Continuity of Learning During COVID-19 Resource Database

As early childhood programs work on re-opening, they can use these online communication and phone scripts to help guide your conversations with families.

Here are tips and ideas for helping children identify emotions when your face, your most expressive feature, is covered by a mask. Use these strategies to let children know that behind the mask, a kind and warm expression is still there!

This scripted story helps to explain to children the how, why, and when of wearing face masks.

Use this tip sheet to help practitioners of infants and toddlers intentionally plan and think about how to reconnect, help children transition back to the classroom, and support children's social and emotional development after being away from the program.

To support educators, as well as state and district leaders, in answering critical data questions, these centers shared how the four essential elements of data literacy can guide teams in using data, both virtually and in-person, to make accurate and feasible decisions in times of unknown. Additionally, SEAs were given tools to help support their LEAs to work together to meet student’s diverse needs during this webinar.

The Unified Young readers Club is a great inclusive activity for a younger audience and accompanies Special Olympics Young Athletes play with books and study guides that support teachers as they address such topics as inclusion, awareness, friendship, bullying, and acceptance to audiences of both students with and without intellectual disabilities. Each book has a theme that relates to multiple state academic standards, and aligns with the precepts of positive school climate initiatives.

The purpose of Inclusion Tiles is to support understanding of the true meaning of diversity and meaningful inclusion. Meaningful inclusion is hard to put into words and action, and these tiles help to start the conversation and support people of all ages along their inclusion journey.

This Voices from the Field video shares the experiences of four teachers in the Exceptional Children department in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools as they adjusted to delivering instruction during COVID-19 restrictions. They discuss the importance of communicating with families, how they have adapted virtual instruction and used instructional materials, their thoughts for continuing efforts in fall 2020, and their advice for other teachers.

Brief guidance provided on key questions to consider when planning purposeful adaptations to evidence based practices for new contexts such as online learning or blended learning environments.

Find tip sheets and blog posts on how to use storybook conversations to engage in STEM learning with young children. The tip sheets include question prompts, related activities, and adaptations.

Families may start to feel “stuck” during distance learning. This resource offers strategies and tools to help families and students get “unstuck” when frustrated with distance learning.

Many classrooms use morning meetings to check-in with students and lay out the goals of the day, and this is still possible with asynchronous distance learning or work packets that go home. See elementary and middle school examples of a morning meeting check-in.

Provides guidance on applying the principles of development and learning when considering if, how, and when to use technology and new media with young children.

Tip Sheets for Families, Caregivers and Early Learning Educators: Made specifically for families, caregivers and early educators, these US Department of Education-created resources provide research-based tips for talking, reading, and singing with young children every day beginning from birth. All tip sheets are available in English and Spanish and can be downloaded for free.