Resources for Early Childhood Policymakers on Preventing and Preparing for Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19)
A curated list of resources for state early childhood administrators
COVID-19 Resource Pages from ECE and Child Care Organizations
For Parents and Teachers
Early Learning Nation, A parent’s guide to surviving COVID-19: 8 strategies to keep children healthy and happy
Harvard Graduate School of Education, Caring for Preschoolers at Home
North Carolina Early Childhood Foundation, Resources for Talking with Children About Coronavirus
Bedtime Math, Fun at Home
Smithsonian Magazine, What Happened When Hong Kong’s Schools Went Virtual to Combat the Spread of Coronavirus
New Jersey Association of School Librarians, Tools and Resources for Remote Instruction
NASA, NASA Kids’ Club
Smithsonian, Fun Stuff for Kids Online
Dr. Zeynep Isik-Ercan, Survive and thrive with your young children (Ages 4–10) at home
ASCD, The Resilient Leader
Story Line, children’s literacy site
PBS, Resources to support children’s learning searchable by age
Colorin Colorado, Bilingual site for educators and families, host of activities to do with children
Paper Pinecone, 101 Activities to do with Toddlers & Preschoolers at Home
ZERO TO THREE, Screen Sense
ZERO TO THREE, Play Activities for 12 to 24 Months
NAEYC, Technology and Media
U.S. Department of Education, Early Learning and Educational Technology Policy Brief
Education Development Center, Checklists on Integrating Technology
Association for Library Service to Children, Excellence in Early Learning Digital Media Award – 2019 Winners
Understood, 9 Indoor Activities for Hyperactive Kids
Boston Public Schools, Department of Early Learning, New: Resources for At-Home Learning
Miami-Dade County Public Schools, Instructional Continuity Plan includes resources for K-5
New York City, Department of Education, Early Childhood Learn at Home
From and For States
National Governors Association, Coronavirus: What You Need to Know
Indiana Department of Education, COVID-19 Resources for Indiana Schools
Kansas Department of Health and Environment, COVID-19 Resource Center
Nebraska Department of Education, Coronavirus Resources
Oregon Department of Education, Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Resources
Vermont Department of Health, Early Childhood Care and Education Programs Closure and Dismissal During A Novel Coronavirus Outbreak: Technical Guidance for Child Care, Head Start and public and private Prekindergarten Education Program
Washington State Department of Children, Youth & Families, Coronavirus COVID-19 Updates
Washington, DC Mayor News Release, Guidance Related to COVID-19: Child Care Provider Closures and Public Funding
Illinois State Board of Education, School Closure Guidance, March 13, 2020
Illinois State Board of Education, School Closure Guidance, March 14, 2020
Maryland Department of Education, Division of Early Childhood, Child Care in Maryland During COVID-19 State of Emergency
State of Oregon, Office of the Governor, Updated Mitigation Measures on Coronavirus Response
State of Pennsylvania, Office of Child Development and Early Learning, Child Care Works Payment Modifications Due to Impacts related to Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Boston Public Schools, Department of Early Learning, New: Resources for At-Home Learning
The Brookings Institution, Webcast only: How should schools prepare for a coronavirus outbreak?
City and County of San Francisco, Office of the Mayor, News Release, San Francisco Converts Public Libraries, Recreation Facilities to Emergency Child Care Centers
Boston Public Schools, Department of Early Childhood, Website to Promote At-Home Learning PreK-2nd for Teachers and Families from Boston Public Schools
From National Organizations and Federal Agencies
American Academy of Pediatrics, Preparing Child Care Programs for Pandemic Influenza
American Academy of Pediatrics, Healthy Futures: Managing Infectious Diseases in Early Education and Child Care Settings
Center for Disease Control (CDC), Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
Center for Disease Control (CDC), Child Care and Preschool Pandemic Influenza Planning Checklist
Center for Disease Control (CDC), Resources for K-12 Schools & Child Care Programs
Center for Disease Control (CDC), Frequently Asked Questions and Answers: Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) and Children
Center for Disease Control (CDC), Workplace, School and Home Guidance downloads
Center for Disease Control (CDC), Interim guidance for Administrators of US Child Care Programs and Public Schools
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC’s general COVID-19 website
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Resources for K-12 Schools and Childcare Programs
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Implementation of Mitigation Strategies for Communities
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Keeping School Safe
Child Care Aware, Coronavirus Updates and Resources for Child Care Providers and CCR&RS
Child Care Aware, Coronavirus: How Does It Impact Child Care Providers and CCR&Rs
Child Care Aware, Coronavirus: What Child Care Providers Need to Know
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Coronavirus: Make Infection Control a Priority
Inter-agency Network for Education in Emergencies, Coronavirus (COVID-19) Outbreak: Education Resources and Update
National Conference of State Legislatures, State Action on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Using USDA Food During a Human Pandemic Outbreak: Options for Schools and Communities
U.S. Department of Education, COVID-19 Information and Resources for Schools and School Personnel
World Health Organization, Guidance to Protect Children and Support Safe School Operations
Zero to Three, Tips for Families: Talking About the Coronavirus
Administration for Children and Families, Flexibility in Spending CCDF Funds in Response to Federal or State Declared Emergency Situations
Administration for Children and Families, CCDF Frequently Asked Questions in Response to COVID-19
Administration for Children and Families, CSBG Dear Colleague 2020-15 Partnership to Address COVID-19 Spread
Administration on Children and Families, Office of Child Care, Flexibility in Spending CCDF Funds in Response to Federal or State Declared Emergency Situations
Benefits.gov, Disaster Unemployment Assistance
Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center, Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19)
Georgetown University Health Policy Institute, Center for Children and Families, CMS Releases FAQ on COVID-19 for Medicaid and CHIP
The Ounce of Prevention, The Ounce issues policy recommendations to states in light of COVID-19
Letter from the Office of Early Childhood Development and Office of Head Start, March 12, 2020
Dear ECD Colleagues –
We are sharing this message with you from the Department of Health and Human Services.
Thank you for your continued engagement and partnership with us to address and mitigate the spread of COVID-19. We highly value our strong ongoing partnership, and hope to continue to be a resource to you as you implement community mitigation techniques. As you might imagine, a number of HHS divisions are releasing COVID-19-related information on funding and guidance. We thought it would be helpful to batch up information on key issues to keep you up-to-date.
Funding for States to Address COVID-19
Today, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced upcoming action by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to provide resources to state and local jurisdictions in support of our nation’s response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
The $8.3 billion dollar Supplemental passed by Congress included statutory language which prescribed the exact formula for disbursing the money: states will receive 90% of their 2019 CDC PHEP grants. This marks the first tranche of funding to states from the $8.3 billion supplemental. Today, CDC is contacting State Health Officers to move forward with awarding over $560 million to states, localities, territories, and tribes. CDC will use existing networks to reach out to state and local jurisdictions to access this initial funding. To view the list of CDC funding actions to jurisdictions, click here.
Helping Communities Know Mitigation Strategies
Yesterday, CDC released their “Implementation of Mitigation Strategies for Communities with Local COVID-19 Transmission.” Essentially, this is a guide describing possible mitigation strategies for communities dealing with transmission at three different levels: (1) None/Minimal, (2) Moderate, or (3) Substantial. Community mitigation strategies, which are non-pharmaceutical interventions, are often the most available interventions to help slow the transmission of COVID-19 in communities. The Mitigation Plan includes a set of actions that persons and communities can take to slow the spread of respiratory virus infections. The Community Mitigation Plan can be found here.
Guidance on Infection Control For Healthcare Workers
Yesterday, CDC released updated guidance on infection prevention and control recommendations. Healthcare workers are fighting this outbreak on the front lines, and this guidance is intended to provide assistance to healthcare settings that are handling suspected or confirmed cases of COVID-19. This guidance is applicable to all U.S. healthcare settings, but not for non-healthcare settings. There is separate guidance for that. The new guidance on infection control can be found here.
Guidance for Preparing Workplaces
This week, the Department of Labor released practical guidance for how to prepare workplaces for COVID-19. This guidance will help to educate workers and employers about the COVID-19 outbreak. The guidance can be found here.
Guidance for Laboratories
The CDC has been actively working to address the need for testing across the country. In addition to public health laboratories, private labs are doing testing. In addition to reviewing the Updated Guidance on Evaluating and Testing Persons for Coronavirus Disease 2019, the CDC recently updated the FAQ website for laboratories, and we encourage you to read through the site to answer preliminary questions, though we stand ready to answer other questions that you may have.
Guidance to Prepare Homeless Shelters
We recognize persons experiencing homelessness are an especially vulnerable population. CDC released guidance on March 9, to help homeless shelters plan, prepare and respond to COVID-19. The guidance can be found here.
On March 9, 2020, OMB issued a memo that provides administrative relief for recipients and applicants of Federal financial assistance who are directly impacted by COVID-19. The grant flexibilities include 10 actions that HHS can take to provide short-term administrative and financial management relief, allowing funds to be awarded quicker and giving grantees the ability to focus on their critical response, research, or services. More information can be found here.
General Preparation Information
On March 9, 2020, the White House Coronavirus Task Force released practical steps that we recommend posting and sharing to keep workplaces, school, home and commercial establishments safe. This information can be found here.
The COVID-19 response is a whole-of-government effort and each department has a number of specific resources. We encourage you to explore those resources as necessary to respond to the situation in your communities.
Dr. Deborah Bergeron
Director, Office of Early Childhood Development and Office of Head Start