Dr. Tarin Santamaria, PsyD, NCSP

Today is Children’s Grief Awareness Day. Children's Grief Awareness Day seeks to bring attention to the fact that often support can make all the difference in the life of a grieving child. It provides an opportunity for all of us to raise awareness of the painful impact that the death of a loved one has in the life of a child, an opportunity to make sure that these children receive the support they need. *please see my previous posts for social stories to read to children a...bout the loss of a loved one. For more information about Grief Awareness Day: Childrensgriefawarenessday.org Grief programs/camps in PA: https://childrengrieve.org//9-/45-programs-in-pennsylvania The Highmark Caring Place is a great local resource for grief support: https://www.highmarkcaringplace.com/cp2/index.shtml

I am not currently working in a school system, but I am a proud School Psychologist. Governor Tom Wolf declared November 9-13, 2020 School Psychology Awareness Week! Check out this Proclamation:

The American Psychological Association (APA) has started an initiative called RESilience: Uplifting Youth Through Healthy Communications About Race. Racial and Ethnic Socializing (or RES) is the process through which children learn about race. RES specifically includes the direct, explicit messages children receive about the existence of racism and the meaning of race, as well as related indirect or implicit messages. Why should I talk with my child about race and ethnicity?... Children's ideas about their own race and others’ races begin forming in early childhood. Children learn about racial and ethnic identity from their environments.For young children, parents and family members are the primary sources for learning about race and ethnicity. Children learn about race and ethnicity through direct messages, such as conversations about race, and through indirect messages, such as the images they see around them. Children are learning about race and ethnicity whether they talk about them or not. Even choosing not to directly discuss race communicates your values and beliefs. https://www.apa.org/res/about/racial-ethnic-socialization https://www.apa.org/res/parent-resources

The American Psychological Association has put out resouces about Race and Ethnicity. Below is a link for books meant for every age, as well as for parents and teachers. "Reading and discussing books can be an important tool at all ages for promoting strength, health and well-being. Books and the worlds that readers create serve as safe spaces for youth of color to explore their identity and appreciate their race." https://www.apa.org/res/parent-resources/books

The American Psychological Association put out a great article about how parents can help their child recognize and cope with stress: https://www.apa.org/topics/talking-stress

See my previous post about the webinar PEAL is conducting in August! If you haven’t already, follow their Facebook page for updates and resources. If you are having challenges with your child’s school and planning for the 2020-21 school year, PEAL has suggest the following steps: 1. Reach out to your child’s teacher and/or principal to discuss your concerns. ... 2. Contact the special education director and/or someone else from the Central Administration 3. Access outside organizations for information or assistance: a. PEAL Center: Call at 866-950-1040 or send email to [email protected] b. Consult Line: 1-800-879-2301 (Toll-Free) or with the Contact Form https://odr-pa.org/consultline-contact/ c. Local Task Force on the Right to Special Education: https://www.pattan.net//430d21cc-e394-/LTF_Contacts_2019_1

The PEAL Center is holding a webinar on 8/11/2020 called Students with IEPs and the 2020-21 school year. Although registration is at capacity it will be live streamed on PEAL’s Facebook page! https://pealcenter.org//Final-Flyer-Aug-11-PDE-BSE-webinar