Help families get Monthly Cash Payment through expanded Child Tax Credit

USDA Extends Free Meals to Children through Summer 2021 Due to Pandemic

It’s OK to Grieve for the Small Losses of a Lost Year

The FEMA COVID-19 Funeral Assistance program

Information for supporting families during Covid:

• Mass.gov: DTA to Reopen Local Transitional Assistance Offices for Limited Services in June
• USDA: USDA Extends Free Meals to Children through Summer 2021 Due to Pandemic
• Lifehacker: What to Do If You Lose Your Vaccine Card
• Lifehacker: Do You Qualify For a $50 Monthly Broadband Subsidy?
• verywellmind: The Post Pandemic 'New Normal' May Come with Grief
• The Conversation: Why people with disabilities are at greater risk of going hungry – especially during a pandemic
• Boston Globe: In Massachusetts, 1.6 million adults are struggling to get enough to eat. A new survey by the Greater Boston Food Bank shows how widespread food insecurity remains
• Mass.gov: Maintaining Emotional Health & Well-Being during the COVID-19 Outbreak. Resources and tips to help boost emotional health, mental health, and well-being during the COVID-19 outbreak.
• Greater Good: Four Ways New Moms Can Get Through the Rest of the Pandemic. Research says that the pandemic hurt the mental health of new parents—but there are research-tested ways to make things better.
• TIME: How the Closure of In-School Learning Damaged U.S. Children's Mental Health During the Pandemic
• Huffpost: 6 Sneaky Ways Pandemic Trauma May Pop Up As Things Go Back To Normal. Watch for these signs you're experiencing PTSD or anxiety because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• New York Times: Eating Disorders in Teens Have ‘Exploded’ in the Pandemic. Here’s what parents need to know.
• Brookings: Mothers are being left behind in the economic recovery from COVID-19
• CDC: Mental Health, Substance Use, and Suicidal Ideation During the COVID-19 Pandemic. The Centers for Disease Control found that 40 percent of U.S. adults were struggling with mental health or substance abuse issues because of the pandemic, although mental health concerns were already on the rise prepandemic. 
• New York Times: It’s OK to Grieve for the Small Losses of a Lost Year. There is a kind of grief that isn’t routinely acknowledged. From lost time with grandchildren to canceled vacations, we need to give ourselves permission to mourn.
• TIME: At Least 43,000 Kids in the U.S. Have Lost a Parent to COVID-19, Study Finds
• AAP:  Family Snapshots: Life During the Pandemic In November 2020, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Prevent Child Abuse America (PCAA), and Tufts Medical Center, surveyed 3000 parents and caregivers of children under the age of 18.

Other news, towards racial justice and racial healing:

• The 19th: ‘Never being American enough:’ Asian women on living in a country that feels increasingly unsafe. Days before May 1, the beginning of AAPI Heritage Month, a study found that more than half of Asian American women had personally encountered racism during the pandemic.
• The 19th: ‘We can’t protect them’: Mothers on what it means to have Black children in America. Experts say police brutality is a reproductive health issue that can leave lasting imprints on a community’s health.
• New York Times: Protecting Your Birth: A Guide For Black Mothers. How racism can impact your pre- and postnatal care — and advice for speaking to your Ob-Gyn about it.
• The Atlantic: The Game Is Changing for Historians of Black America. For centuries, stories of Black communities from the past have been limited by racism in the historical record. Now we can finally follow the trails they left behind.
• Vox: The inadequacy of the term “Asian American.” The label aspires to unify a wide range of communities with common cause and shared experiences. But many feel it flattens and erases entire cultures.
• Huffpost: Asian Pacific American Heritage Month 2021. Asian Americans Out Loud. Our project highlighting people who are leading the way forward in the face of trauma and fear in Asian communities across America.
• Huffpost: She Was Attacked And No One Intervened. Now She’s Leading Essential Bystander Trainings Over Zoom. Catherine Shieh teaches people over Zoom how to support and comfort victims during harassment attacks.
• CNN: Asian Americans are (still) under attack. Here are easy ways you can help
• Boston Globe: The radical hope of Black motherhood. One family’s heirloom reveals a broader legacy: brilliant practicality in the face of terror.
• New York Times: Black Mothers Are The Real Experts On The Toll Of Gun Violence
• The Atlantic: Black America’s Neglected Origin Stories. The history of Blackness on this continent is longer and more varied than the version I was taught in school.
• TIME: The Overlooked History of Angel Island, Where the U.S. Enforced Rules Designed to Keep Asian Immigrants Out
• TIME: A ‘History of Exclusion, of Erasure, of Invisibility.’ Why the Asian-American Story Is Missing From Many U.S. Classrooms

Other news:

• Harvard Graduate School of Education: New Apps to Spark Family Conversation. The Harvard Graduate School of Education announces the release of three early learning apps designed to promote literacy-building conversation between parents/caregivers and their children.
• Boston Indicators: New interactive map plots immigration to Massachusetts over last 40 years
• TIME: The U.S. Birth Rate Dropped Last Year, But Don't Blame It All on the Pandemic
• Science Daily/East Carolina U.: Shining new light on stepparent fairy-tale stereotype
• The Hill: More than a quarter of infants not getting common vaccinations. A study using data from 2018 found that only 72.8 percent of children received all their vaccinations for diseases like polio and measles.
• Robert Woods Johnson Foundation: Raising the Next Generation: A Survey of Parents and Caregivers. New findings from "Raising the Next Generation: A Survey of Parents and Caregivers" explore what it's like to raise children today. The survey gives equal voice to more than 2,000 parents and caregivers from five different racial and ethnic groups: Asian American and Pacific Islander, Black, Indigenous, Latino, and White parents.
• New York Times: Life outcomes, not test scores. The Power of Pre-K. A large new study examines its likely effects.
• MIT: The Long-Term Effects of Universal Preschool in Boston
• TIME: The Invisible Labor Inside America's Lactation Rooms
• Huffpost: How To Tell If A Friend Is Struggling With Depression Or Anxiety During Pregnancy. Many pregnant women deal with mental health issues — not just in the postpartum period. Here are simple ways to support moms-to-be.
• TIME: Suicide Among Black Girls Is a Mental Health Crisis Hiding in Plain Sight
• The Conversation: How do I talk to my child about violence? 4 essential reads
• The Conversation: Family meals are good for the grown-ups, too, not just the kids
• New York Times: Homelessness in U.S. Rose for 4th Straight Year, Report Says. A new report almost certainly underestimates the spread, depth and urgency of the crisis given that the data doesn’t yet reflect the pandemic, federal officials warned.
• Child & Family Blog: Physical Punishment Has A Cascading Effect On Children’s Behavioral Problems And Literacy

 Reports, Briefs, Infographics and other downloads:

• MLRI: COVID-19 & Extra Emergency SNAP Benefits: What Community Partners Need to Know
• NIHCM: Homeless Youth: A Vulnerable Population, infographic
•  Office of Minority Health: Report: Partnership to End Gendered Islamophobia. A report that addresses violence against Muslim women, including the ways in which policies, laws, social attitudes, and interpersonal relationships can create harmful narratives that can escalate violence against Muslim women. 
• CSSP: File Taxes Now to Get Monthly Cash Payments to Support Your Children—Even If You Don’t Normally File!
• Boston Indicators: Changing Faces of Greater Boston
• NCTSN: Beyond the ACE Score: Perspectives from the NCTSN on Child Trauma and Adversity Screening and Impact
• NCTSN: Children with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Can Experience Traumatic Stress: A Fact Sheet for Parents and Caregivers
• Child Trends: Embedding Equity In Early Childhood Initiatives. This new brief from the Early Childhood Health Equity Landscape Project reinforces the importance of elevating family voices and empowering participants in community initiatives with both knowledge and advocacy skills.
• NCTSN: The Impact of Trauma on Youth with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities: A Fact Sheet for Providers 
• NCTSN: At Intersection Of Trauma And Disabilities: A New Toolkit For Providers
• Children’s Safety Network: Disparities in U.S. Childhood and Adolescent Drowning Deaths, infographic

For Self-care:

• Greater Good: What Does “Tough Compassion” Look Like in Real Life? 
• Greater Good: The Six Keys to Positive Communication. Communicating better can help you achieve your goals and deepen your relationships.
• Huffpost: How To Talk To Someone Who Doesn't Make Eye Contact. Expert tips on how to have a conversation when the other person won't look you in the eye.
• Greater Good: Bridging Differences Quiz
• Harvard Business Review: 5 Mistakes We Make When We’re Overwhelmed
• New York Times: The Other Side of Languishing Is Flourishing. Here’s How to Get There. Research shows that the pandemic took a toll on our overall well-being and left many of us drained. Here are seven simple steps to get you thriving again.
• Verywell: How to Navigate a Complicated Post-Pandemic World
• Huffpost: How To Get Your Confidence Back If It's Shattered Right Now. These seven helpful tips may help get you back on track 
• Huffpost: How To Get Rid Of Brain Fog Caused By The COVID-19 Pandemic. If you're struggling to focus lately (who isn't?), try one of these tips to improve your stress and sharpen your mind.
• Flipboard/Healthline: Mental Health And The Pandemic
• Healthline: Working from Home and Depression
• Healthline: Why You May Feel Anxious About a Post-Pandemic Return to ‘Normal’
• Huffpost: Why It Feels So Uncomfortable To Resume Your Life After Your Vaccine. It can feel almost wrong to make plans once you've had your COVID-19 shots. Here's how to shake that and why it matters that you do.
• New York Times: 3 Ways to Address Zoom Burnout. You’re feeling it, I’m feeling it, everyone’s feeling it. Here are a few things experts suggest to mitigate the tiredness.
• Mayo Clinic: Job burnout: How to spot it and take action. Feeling burned out at work? Find out what you can do when your job affects your health.
• New York Times: We Have All Hit a Wall. Confronting late-stage pandemic burnout, with everything from edibles to Exodus.
• 30 Seconds: Mug Brownie Recipe: This Decadent Chocolate Brownie Mug Cake Recipe Is Pure Bliss
• Mashable: 'SNL' hilariously captures all of our first post-quarantine parties

Live webinars & open meetings: (new opportunities added in blue)

• MDPH/Addiction Trainings for Workforce Serving Youth and Young Adults: Child Welfare and Trauma-to-Prison Pipeline, May 12
• PICCK: Beyond LARC: Putting People and Equity at the Center of Contraceptive Access Efforts, May 12
• Brazelton Touchpoints: Uniting Worldviews to Advance Relationships in Indigenous Communities, May 12
• Office of Head Start: Supporting the Health and Wellness of Children Experiencing Homelessness in the Time of COVID-19, May 12
• CSSP: Help families get Monthly Cash Payment through expanded Child Tax Credit, May 13
• JF&CS: Examining Implicit Bias Embedded in our Developmental Science, May 14
• Fathers & Families Coalition of America: 22nd Annual Families and Fathers Conference, May 16-19
• Children’s Trust: Keeping Kids Safe: Training of Trainers Two-Day Virtual Certification Training, May 18 & 20
• Start Early:  How to Cultivate Teacher Well-being and Improve Child Outcomes in Turbulent Times. Addressing staff burnout, fatigue, and retention during challenging times. May 19
• The Fatherhood Authority: What about Dad? Training is designed to provide professionals with knowledge to develop and deliver services that will effectively engage fathers, May 19
• MDPH/MDMH/Suicide Prevention: 20th Annual Suicide Prevention Conference: “Building and Sustaining Hope: Being Together While Apart” May 19 & 20
• Office of Head Start: Coaching to Support Social and Emotional Practices, May 19
• Brookings: AAPI Heritage Month: Safeguarding Asian American inclusion and belonging, May 20
• MDPH/Suicide Prevention: Making the Most of Virtual Visits, May 25
• Children’s Bureau: Building Birth and Foster Parent Relationships to Promote Reunification, May 25
• MDPH/Suicide Prevention: Sitting with Misery: How Do We Help the Individuals We Serve? How Do We Help Ourselves?, May 26
• MA Act Early, Attachment and Complex Trauma May 27 & 28
• PICCK: Promoting Quality And Equity To Make Birth Safer For All: A PQC Story, June 3
• Children’s Trust: The annual Children's Trust "Celebrating Fatherhood" event will be held virtually this year.
• US Breastfeeding Committee: National Breastfeeding Conference & Convening, June 9-11
• MDPH/PNQIN:  Perinatal Opioid Project Spring 2021 Summit: Improving Care of Perinatal Opioid Use, June 15 & 16
• NCCAN: 22nd National Conference on Child Abuse and Neglect, July 27-29
• Prevent Child Abuse America: Transforming Our Tomorrow: 2021 National Conference, Aug. 10-12
• Children’s Trust: 29th Annual A View from All Sides Virtual Conference, Nov. 4 

More learning opportunities for family support professionals can be found here.

Covid-19 resources for family support professionals can be found here.

The Massachusetts Home Visiting Initiative has a deep commitment to racial justice. Each of these is a collection of articles, books, videos and other materials addressing racial injustice, its impact on families and provides context for moving forward toward a more equitable and just future. Racial justice resource compendiums for family support professionals can be found here.

Free Massachusetts Department of Public Health education publications and other materials are available at the Massachusetts Health Promotion Clearinghouse.

 Previous volumes of the MHVI Covid-19 Digests can be found in the State Library of Massachusetts archives.

The Massachusetts Home Visiting Initiative brings this E-Digest to you. If you no longer wish to receive the Digest please send an email to Maxene.Spolidoro@mass.gov  Please write unsubscribe in the subject line. If you would like to add someone to our mailing list please send an email to Maxene.Spolidoro@mass.gov; please write new subscriber in the subject line. Visit us at www.mass.gov/dph/homevisiting.   

 Curator/Publisher: Maxene Spolidoro, MS, Communications Director, MA Dept. of Public Health, Bureau of Family Health and Nutrition

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