COVID-19 Resources for OST Programs and Families

Find information from Pennsylvania departments, about loans and funding, law, 2020 U.S. Census, and resources for OST staff and parents and students.

Pennsylvania Afterschool Provider Facebook Group

Connect with other afterschool and summer learning providers across the state via our Pennsylvania Afterschool Provider Facebook Group.

Stay Informed

• Child Care during COVID-19 and Reopening Child Care
• Child Nutrition Program Meal Service Waivers During COVID-19
• Coronavirus Information for Schools: Pre-K, K-12 Schools and Higher Education
• County COVID-19 Cases and Planning Report
• COVID-19 Food Distribution Information for School Communities
• COVID-19 Related Policies Announcements and Communications That Are Sunset or Obsolete
• COVID-19 Resources for Child Care and Early Learning
• COVID-19 Resources for Pre-K to 12 Schools
• DCNR Facilities and Events COVID-19 Guidance
• Discussion with CDC Regarding Guidance for Child Care Programs That Remain Open
• Emergency Food Assistance during COVID-19 Mitigation
• Emergency SNAP Benefits
• Field Guide for Camps on Implementation of CDC Guidance
• Guidance for Operating Child Care Programs during COVID-19
• Guidance for Operating Youth Camps
• How to Access Emergency Food Assistance during COVID-19 Mitigation
• Implementing the CDC Guidance: Considerations for Open or Re-Opening Childcare Programs
• A New Outdoors Etiquette to Reduce the Spread of COVID-19
• Operational Strategy for K-12 Schools through Phased Prevention
• Pennsylvania Recreation and Park Facility Reopening Guidelines
• Resources for School Communities During COVID-19
• Responding to COVID-19 in Pennsylvania

Loans and Funding

• CARES Act Loan Options
• Coronavirus Emergency Loans: Small Business Guide and Checklist
• Federal Recovery Funding Resources
• Maintaining and Building Relationships with Funders during COVID-19
• SBA 7(a) Paycheck Protection Program
• SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loans

Law

CARES Act Signed into Law, Includes Support for Afterschool, Nonprofits and Child Care

Resources for Out-of-School Time Staff

Wellness

• 5 Strategies for Teacher Self-Care
• 22 Young Adult Novels to Help Students Process the Pandemic (or Forget It for a Bit)
• Continuing Learning: Playbook for Healthy School Communities
• COVID-19 Resources to Help You Manage Asthma and Allergies in Your School
• Educator Stress Is a Leadership Challenge – Here’s What Leaders Can Do About It
• A Facilitator’s Guide to Remote and Socially Distanced SEL Instruction in Out-of-School Time
• First Aid for Feelings: A Workbook To Help Kids Cope During the Coronavirus Pandemic (EN) | Primeros auxolios emocionales: Un cuaderno de trabajo para ayudar a los niños a sobrellevar la pandemia de coronavirus (SP)
• The Importance of Social Emotional Learning With the Reopening of Afterschool Programs
• An Initial Guide Leveraging the Power of Social and Emotional Learning – As You Prepare to Reopen and renew Your School Community
• Reducing the Adverse Impact of the Coronavirus on Students and Families
• SEL and Mental Health Resources during the COVID-19 Outbreak
• Stress, Strain and Burnout – Oh My!
• Supporting School Community Wellness With Social and Emotional Learning During and After a Pandemic
• What Is Toxic Positivity? Why It’s OK To Not Be OK Right Now.
• What You Should Know About Cyberbullying: It’s On the Rise Amid the Pandemic
• A Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child Approach to Responding to Health Crises
• With Innovation and Empathy, Remote Learning Becomes Accessible for All Students

Online Learning and Remote Working

• The 3 Biggest Remote Teaching Concerns We Need to Solve Now
• 3 Tips for Teaching Special Education Online
• 4 Guiding Questions for Effective Remote Collaboration
• 4 Tips for Teachers Shifting to Teaching Online
• Adapting Science Lessons for Distance Learning
• The Art of Distance Learning in Afterschool
• Creating an Inclusive Virtual Classroom
• DEI Work Is More Important Than Ever. But How Do We Do It Remotely?
• How to Reach Students without Internet Access at Home? Schools Get Creative
• How to Keep Students’ Attention in a Virtual Classroom
• Improving Virtual Access to Your Afterschool Program
• Keeping Students Engaged in Digital Learning
• Project-Based Learning: How to Integrate It Virtually in Your Afterschool Program
• STEM Without Sharing Materials
• Students on Remote Learning: More Creativity, Interaction Needed
• Too Much Cross Talk. Too Little Creativity. How to Fix the Worst Parts of a Virtual Meeting.

Teaching Resources

• 11 Teacher-Recommended Math Apps and Online Tools
• Broadband for Schools
• Every Hour Counts COVID-19 Resources
• Expanded Learning 360°/365
• Financial Planning in Response to COVID-19
• Free Resources for Educators during the Coronavirus Pandemic
• High-Quality Sites and Apps That Are Supporting School Closures with Free Resources
• National Afterschool Association Resources
• SciStarter
• Siemens STEM Day
• Teaching Entrepreneurship with Google Cloud during COVID-19
• Temescal Associates
• Thermo Fisher Platform for Science
• Tools to Help Plan for Summer Programs

Learning Loss

• How Educators, Librarians Are Connecting Students With Books To Prevent COVID-19 Summer Literacy Slide
• How to Use the Summer to Prevent Learning Loss

Reopening

• Back to School: Safe and Healthy in an Uncharted Landscape
• A Blueprint for Back to School
• Blueprint for Successful Afterschool and In-School Partnerships in Reopening
• How Safe Is Your School’s Reopening Plan? Here’s What to Look For
• Nine Key Principles for Reopening Schools and Helping Students Recover From COVID-19
• Opening School-Age Childcare and Out-of-School Time Programs during COVID-19
• Reopening Programs – Resources from the Afterschool Alliance
• Reopening Youth Summer Learning Programs
• Returning to School: A Toolkit for Principals
• What Does Good Classroom Design Look Like in the Age of Social Distancing?

Surveys

• Afterschool Alliance COVID-19 Tracking Program Provider Survey: Wave 1 National Results
• Afterschool Alliance COVID-19 Tracking Program Provider Survey: Wave 1 Pennsylvania Results
• PACCA Sample Return from COVID-19 Parent Surveys
• Youth Workers’ Experience during the COVID-19 Pandemic Survey Results Report

Other

• Afterschool in the Time of COVID-19
• Afterschool Program Changes Due to COVID-19
• Afterschool and Summer in the Time of COVID-19
• Better Kid Care Buzz: COVID-19 Special Edition
• Child Care Works Updates and Information
• From a Room Called Fear to a Room Called Hope: A Leadership Agenda for Troubled Times
• For Teachers: Summer Reading during Turbulent Times
• Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and the COVID-19 Crisis
• Getting Support for Summer Learning: How Federal, State, City and District Policies Affect Summer Learning Programs
• Learning in Afterschool and Summer Project
• Learning in Afterschool and Summer Project – How Kids Learn
• The Nonprofit Survival Guide
• Remake Tomorrow: Learning in a Post-Pandemic Future
• A School Year Like No Other Demands a New Learning Day: A Blueprint for How Afterschool Programs and Community Partners Can Help
• Steve Van Zandt’s Plan to Save Music Education During the Pandemic
• Supporting Clients in Under-Resourced Communities during the COVID-19 Pandemic
• Teaching through a Pandemic: A Mindset for This Moment
• Two Principles for Leading Your Organization through the COVID-19 Crisis
• Unemployment Rights and Resources – COVID-19

Resources for Families and Students

Wellness

• 22 Young Adult Novels to Help Students Process the Pandemic (or Forget It for a Bit)
• A Homeschool Mom on Distance Learning for Special-Needs Kids, Socializing Online — and Why Parents Shouldn’t Try to Recreate Public School at Home
• Mitigating Ongoing Stress of a Pandemic: A Toolkit for Caregivers
• Parent/Caregiver Guide to Helping Families Cope with the Coronavirus Disease 2019
• Supporting Students Away from School
• What Is Toxic Positivity? Why It’s OK To Not Be OK Right Now.
• Ways to Promote Children’s Resilience to the COVID-19 Pandemic

Back to School/Child Care

• Five Tips for Families Returning to Child Care after COVID-19
• Parents Guide to Online School: 9 Questions to Help Vet Your Back-to-School Choices

Study Resources

• Apps for Students with Special Needs – As School Buildings Shutter
• BrainPOP
• Discovering Joyful Math Away from the Classroom
• Esports
• Fractions Can Be Scary for Kids and Adults. Here’s How to Take the Fear Out of Them
• Free Python Summer Camp
• Girls Who Code: Code at Home
• Goodnight with Dolly
• High-Quality Sites and Apps That Are Supporting School Closures with Free Resources
• How to Support Home Learning in Elementary Grades
• Khan Academy
• Learning Hero Roadmap
• Online SAT Practice Tests
• Parents: Check Out the Daily Discovery Education
• Prodigy Curriculum
• Reading Adventure Packs for Families
• Scholastic
• Scholastic Learn at Home
• SciStarter
• STEM Gems
• VentureLab
• The Weather Channel Is Now Teaching Kids, at 50 Past the Hour: 8 Things We’ve Learned About Snow, Atmosphere, Planets and More
• Zearn Math Parent/Caregiver Pack

Other

• Common Sense Media: A Parents’ Ultimate Guide to ZOOM
• COVID-19 and At-Home Resources
• COVID-19 Resources from Every Hour Counts
• Do You Have Questions About COVID and Caring for Children?
• Every Hour Counts COVID-19 Resources
• How Youth Can LeadASAP during COVID-19
• An Open Letter to Parents from a National Teacher of the Year on Tips for Remote Learning and How to Support Your School Community
• Questions about TikTok? Here’s Common Sense Media’s Ultimate Guide for Parents
• Schools are Closed. Learning Is Always On.
• Unemployment Rights and Resources – COVID-19