Return To School During COVID-19

Posted September 11, 2020

Tips for Parents

By Christina Fenske

It can be challenging enough with kids returning to school after summer holidays but add to that the pandemic. The global pandemic can create more stress, and anxiety for some parents and caregivers. That being said it’s not all bad, there are good ways to support your children, youth and teens going back during COVID-19.

There are some things to consider when navigating your way through this difficult time, which are:

To decide whether or not to send your child back to school

Many school boards including ours in the Okanagan have now planned for the return to school for the Fall semester 2020. This back to school plan has made it difficult to know what to expect which can create some anxiety for some people but not everyone. Our school board in the Okanagan – SD23 has offered parents the option between returning students physically back to school (ranging from part-time to full-time), or having your child remain at home while doing online schooling, or a mix of both attending in-person classes and online schooling.

It may be a hard decision for some parents to make. Do you know what decision you would like to make or have you already made it with maybe some reservations. You wouldn’t be alone in that. Many parents are facing the same struggle between wanting our children to get an education and not to mention the importance of the social aspect of being involved and engaged in their peers throughout the year. This can come with some risks though which some parents may or may not be aware of yet. The Centres for Disease Control has a “Back To School Decision Making Tool” that you may find helpful in weighing the risks and the benefits of each option. We’ve listed some advantages and disadvantages of both decisions below.

Some Reasons Children Should Attend School Are:

In-person classes are how your child learns best
They benefit from being able to see their peers, attend extracurricular activities, gym, band, arts, music;etc.
Assists parents who work during the day who would otherwise have to pay for childcare if their child stays home
It provides a meal program or an after school program

Some Reasons Children Should Not Attend School Are:

If your child or anyone in your home (elderly parent or sibling) are immune compromised or has any type of underlying health condition that places them at risk of severe illness from COVID-19
Should you particular area of the community has a high amount of cases of COVID-19

Some Reasons Online Schooling From Home:

Someone in your home can supervise your child to ensure they are being watched for safety reason if they are at a young age
The way your child learns well is independently with minimal assistance and has the maturity to learn online because not all children do
There is reliable Wifi and internet connections in your home. As well as a desktop computer or laptop available for your child’s online classes
Your children’s school offers online learning opportunities for real-time engagements with teachers (ie. live instruction) so they can ask questions as needed

Other Important Things To Consider

Should your child have any special needs like ADD, autism, a mood disorder, anxiety, or any other concern, is it in their best interest to be in school, doing online classes or a mixture of both.
Is any of your children experiencing bullying or any other issues or stressors at school.
It’s always recommended to work with your school and healthcare providers to make sure that appropriate supports are in place for the classroom to assist with any special needs or learning challenges.

Tips for Returning to School

As the year kicks off here are some handy tips, whether or not your child is returning to school in-person or online.

Maintaining Social Contacts During A Pandemic

Invite your children to remain in contact with their friends in safe ways. This will make this transition back to school easier and generally this involves in-person connections outdoors as per COVID-19 physical distancing guidelines by the province.

They can also try video chat, or write a letter to their friend if seeing each other isn’t an option.

Preparing your children to go back to school beforehand is always helpful as they get back into routines and structure. Discuss these routines and safety plans for attending school. ie. going to bed at a certain time, keeping their masks on in-class, washing their hands regularly;etc. Maybe mentioning to them that they’ve had lots of screen time previously while being off of school but now they need to start getting back into a regular routine of things.

This routine can mean having a set bedtime (and/or wake up time) and moving closer to what they will be doing during the school year.

Having limited, available screen time because they will need to spend more time on homework and classes.

Put up a family calendar which would be helpful for the kids so they know what’s going to happen during school, after school for each family member and so kids can see how many days are remaining in the school year.

Also, discuss with them what new COVID-19 routines should be implemented during the school year. ie. regular family walks after dinner, extra-curricular activity;etc.
Write down this new routine for COVID-19 can help reduce the anxiety for everyone.

Make Sure You Normalize Mask-Wearing

Some children will be able to wear masks easily but others may have a harder time. Consider the
following exposure and desensitization strategies for your child:
• Are you buying a mask? Try giving your child some of the newer child-friendly designs to choose
from or get them to help decorate a pre-made mask.
• Are you making a mask? Let your child to choose material.
• Create an exposure hierarchy to understand your child’s fears. From least scary to most scary it
might be: seeing others wear a mask, seeing a mask, touching a mask, putting on a mask for short
periods of time and putting on a mask for longer periods of time.
• Teach distraction strategies like distracting with music, videos, video games to help pass the time
while wearing a mask.
• Practice calming strategies like deep breathing, going outside, going for a walk, etc.
• Consider motivating kids to get used to wearing a mask by pairing it with something they enjoy, like
allowing video game time (within your limits) while wearing their mask.
Does your child or youth still have struggles with mask wearing, despite your best efforts? Consider
seeing your health-care provider to see if there might be other options, including seeing if your child
may have a valid medical exemption.

Help your child continue to cope

• Stay connected to your kids. Kids do best when they feel loved by their caregivers, which happens
when you spend quality time with them and listen, validate and empathize with their feelings (as
opposed to seeing adults as being angry, upset, and emotionally unavailable to them).
• Model healthy coping. Kids do best when they learn healthy ways to cope with
adversity, such as following public health recommendations with masks and physical
distancing (as opposed to unhealthy strategies such as focusing on negatives and
blaming).
• Attach positive meaning to the pandemic. Kids do best when they can have a positive
meaning of a situation. You might say: “On one hand, this pandemic has not been easy. On the
other hand, we’ve been able to have a lot more fun times together. And learn new things such as
how to cut each other’s hair!” Ease your child’s worries. Does your child seem to have excessive fears and anxiety about COVID-19?

COVID-19 Restrictions

(such as restricting parents from entering the school) may lead your child to feel more isolated.
• Ask about their fears, and try to reassure or problem solve. Ask: “What worries you the most?”
• Validate and accept your child’s feelings about the situation. You might say: ” “I can see why you might be feeling (insert your child’s feelings here) about this.”
• Give your child a sense of control.

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