Hello COAD Outreach Partners!
COAD's Children and Family Support Subcommittee is launching this year's information campaign for family emergency preparedness. As our partners, we encourage you to share this information with as many clients and partners as you can so that more people know about the resources available in our community before a disaster happens. The first steps in a response for vulnerable individuals, such as families with young children and infants, is preparedness. Together we can build a more resilient Napa County!
This week's topic is: LEARNING TO COPE WITH DISASTER
Flyers, in both pdf and jpeg formats, and links are provided for easy sharing. You may use the jpeg images for online sharing, and the pdf versions for printing and sharing hard copies. Feel free to share this information with your distribution list of partners and/or include this information in any newsletters you may send out to the greater community. CLICK THE RED BUTTON BELOW TO SHARE THE LINK TO OTHERS.
If you are sharing these flyers on Facebook, please copy and paste this blurb as the caption and tag us (@Napa Valley COAD). Press the Facebook icon below for easy sharing!
ENGLISH: "Napa Valley COAD is continuing its information campaign for emergency preparedness for families. This week's theme is LEARNING TO COPE WITH DISASTER. Experiencing disasters can be a traumatic experience for anyone, including children. This week we will be sharing resources on how families and caregivers can help children cope with trauma caused by disasters. Please share this information with friends and family so we can build a more resilient Napa County!
SPANISH: "El Napa Valley COAD continúa la campaña informativa de la preparación de emergencias para familias. El tema de esta semana es APRENDER A AFRONTAR UN DESASTRE. Pasando por un desastre puede ser una experiencia traumatizante para cualquier persona, especialmente para los niños pequeños. Esta semana vamos a compartir recursos sobre cómo las familias y proveedores del cuidado de niños pueden ayudar a los niños lidiar con las traumas causados por desastre. Por favor comparta esta información con sus familias y amistades para poder hacer más fuerte nuestra comunidad aquí en el condado de Napa."
FAMILY RESOURCES
AMERICAN RED CROSS
Children experience traumatic events differently. Experiencing a disaster can leave children feeling frightened, confused and insecure, particularly if this experience is not their first.
Because they can’t always talk about their worries, it sometimes comes out in a child’s behavior. Some may react immediately; others may be fine for weeks or months and then show troubling behavior. Knowing the signs that are common at different ages can help parents recognize problems and respond accordingly.
Because they can’t always talk about their worries, it sometimes comes out in a child’s behavior. Some may react immediately; others may be fine for weeks or months and then show troubling behavior. Knowing the signs that are common at different ages can help parents recognize problems and respond accordingly.
- They may be more agitated or act out
- They may be more clingy or cry often
- They may need more attention or reassurance from adults they trust
- Scary memories become attached to the sounds, sights and smells that happen at the time of the experience. It’s important to remind children that they are remembering the scary thing that happened; that it is not happening now.
Here are a few tips for talking to children after a traumatic event:
- Provide children with opportunities to talk
- Don’t be afraid to admit you don’t have all the answers
- Allow kids to discuss their fears and concerns
- Answer questions appropriate for their age
- Provide extra affection and comfort.
- Provide extra patience and understanding as the child does common tasks; forgetfulness and difficulty focusing are common.
- Try to keep at least one routine in your day the same as before the emergency.
- Assure your child that you will do everything you can to help protect them and keep them safe.
- Stay positive with words and actions.
- Monitor the media and your child’s exposure to the news or other information regarding the emergency.
- Remember to care for yourself so you can be there for your children
Red Cross Video - Helping Your Child Cope After a Disaster
Red Cross Article - Helping Children Cope with Disaster
THE NATIONAL CHILD TRAUMATIC STRESS NETWORK
The National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) was created by Congress in 2000 as part of the Children’s Health Act to raise the standard of care and increase access to services for children and families who experience or witness traumatic events. This unique network of frontline providers, family members, researchers, and national partners is committed to changing the course of children’s lives by improving their care and moving scientific gains quickly into practice across the U.S. The NCTSN is administered by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and coordinated by the UCLA-Duke University National Center for Child Traumatic Stress (NCCTS).
They offer many tools and resources to help children better cope with trauma caused by disasters. Click the button below to learn more.
Attached are pdfs of a "Parent's Guide for Helping Children Impacted by Wildfires" AND "After a Crisis: How Young Children Heal" in both English and Spanish.
downloadCALIFORNIA LISTOS RESOURCES
California LISTOS offers many resources around emergency preparedness in multiple languages. They have a great booklet called First Aid Kit for your Mind that goes over the mental strain and emotional stress disasters can cause and how to cope. Click the button below to download the booklet!
RESOURCES FOR CHILDREN
Young children know when bad things happen, even if you think they don't fully understand the situation, and these experiences stay with them. It's important to talk with children about disasters in a way that's age appropriate, so they know what to expect and know that your family has a plan in place to get through it. Having these plans in place, and giving them a role in those plans, make children feel more confident that everything is going to be ok. Letting children speak their minds when they're under stress and feeling scared during an emergency is a great skill to have as they learn to cope with these feelings of uncertainty.
Below are some resources for your children on how to better cope with disasters, and what to expect in a shelter with Pedro the penguin.
SESAME STREET RESOURCES
Below are some resources for children, acted out by the cast of Sesame Street to make it more palatable for young children.
Check out this video "Offering Comfort in Scary Times"
RESOURCES FOR CHILDCARE PROVIDERS
All in-home childcare providers need to think about emergency preparedness for the children under their care. These children are usually young children not yet of school-age and infants. Below are some links and resources for emergency planning for childcare providers in both English and Spanish. These resources also include special considerations for children with disabilities or other access and functional needs.
UCSF California Childcare Health Program Links:
- Emergency Plan Library (English)
- Emergency Plan Library (Spanish)
- California Childcare Disaster Plan 2016 (English)
- California Childcare Disaster Plan 2016 (Spanish)
Many of the resources found above in "Family Resources" can also be used by childcare providers to help children cope with disasters.
Thank You!
