Resources to Support Youth and Families During the COVID-19 Emergency

Three students with masks looking at the camera

Updated 2/23/2023

These can be difficult times for young people and those who work with them. Learn more about the respiratory illness coronavirus COVID-19 here. Below are resources on topics affecting youth and how supportive adults can help.

NEW! Fact Sheet: COVID-19 Public Health Emergency Transition Roadmap
Based on current COVID-19 trends, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is planning for the federal Public Health Emergency (PHE) for COVID-19, declared under Section 319 of the Public Health Service (PHS) Act, to expire at the end of the day on May 11, 2023. Addressing COVID-19 remains a significant public health priority, and HHS will work closely with partners, including state, local, Tribal, and territorial agencies, industry, and advocates, to ensure an orderly transition. This fact sheet shares what will and will not be affected by the expiration of the PHE.

Resources by Topic

Vaccines

  • The CDC has a printable fact sheet for parents (PDF, 1 page) that explains the benefits of a COVID-19 vaccine for their children, safety information, and what to expect during and after vaccination.
  • The CDC webpage Pediatric Healthcare Professionals COVID-19 Vaccination Toolkit provides materials to help healthcare providers give parents clear and accurate information about COVID-19 vaccines. The toolkit includes answers to common questions, an explanation of how mRNA vaccines work, and printable materials to give to parents.
  • The CDC has has posted FAQs on the Pfizer-BioNTech product page for providers with information about consent, prescreening questions, and other issues related to the vaccination of minors.
  • The CDC webpage How to talk to your patients about COVID-19 vaccination provides materials, including a sample letter, to help healthcare providers encourage their patients to get a COVID-19 vaccine. It includes the new recommendation that everyone aged 12 and up get a COVID-19 vaccination.

Child Care

  • HHS Office of Child Care has a webpage on coronavirus resources regarding child care.

Education

  • The ongoing COVID-19 public health crisis looms large, creating deep and disparate consequences for young people and their families. The Center for Promise's nationally representative survey of high school youth reveals their perceptions of the pandemic’s impact on their learning and their lives. The findings suggest that students are experiencing a collective trauma, and that they and their families would benefit from immediate and ongoing support.
  • The U.S. Department of Education Office of Safe and Supportive Schools (OSSS) and its REMS TA Center has a Community of Practice (CoP), a virtual space for education agencies to collaborate and learn from the experiences of others in the field as well as share resources, tools, questions, and information specific to COVID-19.

Employment/Unemployment Insurance

  • The DOL Division of Youth Services conducted a "WIOA Youth Program COVID-19 Session" that answered questions, shared resources, and passed along best practices that were submitted in advance.
  • The DOL has an unemployment insurance webpage, which includes guidance on flexibilities during the coronavirus pandemic.

Finances/Economic Impact Payments/Taxes/Student Loans

  • The White House website has webpages on the Child Tax Credit, which will provide 3,000 to $3,600 per child for nearly all working families. Information is available in English and Spanish. Find out more in the fact sheet.
  • The Interagency Working Group on Youth Programs developed a guide on the YE4C website for young adults on how to find out if they qualify for an economic impact payment, what to do if they don’t get one automatically, and where to get answers: Finances and COVID-19: A Guide for Young Adults.
  • The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation created the Receiving Economic Impact Payment webpage and video designed to encourage unbanked people to open a bank account without going into a bank branch, as they receive the economic impact payment.
  • The Social Security Administration has created a guide for SSI recipients related to COVID-19 economic impact payments.
  • The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has an infographic and webpage that share information for student loan borrowers about recent changes made to repayment terms due to the pandemic.

Food and Nutrition

Health/Mental Health/Stress and Coping

  • The mental health impacts of the pandemic have been particularly severe for marginalized young people, including youth with disabilities, Black, Latinx, rural and indigenous youth, LGBTQ+ youth, and youth from low-income families. The Surgeon General’s Advisory on Protecting Youth Mental Health outlines actionable steps for young people and their families and caregivers, schools, health leaders, community organizations, funders, media and technology companies, employers, and governments to protect youth mental health.
  • The TA subgroup of the Early Childhood Health and Well-Being Leadership group collected a published a list of COVID-19 TA resources on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Office of Early Childhood Development website. Agencies across the Federal government have collected a series of resources to support school-age children and children in out-of-school-time settings during the COVID-19 pandemic with: Resources for Addressing Trauma and Building Resilience in School-Age Children and Out-of-School-Time Settings. Resources are categorized by audience and topics cover social-emotional and behavioral support, building resilience and addressing trauma, and staff wellness.
  • The U.S. Agency for International Development and YouthPower.org co-hosted a webinar for young people: "Fighting the Unseen Impacts of COVID-19: Tools and Strategies for Promoting Mental Health and Wellbeing in Ourselves and Other Young People During the Pandemic."
  • SAMHSA has a training and technical assistance program on supportive practices for mental health practitioners and other resources.

Human Services/Community-Based Organizations

  • HHS, in partnership with the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), will invest $80 million to support state and local COVID-19 testing and mitigation measures among people experiencing homelessness, residents of congregate settings including group homes, and encampments.
  • The IWGYP developed a resource youth.gov for supportive adults to help youth cope with isolation during the pandmic. Two young adults and one researcher share the challenges of isolation facing youth during the pandemic and identify specific steps supportive adults can take to help youth cope. Video and Audio: Lessons for Supportive Adults on Youth Isolation.
  • The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation has compiled information on youth.gov about available streams of funding for human services providers, educational institutions, and individuals and families to access broadband and devices.
  • The Science of Learning & Development Alliance has interviewed education leaders to learn how this science can be used to navigate this pandemic and its implications for young people, their communities, and the systems that surround them. Read the interview with Karen Pittman, Co-Founder, President, and CEO of the Forum for Youth Investment.
  • The University of Maryland School of Social Work has developed an online resource that provides state-by-state information on COVID-19 telehealth Medicaid expansion, a youth- and family-friendly guide to Zoom, COVID-19 resource by topic, and more.
  • The American Youth Policy Forum has an information hub that provides weekly updates by youth population (as well as supports for parents) to facilitate collating relevant resources, recognizing that many young people fall into multiple categories.

Safety/Domestic Violence

  • HHS, through the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), will invest $550 million in the Family Violence Prevention and Services Program to support state and tribal programs for detecting, diagnosing, and mitigating infections for adults, children, and youth experiencing domestic violence and dating violence.
  • The Vermont Network Against Domestic and Sexual Violence has an "Askable Adult" campaign that recently shared messaging about being 'askable' adults, who are committed to having strong, effective, and affirming relationships with youth using positive communication to develop trust and connectedness.
  • The National Domestic Violence Hotline has a website for staying safe during the coronavirus pandemic.

 

Resources by IWGYP Partner

Interagency Working Group on Youth Programs Interagency Working Group on Youth Programs (IWGYP)

  • The IWGYP developed a resource on the youth.gov website for supportive adults to help youth cope with isolation during the pandemic. Two young adults and one researcher share the challenges of isolation facing youth during the pandemic and identify specific steps supportive adults can take to help youth cope. Video and Audio: Lessons for Supportive Adults on Youth Isolation.
  • The IWGYP developed a guide on the YE4C website for young adults on how to find out if they qualify for an economic impact payment, what to do if they don’t get one automatically, and where to get answers: Finances and COVID-19: A Guide for Young Adults.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)

U.S. Department of Education U.S. Department of Education (ED)

 U.S. Department of CommerceU.S. Department of Labor (DOL)

U.S. Department of Commerce U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC)

U.S. Department of the Treasury U.S. Department of the Treasury

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)

  • The FDIC created the Receiving Economic Impact Payment webpage and video designed to encourage unbanked people to open a bank account without going into a bank branch, as they receive the economic impact payment.

Social Security Administration Social Security Administration (SSA)

CFPB Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

U.S. Department of Agriculture U.S. Department of Agriculture

U.S. Agency for International Development U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)

  • USAID and YouthPower.org co-hosted a webinar for young people: "Fighting the Unseen Impacts of COVID-19: Tools and Strategies for Promoting Mental Health and Wellbeing in Ourselves and Other Young People During the Pandemic."

Non-Federal Organizations

  • The National Academy of Sciences provides guidance that identifies school-based strategies for addressing the mental health and well-being challenges among youth that arose during the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • The ongoing COVID-19 public health crisis looms large, creating deep and disparate consequences for young people and their families. The Center for Promise's nationally representative survey of high school youth reveals their perceptions of the pandemic’s impact on their learning and their lives. The findings suggest that students are experiencing a collective trauma, and that they and their families would benefit from immediate and ongoing support.
  • The University of Maryland School of Social Work has developed an online resource that provides state-by-state information on COVID-19 telehealth Medicaid expansion, a youth- and family-friendly guide to Zoom, COVID-19 resource by topic, and more.
  • The Transitions to Adulthood Center for Research hosted a webinar that describes methods to help support college students with mental health conditions who have been affected by disruptions in school due to COVID-19.
  • The American Youth Policy Forum has an information hub that provides weekly updates by youth population (as well as supports for parents) to facilitate collating relevant resources, recognizing that many young people fall into multiple categories. 
  • The Vermont Network Against Domestic and Sexual Violence has an "Askable Adult" campaign that recently shared messaging about being 'askable' adults, who are committed to having strong, effective, and affirming relationships with youth using positive communication to develop trust and connectedness.
  • The National Domestic Violence Hotline has a website for staying safe during the coronavirus pandemic.
  • The Science of Learning & Development Alliance has interviewed education leaders to learn how this science can be used to navigate this pandemic and its implications for young people, their communities, and the systems that surround them. Read the interview with Karen Pittman, Co-Founder, President, and CEO of the Forum for Youth Investment.