A number of resources aimed at parents and teachers provide information on helping children cope with the recent terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. The following are available on the Internet:
U.S. Department of Education
Suggestions for principals and teachers on how to make students feel safe at school.
www.ed.gov/inits/september11/educators.html
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
On its Disaster Mental Health Services page, there are tips on how to talk about disaster with children.
www.mentalhealth.org/cmhs/emergencyservices
National Institute of Mental Health
Helping Children & Adolescents Cope with Violence and Disasters includes a list of behaviors that are related to trauma, and suggestions on how to intervene.
www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/violence.cfm
American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
A Disaster Response kit, in English and in Spanish, on how to talk to children and parents about the attacks.
www.aacap.org
Association for Library Service to Children
ALSC, a division of the American Library Association, compiled a list of books on dealing with grief, links to helpful websites, and other materials aimed at parents, teachers and caregivers.
www.ala.org/alsc/dealing_with_tragedy.html
University of Minnesota Extension Service
Offers resources on racial and cultural awareness, helping children understand Islam and disaster relief.
www.extension.umn.edu/administrative/disasterresponse/terrorism.html
Nemours Foundation’s Center for Children’s Health Media
KidsHealth web page contains articles for parents, teachers, kids and teens explaining how to deal with the attack, and where to go to help others.
www.kidshealth.org/misc_pages/P_squarebanner.html
National Association of School Psychologists
A list of free resources for schools, families and communities.
www.nasponline.org/NEAT?crisis_0911.html
Sesame Street Parents
Articles on how to talk to your child.
www.sesameworkshop.org/parents/advice/article/0,4125,49560,00.html
Tragedy Becomes a Learning Experience
PBS offers teachers videos and lesson plans for different age ranges. For older students, the materials focus on the relationship between the United States and the Middle East, the history of Afghanistan and understanding how the United States combats terrorism. For younger students, the lessons cover diversity and understanding human rights.
www.pbs.org/americaresponds/educators.html
New York Times Learning Network
They have created lesson plans for students in grades 6-8 and grades 9-12 that combine the newspaper’s coverage of the attack, journal-writing and classroom discussion.
www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/lessons/20010912wednesday.html
National Clearinghouse for Bilingual Education
They have compiled a number of resources to promote cultural understanding. Information is available in three categories: Middle East, Islam and Arab Americans; helping children cope with violence and death; and challenging stereotypes, intolerance and racism.
www.ncbe.gwu.edu/library/tolerance.htm
What Kids Can Do
They have articles on the actions children took in response to the attack and narratives by teenagers about how they felt.
www.whatkidscando.org/america.html
Where to Donate
American Red Cross posts news of its disaster-site relief efforts and counseling resources on its web site. Information is also available on how to make donations.
www.redcross.org
National Organization for Victim Assistance
They send crisis response teams to disaster sites to train local caregivers how to help victims. NOVA started a special fund for victims of the recent attack. Donations can be made online.
www.try-nova.org/index.html