Last Updated: March 16, 2020
As concerns around coronavirus (COVID-19) increase in the U.S. and around the world, we'll be curating this post to give you information about COVID-19, how you can prepare for it in your program(s), and more.
We know many people in the education community are concerned and looking for information on how to handle and discuss this evolving situation. Please consider sharing these resources in your organization.
We'll be adding more resources to this blog post as they come in so bookmark the page to stay up-to-date.
This guide from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) helps programs plan, prepare, and respond to the coronavirus. It explains what steps programs should follow depending on the status of COVID-19 in their community, cleaning and disinfection recommendations, FAQs for administrators, and more.
The Harvard Health Blog discusses how to provide information on the coronavirus to children and questions they may have.
Chalkbeat discusses the challenges of making sure all students have equal access to remote learning. They also bring up some alternatives schools can consider instead of going online.
Stay up-to-date on school closures in your local community and state so you can make informed decisions for your organization. Edweek is updating this map twice a day and indicating whether a school is scheduled to close, currently closed, or reopened. This map covers both public and private schools in the U.S.
The Community Action Program Legal Services (CAPLAW) released considerations that Head Start employers and providers can use while assessing the current coronavirus situation. This is helpful for those who are looking for information on paid and unpaid leave, employee travel, educating employees on the coronavirus, and more.
A checklist from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that details how to plan for a flu pandemic, how to coordinate program closings, infection control policies, and how to communicate your plan to employees, families, and members of the community.
Digital Promise is compiling resources related to online learning, issues surrounding it, and questions to consider if you're implementing it.
In addition to the above, if you're looking for free CLASS resources you can use as a teacher, coach, or observer, we have a huge variety of e-books, research, videos, and webinars available on our site. This is a stressful time and we're here to support you in any way we can. Please contact us with any questions or concerns you may have.
Do you have fond childhood memories of sitting with a special adult and listening to them read one of your favorite stories? I vividly remember my dad reading The Elephant’s Child by Rudyard Kipling to me and how we laughed together at the funny voices he used. As an educator, you know how important those moments are for building warm connections, enjoying time together, and learning about many things. So, even if you missed out on those moments as a child, you want to create those moments for the children in your classroom. With careful planning, you can be confident that your read-alouds will be exciting, effective learning opportunities.
The majority of early childhood classrooms have at least one child who is a dual language learner (DLL) and this population is growing. One in three children from birth to age six speak a language besides English at home. Consequently, the majority of teachers need strategies on how to best support this group of students. We reached out to Veronica Fernandez, Developmental Psychologist and Research Scientist at the University of Miami for strategies she’s found most successful.
As part of our Teacher Spotlight series, we recently asked the CLASS Community to nominate a teacher whose high-quality classroom interactions are making a difference for their dual language learners. Our winner, Kim Schoell, has been teaching for 20 years and is currently a Pre-K teacher in Frederick County, VA. 67% of her students are Hispanic and many of the children are dual language learners.
Whether you are writing your transition plan, preparing to return, or have already returned to in-person learning, you, like many other educational leaders, are likely facing many challenges and unknowns.
As you continue to craft and refine your plans, reflecting on the considerations below can help you more effectively build a blueprint for a successful reopening.