Public Health – Seattle & King County is taking proactive steps to protect the health of our community by making recommendations that are meant to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in our community and reduce the number of people infected.
We understand these actions will have a tremendous impact on the lives of people in our community. Public Health is making these recommendations in consultation with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) based on the best information we have to protect the public’s health. This is a critical moment in the growing outbreak of COVID-19 in King County when such measures can potentially impact the spread of the disease.
With the ongoing coverage of novel coronavirus (COVID-19), we suggest the following resources for talking with children about outbreak/COVID-19:
- A National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) document on how to talk with kids about COVID-19 and developmentally typical responses by age group: https://www.nctsn.org/sites/default/files/resources/fact-sheet/outbreak_factsheet_1.pdf
- Talking with children & youth: Tips for caregivers/teachers during an outbreak
- Coping with stress during an outbreak
Of importance emphasis during these times:
- Encourage adults to attend to their feelings and concerns so they are clear when talking with youth and not unintentionally increasing uncertainty/fear
- Always repeatedly reiterate that the best response to fear is flexibility and connection. We all must remain hypervigilant to racism and bias and remind kids and families that this virus does not discriminate nor is it the fault of certain people/places – PHSKC has great media about this
KING COUNTY SCHOOL HEALTH 