‘Going Back to School’- Social Story for Young Children
Going back to school can bring up many feelings for all of us: caregivers, providers and especially our youngest children. With many childcare programs re-opening and so many tasks they are trying to tackle at one in order to be prepared for that, we wanted to try to help by creating a social story template that any program or even parent can feel free to edit and use. You can add your own pictures and protocols to make it your own.
Social stories are a great way to prepare a child for something new. By reading and seeing images ahead of time, they have time to process change, talk about their feelings and feel more in control when they go into this new experience.
In collaboration with DMH, MSPCC and the Partnership for Early Childhood Mental Health, we created this resource and hope you find it useful!
Books
Additional Resources for Reopening
As you prepare for and return to your classroom/early education and care setting, you probably have a lot of questions and concerns about how to make the experience positive and supportive for the children you work with as well as for you and your team.
The Office of the Child Advocate and UMass Medical have teamed up to put together a series of tip sheets, videos, and other resources for early childhood educators. These include ideas and recommendations based on the best available research as well as input from local early education and mental health experts.
As part of the National Alliance for the Advancement of Infant Mental Health, we have the privilege of being in partnership and share resources with states all over the country. Our colleagues in other states have been hard at work creating tipsheets and resources to guide reopening efforts.
Trauma-Informed Tools for Transitions
Recommendations for Reopening Child Care and Early Education Programs during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Tips for Supporting Infants and Young Children as we Reopen
Webinar
COVID-19: Supporting Young Children, Families, and the EEC Workforce
Presented by Dr. Jayne Singer, President of MassAIMH
Resources in Spanish
Tips for supporting Infants and Young Children as we Reopen (Spanish)