Apr. 16, 2020
Contributed by Andrea Oka
A sense of safety is the belief that your needs—and the needs of those you care about—will be met. It is a belief that you will be protected from harm and that those around you will be safe.
Educators can expect that many students’ senses of safety have been compromised. This is a unique situation in which institutions that provide safety and structure are closed, and news outlets report death rates and hospital bed shortages. For the many families that are experiencing or will experience significant income loss, this crisis may also mean food insecurity or an inability to pay rent and bills—all of which can severely damage a child’s sense of safety.
But there are steps educators can take to support a sense of safety in children: