Maintaining connection is our greatest
source of strength in these times.
As the implications of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continue to evolve in unforeseeable ways, the Help Me Grow National Center is reinforcing our dedication to the National Affiliate Network. We are seeking to identify new ways of providing families what they need amid an evolving and amplified set of challenges. To do so, the below COVID-19 resource hub is comprised of emerging and promising practices by affiliates across the country, best practices and guidance from national partners, and other reference material that can support us all.
To aid in the development of this clearinghouse, the HMG National Center is asking affiliates to fill out this brief survey to collect information on your community’s needs, challenges, and the developing impact of COVID-19 on your approaches and priorities related to young children and families.
Our collective work to build a more comprehensive, integrated early childhood system is more essential now than ever.
We have witnessed the importance of ensuring all families have equitable access to the supports and services that foster their children’s healthy development. Yet, as our country faces this pandemic, we have also witnessed the reality that many families are being left without a safety net. We feel profoundly grateful to be your partner as you persist in helping families connect to critical resources, support their children’s development, especially now. Together, we will do what it takes to care for each other, for our communities, and for young children and their families.
This resource hub will be updated frequently. For questions, additional information, or to submit resources, please contact Stephanie Luczak.
Affiliate Promising Practices
National cENTER gUDIANCE
The HMG National Center has been encouraged to see how quickly many states and localities have established additional, temporary call centers to field and triage clinical inquiries related to COVID-19. While most of these interactions are to discuss virus exposure and where to seek testing or treatment, it is also possible that many individuals and families engaging with these access points could benefit from further care coordination and support in accessing community-based services. If you have not already done so, you may wish to reach out to the organizations currently staffing these call centers, to ensure that families can be connected to HMG, where appropriate, and to help ensure that we are collectively and effectively meeting a spectrum of needs during a challenging time.
ALaska
Help Me Grow Alaska is open and ready to support families and the providers working with them through this stressful and unprecedented time. They have compiled a list of resources for families, but offer in their recent statement that Care Coordinators can help navigate this situation during this time.
ALABAMA
The Partnerships for Alabama’s Children, the backbone agency for HMG Alabama, has compiled a list of resources for parents to support their child’s development while at home.
ALAMEDA COUNTY, CA
The team at Help Me Grow Alameda County, CA are gathering resources (such as the Infant Mental Health Tele-health Best Practices) that can inform the Centralized Access Point’s approach with families during this time. HMG Alameda County is also begin to think through how the Developmental Screening Program using ASQ Online can support continued screening for families who are not currently receiving screening in other programs (such as Early Head Start).
Georgia
Help Me Grow Georgia’s Centralized Access Point providers have received COVID-19 related trainings in addition to training disaster preparedness trainings that have typically been provided to the state Department of Health staff only.
LONG ISLAND, new york
Help Me Grow Long island is taking steps to ensure accurate information about agencies across Long Island. Family Resource Specialists are contacting agencies across Long Island to find out the latest information about closing or other service changes, and their ability to take new cases. All information regarding these updates will be updated on a daily basis on this website. In addition, their call line remains open and continues to serve families during this time.
MICHIGAN
Help Me Grow Michigan is helping the state’s essential workforce find access to child care during this time. View their form here.
SUTTER COUNTY, CA
The HMG Centralized Access Point has been promoted as the COVID-19 Call Center for Sutter County children 0-5 and their families to assist with resources and concerns at this unique time. The Call Center was established March 16, 2020. Staff have managed the Call Center Monday through Friday from 8 am – 5 pm, and staff have been conducting follow-up via telephone for families that require additional referrals.
VERMONT
Help Me Grow Vermont has been helping to support state and local community efforts by being a contact to assist essential workers apply for emergency child care at a time when all the state’s schools and child care centers have been ordered closed. In addition, HMG VT is assisting the statewide early childhood system and partners at Building Bright Futures to identify gaps in resources families are facing, such as a shortage of diapers and formula, and helping to strategize how these important needs could be met. View Building Bright Futures’ resource list here.
WASHINGTON
The Help Me Grow Washington call line, housed at WithinReach, remains open and committed to connecting families to health insurance, food assistance, and other essential services for families with young children. Their online form also is a source of referral. Click here to read their statement.
YOLO COUNTY, CA
Staff have prioritized increasing an online presence with webinar workshops, additional activities and resources shared on social media, and providing additional developmental screening opportunities via Centralized Access Point. Help Me Grow Yolo County developed new social media “blasts” to promote the use of the Centralized Access Point and are also working on a set of instructional videos on how to use the HMG Yolo County system to complete a developmental screening on a mobile device in English and Spanish. HMG Yolo County is also proactively reaching out to families that they have worked with in the last 2 years that have children within the target population age range to see if they would like additional activities for their child to do at home, a re-screen, and/or additional information.
National Resources and Best Practices
2-1-1/Alliance of information and referral systems (airs)
In response to the number of 2-1-1 call centers serving as dedicated sources of information about COVID-19, 2-1-1 and AIRS have developed a national resource matrix with ongoing information about the virus, travel, food, unemployment, mental health services, and more. The United Way Worldwide team is monitoring information and updates from the CDC, federal officials, and reputable news sources to keep the matrix as up-to-date as possible.
ADVANCING STATES
ADvancing States has launched a new section of its website in order to provide updated information on COVID-19, highlighting the latest guidance from federal partners, including advocacy efforts, CMS Waiver Approvals, a live version of the CDC’s Microsite with background information for healthcare professionals and health departments, and state materials.
ALLIANCE FOR EARLY SUCCESS
The Alliance for Early Success is compiling resources and strategies by state. This list is being updated frequently. View this list here.
The Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University
The Center acknowledges the role of stress, hope, and resiliency during this time, and has put together a wide range of partner resources ranging from activities for parents to issue-based responses to medical information about the coronavirus. Access their collection resources here.
CHILD MIND INSTITUTE
The Child Mind Institute has created clinical and supportive resources to support parents who may be experiencing additional stress during this time. Their resources also provide information for parents related to mindfulness, helping kids with transitions, and more.
CHILD TRENDS
The following guidance, recommendations, and resources are provided by child trauma experts at Child Trends and the Child Trauma Training Center at the University of Massachusetts. In addition to keeping children physically safe during the COVID-19 pandemic, Child Trends notes that is also important to care for their emotional health. View this comprehensive resource here.
Collective Impact Forum
The Collective Impact Forum is hosting virtual office hours every Thursday at 2 pm ET through April 23rd to support organizations experiencing massive disruption such as changing an agenda, intended results, and measures; adapting strategies and work plans; assisting partners who are meeting urgent needs or are facing organizational crises; and more. Registering for the office hour will also notify you when the recording is uploaded. Register for the April 2nd office hour here.
EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT ACTION NETWORK
The ECD Action Network is working with partners and regional networks to collect and disseminate global COVID-19 related ECD resources, organize webinars, and coordinate the global ECD community’s response to the COVID-19 emergency. The first webinar in a series will bring together key global agencies including WHO, UNICEF, the World Bank, and other partners to provide a briefing on resources and actions being mobilized by each agency in response to COVID-19, identify key supports being given to government systems to mobilize services for caregivers and their children, including workplace policy responses, child care, parental mental health supports and other key services. Register here.
EARLY CHILDHOOD TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE CENTER
This page is updated on a daily basis with the latest information on funding and guidance for all birth-5 early childhood special education programs regarding this national emergency, as well as information on talking to children and families.
EMBRACERACE
EmbraceRace recently hosted a webinar about supporting children in the struggle against COVID-19. This webinar featured a developmental behavioral pediatrician, based in Houston, and a child psychologist, based in the Bay Area, about how parents, guardians, and other caregivers can best protect children in these difficult times.
EVERY MOTher COUNTS
Every Mother Counts has developed a consolidated list of resources related to the coronavirus and maternal health. This information ranges from general information on coronavirus, pregnancy, and childbirth to resources for maternity care providers.
FOOD RESEARCH AND ACTION CENTER
The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) is an essential program to ensure food benefits, nutrition, breastfeeding support, and referrals to services for families with young children during this time. The number of people who are eligible for WIC is increasing due to the loss of family income. This resource from FRAC describes actions that WIC, advocates, partner organizations, and State and local policymakers can take to help preserve access to WIC during this pandemic.
INSTITUTE FOR HEALTHCARE IMPROVEMENT
IHI has provided health care professionals, students, faculty, and residents with free access to select IHI Open School courses through May 31, 2020.
NATIONAL ACADEMIES OF SCIENCES, ENGINEERING, AND MEDICINE
This page includes resources related to COVID-19 as well as consensus studies and workshop proceedings on the subject of pandemic infectious disease.
National institute for children’s health quality
NICHQ has created a resource related to information about COVID-19 for children’s health advocates and provides a summary of key information related to children’s health during this time and links to information references. Identifying how COVID-19 will affect children’s health is the first step to uncovering solutions. NICHQ has published this article, sharing some of the key challenges experienced by partners such as public health professionals, community health workers, health care providers, and families, and provides relevant resources to address those challenges.
National LEAGE OF CITIES
Local elected officials are distinctly positioned to protect the health and safety of America’s residents and to provide reassurance in times of crisis. The National League of Cities developed this resources website and a Pandemic Response email series to support cities, towns and villages during the COVID-19 outbreak.
OUNCE OF PREVENTION FUND
For early childhood professionals, including Help Me Grow affiliates, the Ounce of Prevention is extending complimentary access to one self-paced course within Achieve OnDemand – a high-quality online professional development program. For HMG affiliates looking to learn more about this opportunity, click here.
PROMISE VENTURE
Promise Venture has created a destination for parents, caregivers, educators, and program leaders to find helpful resources for young children during this time.
RACIAL EQUITY TOOLS
Racial Equity Tools focuses its resource page on analysis of disparities, community care, organizing and solidarity, resource building and rapid response, and other resources that relate to equity, social justice, and other areas in the context of the pandemic.
ZERO TO THREE
ZTT has put together a resource comprised of tips for families including age-appropriate responses to common questions, a guide to self-care, and activities for young children experiencing social distancing. View this resource here.
Additional Information
Centers for disease control and prevention
The CDC is the most trusted source of information related to the virus, cases in the U.S., and actions to take to keep yourself, children, and families safe and healthy. View this information here.
ADMINISTRATION FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES
With the COVID-19 situation ever-evolving, ACF will provide COVID-19 related resources for its range of programs that help our nation’s children, families, and communities. The resources from ACF contain information about child care, child welfare, community services, early childhood development, and more.
NATIONAL CONSORTIUM OF TELEHEALTH RESOURCE CENTERS
As many service providers are seeking to transition to telehealth, TRC has put together a toolkit about providing virtual services during this time.