Resource Library

Book Lists that Celebrate Diversity and Teach About Equity

• Coretta Scott King Book Award Winners. Common Sense Media.

• Grose, J. (2020, June 2). These Books can Help you Explain Racism and Protests to Your Kids. The New York Times.

• Rhuday-Perkovich, O. How to Talk to Kids About Race: Books and Resources That can Help. Brightly: Raising Kids Who Love to Read.

• Social Justice Books: A Teaching for Change Project

Talking to Young Children about Race, Racism, and Anti-Racism

• Chaet, A. (2020, June 6). Watch the entire CNN/Sesame Street racism town hall. CNN.

• King, N. (2020, June 16). ‘I see these conversations as protective’: Talking with kids about race. NPR.

• Martin, M. (2020, June 4). How white parents can talk to their kids about race. NPR: Life Kit.

• Parris, D., St. John, V., & Bartlett, J.D. (2020, June 23). Resources to support children’s emotional well-being amid anti-black racism, racial violence, and trauma. Child Trend.

• Talking to young children about race and racism. PBS for Parents.

• UNICEF (2020, June 9). Talking to your kids about racism: How to start the important conversation and keep it going. UNICEF Parenting.

• Williams, D. (n.d.). Beyond the golden rule: A parent’s guide to preventing and responding to prejudice. A Teaching Tolerance Publication.

Understanding Bias and Racism, including in Early Care and Education Settings

• The color of justice revisited. Explore what Connecticut is doing to help decrease unequal treatment among young people of color in the state’s juvenile justice system.

• The color of justice revisited – Walter Gilliam on implicit bias.

• Gilliam, W., Maupin, A.N., Reyes, C.R., Accavitti, M., & Shic, F. (2016). Do early educators’ implicit biases regarding sex and race relate to behavior expectations and recommendations of preschool expulsions and suspensions? Yale Child Study Center.

• Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity. Implicit bias module series.

• Turner, C. (2016, Sept. 28). Bias isn’t just a police problem, it’s a preschool problem. NPR.

Anti-Racism (Resources for Grown-ups)

• Brené Brown. (2020, June 3). Brené Brown with Ibram X. Kendi on How to Be an Antiracist. Unlocking Us (podcast).

• Greater Good. (2020, June 3). Anti-Racist Resources from Greater Good. Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley.

• National Museum of African American History & Culture, Smithsonian. Being Anti-racist. To create an equal society, we must commit to making unbiased choices and being antiracist in all aspects of our lives.

• Tyler, N.M. (2019, November). Want a more just world? Be an unlikely ally. TED.

Supporting Children’s Learning (while having fun!) During COVID-19

Language and Literacy

• Cosmic Kids! “your place for stories, yoga and fun.”

• Julie’s Library. “A new podcast for families starring Julie Andrews and Emma Walton Hamilton”

• Reading A-Z printable books.

• Scholastic Parents Staff. (no date). Helping children build language skills: You can help children develop their language abilities by tuning in to what they say and responding in ways that result in more talk. Scholastic.

• Storyline Online, video stream celebrity actors reading children’s books.

Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math (STEAM)

• Bedtime Math

• Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden. Home Safari Resources.

• Foundations of Science Literacy, Science at Home. EDC Activities for Families.

• Golden Gate Audubon Society. (2020, March 28). Nature activities for kids during COVID-19.

• The Kennedy Center. Lunch doodles with Mo Willems! Kennedy Center Education Artist-in-Residence at home.

• Nature Explore. Family Resources.

• Rende, R. (no date). Meaningful art projects parents can fit into a busy day. National Association for the Education of Young Children.

• Many zoos and aquariums have set up live webcams. Here are just a few:

  • Memphis Zoo

  • Monterey Bay Aquarium

  • National Aquarium

  • San Diego Zoo

  • Smithsonian’s National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute

Multi-disciplinary

• Cox Campus. Atlanta Speech School Online Preschool.

• Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood

• The National Child Traumatic Stress Network. (2020). Simple activities for children and adolescents.

• PBS Kids

• Ready Rosie. (2020, week of March 30). Healthy at home: A toolkit for supporting families impacted by COVID-19.

• Scholastic. Scholastic Learn at Home: Day-by-day projects to keep kids reading, thinking, and growing.

• Sesame Street

• SUNY Rockefeller Institute of Government. (2020, March 27). Preventing “Quarantine Slide”: Evidence-based strategies to prevent learning loss and keep parents, guardians, and caregivers sane while schools are closed.

• Teachers Pay Teachers

• Vroom

• Zero to Three: Early Connections Last a Lifetime. (2020, March 16). At-home activity guide: Play promotes healthy development, even when you’re stuck at home.

Talking to Children about COVID-19

*Additional information and resources can be found in the resource collections above

•  Anderson, P. (2020, March 11). Coronavirus: How to talk to your kids. MedicineNet. 

• Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020, April 1). Talking with children about Coronavirus Disease 2019: Messages for parents, school staff, and others working with children.

• CNN. (2020, April 25). Watch the entire CNN/Sesame Street coronavirus town hall.

• Jacobson, R. (no date). Supporting kids during the Coronavirus crisis: Tips for nurturing and protecting children at home. Child Mind Institute.

• Kris, D.F. (2020, March 6). How to talk to your kids about coronavirus. PBS Kids for Parents. 

• Society for Research in Child Development. At Home with the Child Experts: The Science of Stress and Coping During COVID-19. SRCD YouTube Channel.

• Zero to Three: Early Connections Last a Lifetime. (2020, March 16). Answering your young child’s questions about coronavirus. 

Technology Use

• American Academy of Pediatrics. (no date). Media and children communication toolkit. 

• Bongiorno, L. (no date). Uncharted territory: 10 technology tips for preschool parents. National Association for the Education of Young Children.

• National Association for the Education of Young Children. Articles for families on digital media.

• Society for Research in Child Development. At Home with the Child Experts: The Science of Learning and Teaching at Home During COVID-19. SRCD YouTube Channel.

Tip Sheets and General Strategies for Parents/Caregivers (and educators) During COVID-19

• Bartlett, J.D., & Vivrette, R. (2020, April 3). Ways to promote children’s resilience to the COVID-19 pandemic. Child Trends.

• Close, N.(2020, May 1). Wondering how your children are doing during COVID-19? Watch them play. Solidarity, from the Yale Child Study Center-Scholastic Collaborative for Child and Family Resilience.

• Macmillan, C. (2020, March 25). 8 tips for working from home with kids during COVID-19: Yale experts share strategies for managing home life in a time of social distancing and self-quarantine. Yale Medicine.

• Mader, J. (2020, March 18). Stuck at home with young kids due to the coronavirus? Here’s what to do—and not to do. Experts share tips, advice on screen time, activities. The Hechinger Report. 

• BBC News, World Services. Parentland podcasts.

• Society for Research in Child Development. At Home with the Child Experts: The Science of Learning and Teaching at Home During COVID-19. SRCD YouTube Channel.

• World Health Organization. (2020). Parenting in the time of COVID-19.

Resource Collections for Parents/Caregivers (and educators) During COVID-19

*Many of these collections include information on talking to children about COVID-19 

• Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University. COVID-19 Resources.

• Child Care Aware of America. “Find information about Coronavirus and child care closures in your state.”

• Collaborative for Academic Social and Emotional Learning. CASEL CARES: SEL resources during COVID-19.

• Defending the Early Years. COVID-19 resources.

• Early Childhood Development Action Network. Early childhood focused COVID-19 resources.

• Kidango@Home. “Learn at Home Kits and online resources provide parents with the tools to play together, read together, and learn together while maintaining your physical and mental health.” 

• National Association for the Education of Young Children. Coping with COVID-19.

• The National Child Traumatic Stress Network. Covid-19 Resources.

• Scholastic Resources for Families. “Here are some additional Scholastic resources for keeping learning going from home.”

• Yale University. Family resources and suggestions for coping with coronavirus.

• Zero to Three, Early Connections Last a Lifetime. Tips for families: Coronavirus.

Information on Early Childhood Learning and Development

• Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University

• Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning

• National Association for the Education of Young Children. (no date). 10 effective DAP [Developmentally Appropriate Practice] teaching strategies.

• Zero to Three: Early Connections Last a Lifetime

Adult Well-being and Physical Distancing (Resources for Grown-ups)

• American Psychological Association. (no date). Keeping your distance to stay safe.

• De Witte, M. (2020, March 19). Instead of social distancing, practice “distant socializing” instead, urges Stanford psychologist. Stanford News.

• Hone, L., & Quinlan, D. (2020). Real-time resilience strategies for coping with coronavirus. New Zealand Institute of Wellbeing & Resilience.

• Jacobson, R. (no date). Self-care in the time of coronavirus: For parents, prioritizing your own well-being benefits your whole family. Child Mind Institute.

• Katz, B. (no date). How to avoid passing anxiety on to your kids: Help yourself, and them, by learning techniques to manage stress in a healthy way. Child Mind Institute. 

• Moriarty, C. (2020, March 13). Feeling anxious about COVID-19? Leading mental health experts offer advice on how to stay calm amid the coronavirus outbreak. Yale Medicine.

• Mothers Matter Centre. Mommy’s 15 minutes.

• The National Child Traumatic Stress Network. (2018). Taking care of yourself.

Handwashing and More – Advice for Staying Physically Healthy During COVID-19

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020, April 2). Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19): Protect yourself.

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2019, October 4). Handwashing: Clean Hands Save Lives. Handwashing: A family activity.

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020, April 2). Handwashing: Clean Hands Save Lives. When & How to Wash Your Hands.

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020, April 28). Keeping children healthy while school’s out.

Please share additional resources that you love!

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