CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY, N.Y. — Chautauqua County provided some advice to families about helping children cope with the coronavirus pandemic.
Through a Saturday news release, The county wants to remind parents that their children look at them as a guide on how to react to stressful events. Adults can show an appropriate level of concern and doing so can help families take the right precautions to reduce the risk of getting sick.
Here are some tips that the county is giving to parents:
- Stay calm, listen, and offer reassurance.
- Monitor television viewing and social media.
- Take time to talk, including about their fears.
- Be honest and accurate, but keep explanations age appropriate.
- Stay connected to school.
- Know the symptoms of COVID-19 (fever, cough, shortness of breath).
- Model basic hygiene and healthy lifestyle practices.
- Be aware of your children’s mental health.
"This is also a tremendous opportunity for adults to model for children problem-solving, flexibility, and compassion as we all work through adjusting daily schedules, balancing work and other activities, getting creative about how we spend time, processing new information from authorities, and connecting and supporting friends and family members in new ways," the county said in the news release.
You can find additional resources for you and your family on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's website as well as in this guide published by the National Association of School Psychologists.
