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CONQUERING ANXIETY AS WE ALL HEAD BACK TO SCHOOL

Posted on August 19, 2021August 18, 2021 by Ray Kinyon

by Mary Perry, California State PTA Board of Managers

All over California, the back-to-school ritual has begun. This year, of course, that ritual is so different. For many students and families, it’s the first time in more than a year that in-person school has even happened.

We hear a multitude of opinions about how to keep schools safe. Governor Newsom issued an executive order calling for universal vaccinations and/or Covid testing at every school. We also have a minority of people agitating against taking safety precautions at all – no vaccines, no masking, no social distancing.

Does it all have you feeling anxious and confused?

There are some great resources available to help you and others in your PTA conquer that anxiety.

Thankfully, the California Department of Education, the California Department of Public Health, and the U.S. Education Department are all providing solid, research-based information that can guide your actions. And in every case they have created resources directed to parents that are clear, relevant, and informative. We are trying to collect many of those resources on our California State PTA Covid 19 page, but frankly it’s hard to keep up with all that is happening. So in this blog I just want to give you the latest.

Get Vaccinated
The California Department of Education is going all in on encouraging every school staff member, every parent, and every student age 12 and older to get vaccinated. On August 11, State Superintendent Tony Thurmond hosted this Facebook Live session to do just that. [link: https://www.facebook.com/CAEducation/videos/980031342834502/ ] The main advice: make a date to vaccinate!

Research on COVID and Kids
One of the most informative (and comforting) pieces of information I’ve seen is from the California Department of Public Health. Dr. Naomi Bardach is the lead for the CA Safe Schools for All project and website. (The parent page is also available here in Spanish.) She recently summarized research that is giving health experts confidence about schools reopening. Her key points:

Children get COVID19 less often and are less ill than adults
Children most often get COVID19 from a household adult, even when attending school
Schools can operate safely and successfully when key safety measures – such as masks — are in place

Dr. Bardach also explained why kids in general are less likely to get Covid-19 or to get a serious case if they do become infected. Our bodies have these ACE2 receptors, which act like doorways to let the virus into our cells. Adults have developed a lot of these receptors but children have fewer, and the younger a child is the fewer receptors or doorways they have. The virus just doesn’t have as many places where it can enter a child’s body.

Return to School Roadmap
The US Education Department has created a Return to School Roadmap, with a web-page specifically for parents. Their Parent Checklist provides straightforward advice on how parents can make sure their kids are safe as school reopens. The key items on that list include:

Make a plan for eligible children to get vaccinated
Talk to your school about health and safety protocols
If your child isn’t eligible yet for a vaccine, talk with them about strategies to keep them safe at school
Make a plan to access safe transportation to and from school
Talk to your child’s teacher about your child’s needs

A crucial concern for kids and adults is the impact that the pandemic has had on our mental health, sense of security, and trust in the future. Those social and emotional issues, and what we all can do to address them, will be the subject of another article soon.

Until then, get informed, stay calm, and make a date to vaccinate!

The CDC is Asking You to Help Raise Awareness About Immunizations

Posted on August 5, 2021August 9, 2021 by CAPTA IT

By Mary Perry

Vaccinations are a hot topic right now, thanks of course to COVID-19. But long before the current pandemic the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) designated August as National Immunization Awareness Month.

To help schools and families make sure every child starts school healthy and immunized this fall, we are sharing a wealth of resources created by the CDC especially for school communities.

GO BACK TO SCHOOL HEALTHY AND IMMUNIZED

An unfortunate result of the pandemic is that many children missed check-ups and recommended childhood vaccinations. CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommend every child continues to receive recommended vaccinations during the COVID-19 pandemic.

These are challenging times, but you have the power to help keep your child healthy.

Making sure that your child sees their doctor for well-child visits and recommended vaccines is one of the best things you can do to protect your child and community from serious diseases that are easily spread.

The CDC has prepared great information for both adults and kids about Covid-19 vaccines specifically:

In addition, be sure to check out and share this comprehensive guide to well-child visits and recommended vaccines.

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What Does President Biden’s Coronavirus Relief Plan Mean for Children and Families?

Posted on February 19, 2021September 6, 2024 by CAPTA IT

The Biden administration recently released its $1.9 trillion Coronavirus relief plan. So what does this plan mean for our children and families through the lens of equity?

Stimulus

The plan calls for sending another $1,400 per person to eligible recipients. This money would be in addition to the $600 payments that were approved by Congress in December, for a total of $2,000.

Rental assistance and eviction moratorium

The plan would provide $25 billion in rental assistance for low- and moderate-income households who have lost jobs during the pandemic. That’s in addition to the $25 billion lawmakers provided in December. Another $5 billion would be set aside to help struggling renters to pay their utility bills. Biden is also calling for $5 billion to help states and localities assist those at risk of experiencing homelessness. The plan would extend the federal eviction moratorium, set to expire at the end of January, to September 30.

Food security

Across the country, one in seven households, and more than one in five Black and Latino households, reports that they are struggling to secure the food they need. The Biden plan addresses the growing hunger crisis facing 29 million Americans, and as many as 12 million children, by asking the U.S. Department of Agriculture to consider expanding and extending federal nutrition assistance programs.

Child poverty

The plan seeks to boost the Child Tax Credit for one year to $3,600 for children under age 6, and $3,000 for those between the ages of 6 and 17. The credit would be made fully refundable. Also included are proposals to raise the maximum Earned Income Tax Credit for a year to nearly $1,500 for childless adults, increase the income limit for the credit to about $21,000 and expand the age range of eligibility to cover older workers. Both of these are aimed at supporting low-income families, including millions of essential workers.

Schools

High-poverty school districts would gain the most from President Biden’s proposal to send nearly $130 billion to America’s K-12 schools. That amounts to about $2,600 per public school student, although the exact amount would vary by district. It’s significantly more than what has already been allocated by Congress for schools (about $13 billion in March 2020 and another $54 billion late last year). The proposal says that dollars would flow to states and districts based on Title I funding, which sends money to school districts with more low-income students.

Twenty percent of the money districts get would have to be spent helping students catch up academically. The legislation specifically mentions “summer learning, extended day, or extended school year programs” as possibilities.

Beyond that, school districts would have a lot of leeway on how to spend the new money. The proposal says the money can be spent in the same way as the last pot of federal aid — which allowed schools to use it to “continue operations,” reopen buildings, and more.

States would also have a role in helping districts with learning loss. Five percent of the total pot ($6.5 billion) would be sent to states for them to use to help districts implement learning loss programs. Under a provision in this bill, states wouldn’t be allowed to make larger cuts in 2022 or 2023 to high-poverty districts than to more affluent ones.

There’s also $2 billion in the estimate for “equity challenge” grants for state and tribal governments to “partner with teachers, parents, and other stakeholders to advance equity- and evidence-based policies to respond to COVID-19 educational equity challenges. It also includes $14 billion for additional custodial staff, $14 billion for transportation, $7 billion to improve student access to the internet to close the “digital divide,” and $6 billion for personal protective equipment.

Vaccines and testing

The plan calls for investing $20 billion in a national vaccination program, including launching community vaccination centers around the country and mobile units in hard-to-reach areas. Biden would also increase federal support to vaccinate Medicaid enrollees. Medicaid is a joint federal and state program that, together with the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), provides health coverage to over 72.5 million Americans, including children, pregnant women, parents, seniors, and individuals with disabilities.

The full House may pass the legislation as soon as next week, but it could face hurdles in the Senate.

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