With recent changes to schooling due to COVID-19, Trying Together has compiled a list of remote learning resources to support teachers, parents, and students as they transition to and navigate remote learning. For more information on COVID-19, please visit our COVID-19 information page.
Resources for Educators
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- 5 Reasons Students Aren’t Engaging in Distance Learning, Child Mind Institute
- How to Begin Positive Relationships With Families: 8 Tips to Try, Child Mind Institute
- Resources on Face Masks for Children, OCDEL
- Building Positive Relationships With Students: What Brain Science Says, Child Mind Institute
- Back to School Digital Bulletin Board Ideas, Study.com
- How Trauma Affects Kids in School, Child Mind Institute
- How to create anti-racist virtual classrooms: Strategies for teachers and families, Kidsburgh
- Anxiety in the Classroom, Child Mind Institute
- Resources for Teachers, Wide Open Schools
- Managing Students’ Behavior During Remote or Hybrid Learning, Child Mind Institute
- How to Make Drop Off and Pick Up More Personal, HiMama
- Perceptions of Learner Behaviors and Actions During Personalized, Remote Learning, The Learning Accelerator
- Modifying an IEP or 504 for Distance or Hybrid Learning, Child Mind Institute
- 6 Tips for Keeping Kids Motivated for Online Learning, Common Sense Media
- Educator competencies for student-centered teaching, Christensen Institute
- Best practices for remote learning, according to experts, The Hechinger Report
- Pennsylvania issues health and safety guidelines for pandemic learning pods, The Morning Call
- Leadership during COVID-19: Finances & Team Morale, HiMama
- Back to School: Distance Learning Tips for Teachers, Study.com
- Ways to Social Distance at Preschool During COVID-19, HiMama
- Beyond Reopening Schools: How to grow connections between families and schools, Kidsburgh
- The Concurrent Classroom: Using Blended Learning Models to Teach Students In-person and Online Simultaneously, Catlin Tucker
- Preparing Educators for the Challenge Ahead, ASCD
- What’s Working: Distance Learning Tips for Teachers, Common Sense Media
- Driving Quality in Remote Learning: A framework for research-informed remote experiences for K-12 learners, Learning Accelerator
- 7 Tips for Remote Family-Teacher Conferences, Common Sense Media
- Welcoming Students Back to School During & After School Closures, Study.com
- Engaging Students in a Virtual Classroom, National Education Association
- Physical Education Vocabulary for Kids, PlaygroundEquipment.com
- Virtual Teaching 101 for Early Childhood Educators, HiMama
- Keeping Your Students Engaged in the Virtual Classroom, International Literacy Association
- U.S. Department of Education COVID-19 Handbook Volume 1: Strategies for Safely Reopening Elementary and Secondary Schools
- How Can I Meet the Needs of Distance Learning Students During COVID-19?, Purdue University
- Which Remote Learning Tools Will Teachers Bring Back In Person?, Common Sense Education
- 45 Next Generation Learning Tools That Kids Will Love, iReview
Resources for Families
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- 13 Activities to Make the Most Out of Video Chats With Kids, PBS Kids
- Parent and Family Digital Learning Guide, Office of Educational Technology
- The Distance Learning Toolbox Families Wish They Had, NAEYC
- Tools to Turn Your Kid into a Math and Science Pro, Common Sense Media
- Dr. G: How to support your kid’s mental health during back-to-school transition, Kidsburgh
- How Parents Can Help Kids Learn at Home, Common Sense Media
- How to Set Priorities This School Year, Child Mind Institute
- Back to School Guide for Families, Wide Open Schools
- Preparing for Back-to-School Success, Child Mind Institute
- How to Get Kids Ready to Video-Chat for Online Classes, Common Sense Media
- Tips for Partnering With Teachers in the New School Year, Child Mind Institute
- 30+ Preschool Themes with Free Printables, HiMama
- Back-to-School Anxiety During COVID, Child Mind Institute
- Resources on Face Masks for Children, OCDEL
- Strategies for Supporting Learning at Home, Child Mind Institute
- Parent Tips and Tricks for Distance Learning, Common Sense Media
- Back-to-School Tips for Kids Who Are Struggling, Child Mind Institute
- Kitchen Math: How Mealtime Can Support Kids’ Number Sense, PBS Kids
- How to Help Kids Who Are Too Hard on Themselves, Child Mind Institute
- Anxious Stomach Aches and Headaches, Child Mind Institute
- 6 Tips for Keeping Kids Motivated for Online Learning, Common Sense Media
- Managing Your Own Anxiety During School Reopening, Child Mind Institute
- COVID-19 Resources For Childcare Centers, Preschools & Parents, HiMama
- Family Centers of Allegheny County
- Video: Parenting During A Pandemic Top 5 FAQs, A+ Schools
- Free Distance Learning Plans for K–2 Students and Their Families, Common Sense Media
- Keystone Scholars Resource Materials
- Pennsylvania issues health and safety guidelines for pandemic learning pods, The Morning Call
- 7 lessons from Pittsburgh moms with experience in online learning, Kidsburgh
- Learning at Home: 5 Steps to Plan Your Day, PBS Kids
- Beyond Reopening Schools: How to grow connections between families and schools, Kidsburgh
- How to protect your kids’ eyes during remote learning, Kidsburgh
- Common Sense Media: Tips and tricks to manage your kid’s school-issued computer, Kidsburgh
- Video: Restorative Parenting During a Pandemic, A+ Schools
- How to help kids learn — and feel loved — during this challenging school year, Kidsburgh
- Keeping Kids Engaged in Remote Learning, Child Mind Institute
- Remote learning has been a disaster for many students. But some kids have thrived, The Hechinger Report
- Virtual Learning Anxiety: How to Help Your Kids, Cleveland Clinic
- Strategies for Supporting Learning at Home, Child Mind Institute
- Questions That Parents of English Language Learners Should Ask Schools, Child Mind Institute
Resources for Students
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- Free Educational Apps, Games, and Websites, Common Sense Media
- Homework Help Websites, Common Sense Media
- Academic Support Initiative, Gwen’s Girls
- 50 Social Distancing Activities for Kids, HiMama
COVID-19 Resources
To best support these community members and the young children in their lives, Trying Together has created two resource lists, featuring helpful resources that families and educators can use to maneuver this difficult time.
- COVID-19 Resources for Families and Caregivers
- COVID-19 Resources for Early Care and Education Professionals
Child Care and Education Planning Tools
Allegheny Child Care
In partnership with the Allegheny County Department of Human Services and Allegheny Partners for Out-of-School-Time (APOST), Trying Together developed Allegheny Child Care. By using this online tool, parents and caregivers of young children can search for available child care spots at early learning, after-school, out-of-school, summer camp, and virtual programs in Allegheny County.
To use the tool, visit the Allegheny Child Care website. For additional support in finding child care and/or funding your child care needs, visit the ELRC Region 5 website or call 412.350.3577.
Family Care and Education Forum
In response to uncertainty surrounding the 2020-21 school year, Trying Together launched the Family Care & Education Forum. This new resource connects parents and caregivers across Southwestern Pennsylvania and provides a space to ask questions, network, and support one another.
Upon signing up, users will be able to post questions, respond to comments, and learn more about care and education opportunities in their area. To discuss your care and education plans for this fall with other families, visit the new Family Care and Education Forum.
Early Learning Resource Center (ELRC) Region 5
Pennsylvania’s Early Learning Resource Centers (ELRCs) provide a single point-of-contact for families, early learning service providers, and communities to gain information and access services that support high-quality child care and early learning programs.
To request support and learn more, visit the ELRC Region 5 website or call 412.350.3577.
Developmentally Appropriate Parenting Resources
Developmentally Appropriate Parenting is a family resource content series developed by Trying Together as an effort to empower caregivers to create high-quality experiences at the earliest stages of their child’s life. To do this, we are developing digital and print content for families that covers critical early childhood topics. From 2019–2022, Trying Together will continue to develop the series, releasing information online and in-person (when possible) as it is finalized.
View Developmentally Appropriate Parenting Resources on the Trying Together website.
