The ongoing turmoil in reaction to the senseless death of George Floyd and the resulting national conversation regarding race and equity in our communities have brought with them a great deal of stress and difficult emotions for many in our state, including parents and caregivers.
At First Things First, we know that young children can be impacted by the difficulties the adults in their lives are dealing with, the conversations they may be hearing or the images they may be seeing. Children will look to their parents and caregivers for help in making sense of what is happening around them, and we know that can be challenging when we struggle to understand it ourselves. During these troubling times, we are sharing resources to help you guide and support the young children in your life.
Experts advise to begin by reassuring children that parents and other adults in their lives will keep them safe and immediately limit their exposure to violent images.
Once they feel comforted and secure, there are age-appropriate ways that parents and caregivers can talk to even very young children about tough issues like race and equity.
Here are resources from early childhood partners that can be helpful to families when they have those conversations with their young children:
