, lab tests, and the latest treatments.
LD OnLine
Interactive Learning Guide to Disabilities, for Teachers, Parents, and Children Assessment

Learning Partners Publications for Parents
More ideas from the U.S. Department of Education.

Love and Logic
Raising children to be responsible adults.

Mapping Your Future
Offers students and parents a virtual "walk" through the process of planning for college.
Media Literacy Online Project
Provides parents with a comprehensive resource collection related to the influence of media in the lives of children, youth, and adults.
My Child is GAY! Now What Do I Do?
Resources for the parents of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered youth.

NAEYC
Contains information for parents on the importance of the early years as learning years.

NTSA Injury Prevention
Provides information on car airbags and restraint systems, child passenger safety, traffic safety programs, and school bus safety.
National Association for Gifted Children
Contains information on identifying gifted children and characteristics of various areas of giftedness

National Center for Fathering
The site features "Today's Father" magazine, tips for fathers, research on the importance of fathers in their children's lives.
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
Provides a missing child database.
National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect
Online publications and fact sheets.
National Institute on Media and the Family
Provides information to parents so they can make better media choices for their children.

National Middle School Association Provides information on how to recognize high quality middle schools, and a catalog of books for parents about adolescents and school-home relationships.
National PTA
Home page of the National PTA.
National Parent Information Network
sponsored by the ERIC Clearinghouse on Urban Education and the ERIC Clearinghouse on Elementary and Early Childhood Education
National Parent Information Network-Parent News
A monthly parent newletter which includes a myriad of topics of interest to parents.