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Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, May 4, 2022
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May 2022
Reducing Your Child’s
Pandemic Stress
Parents, as the pandemic lingers on, you may notice that your child’s stress levels
have continued to rise, instead of improve. Even heading back to a preschool or
childcare setting after being at home for so long can cause a great deal of anxiety for
children. For many children it will be their first time in the care of others. If your child
is continuing to experience stress related to the pandemic there are things that you
can do to help alleviate those feelings.
First is to recognize what stress looks like for your child. Here are some examples as
identified by the World Health Organization:
They may become more clingy, anxious, angry, withdrawn or agitated. The may revert
back to behaviors that they have outgrown such as bedwetting or throwing tantrums.
Parents, how you address your child’s fear is very important. Children look to their
parents for physical and emotional safety. Parents need to focus on reassuring their
kids that they are there to for them and will get them through challenges together. You
can do that by:
• Acknowledging your child’s feelings.
• Being honest with them when addressing their concerns.
• Offer extra hugs, making sure that they know they are loved and that you are there
for them.
541-575-1263
235 S Canyon Blvd. John Day, Oregon 97845
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Some Healthy ways to help your child manage stress
• Maintain a regular routine. Routines can build resilience during times of crisis, so
don’t overlook how having a regular routine can benefit your child.
• Be Realistic & Excited About School. Even as things begin to feel normal-like re-
turning to school-kids can still experience high stress levels.
• Get outside Often. Look for ways to get outside with your kids as often as possible,
such as walking, biking, or hiking together.
• Find ways to connect with others. Being disconnected from friends and family for a
long period of time is very stressful for young people.
• Model how to manage stress. Demonstrate how to manage stress through mindful-
ness, exercise, breathing exercises, and healthy eating.
Zachary Bailey, MD
Janessa Sickler, DO
Emily Lieuallen, DO
James Cook, FNP
Erika Adams, FNP-C
Caitlin MacCoun, MD
Brian Jennings, MD
Robyn Jennings, MD
What impacts have we seen in Early Care and Education?
Some concerns that are being brought forward by researches
are that children are lagging behind in speech and language,
due to reduced exposure to new vocabulary and the wide-
spread use of mask wearing during the pandemic. This also
had an impact of children’s development of social and emotional skills.
• There are several things that parents can do to support their children’s speech &
behaviors:
• Use simple sentences and make your voice sound interesting by using lots of into-
nation & using facial expressions.
• Talk to your child about whatever they show interest in.
• Look for opportunities to develop your child’s vocabulary by visiting places like li-
braries, parks and meeting up with friends and family.
• Organize play dates and attend community events.
As much as the pandemic has led to isolation and social deprivation it has also
brought families closer together. Children were relying on their parents for emotional,
and educational supports. As children and parents grew closer so did parents and
educators. Family engagement in their child’s education became crucial. Families
and schools needed to be partners in supporting kids. As children transition back
into more traditional environments, the relationship between caregivers and educa-
tional providers is more important than ever. Your relationship with those providers is
important. As we look at transition of those children from preschool to kindergarten
it becomes paramount. Some ways you can be successful is to do early registration
with your child’s school, attend open houses or kindergarten round-ups, ask for a
home visit with your child’s teacher and participate in Move-up activities. Links and
contact information will be listed below to help you coordinate with your child’s school
and get off to a good start.
Humbolt Elementary: is working on developing a fillable registration form on their
website: http://humboltelementary.weebly.com/ or contact Katrina @ 541 575-0454.
Long Creek School: You may obtain registration paperwork from the school’s office or
get a k-6 registration form from their website http://www.longcreekschool.com/forms-
portals.html/ Jennifer @ 541-421-3896
Monument School: Please pick up enrollment package at the schools business office,
if you have questions contact the school at 541-934-2426 or www.monumentschool.
com
Prairie City School: Please contact the school at 541 575-3314 or log on to their web-
site at www.pcsd4.com to download a registration form.
Dayville School: Contact Lori Smith registrar 541 987-2412 or smithl@grantesd.k12.
or.us www.dayvilleschools.com
Seneca School: Office 541 542-2542 or www.senecaoregon.com/seneca-school
This article is brought to you by the
The Frontier Early Learning Hub
Of Grant & Harney Counties
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541-575-0110
jdccparksandrec.rc@gmail.com
CCS
Changing Lives
NO COST SCREENING
High Quality Services Include:
Mental Health
Alcohol and Drug
Developmental Disability
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