Despite pandemic restrictions, Children’s Program still a safe space for kids

Much like everything else at Nellie’s, we’ve made changes to how we run our Children’s Program in order to ensure our moms, kids, and staff stay safe.

Social distancing, masks when in the playroom, and temperature checks have become the norm for kids living at Nellie’s. But living in a shelter during a global pandemic adds an additional level of stress and anxiety for kids (and moms), and, what hasn’t changed at our Children’s Program, is the opportunity it gives kids to have a safe space to express their feeling and work through their emotions in an age-appropriate way.

“It’s difficult because many of the kids are nervous and fearful about COVID-19. They’re like sponges, the good information and the bad information all gets absorbed,” says Cordelia Fox, Children’s Program Worker. “We listen to the messages they’ve heard, fact check the information, and transform it into kid-appropriate messages.”

Since the program was first created in 2017, Cordelia has always planned the monthly themes as well as all of the weekly activities, and is committed to providing content and activities that are diverse, inclusive and reflective of the populations we work with. With many of the kids, staff often talk about appropriate and inappropriate expressions of emotion during the activities. Most of the kids have only ever experienced inappropriate (or unsafe) expressions of emotion. Nowadays, discussion topics often include managing change (both pre- and post-COVID experiences), managing emotions, and stress management strategies.

Every Friday afternoon, the program moves outside. In the summer, Nellie’s backyard was turned into a small garden for kids and moms to learn how-to nurture and tend to plants. Now that the weather is cooler, kids play ball, chalk on the pavement or skip rope. Cordelia hopes that even in the winter, they’ll be able to continue going outside to play.

“We have a really nice backyard, it’s small but it’s a nice space. Getting outside for programming gives everyone a chance to get some fresh air, and provides a bit of normalcy during these difficult times,” says Cordelia.

When inside the playroom, visual cues, such as tape marks on the floor and tables remind kids to physically distance. Similar to daycare centre protocols, temperatures are checked when they arrive and anyone over the age of 2 has to wear a mask. (As part of our COVID-19 response plan, reusable and disposable masks are provided to everyone living at Nellie’s.) Only a few toys remain in the playroom and when a child plays with one, it’s fully disinfected before being returned to the shelf. For crafts, we purchased extra supplies to give every child their own pencil case filled with crayons, markers, glue and scissors. This cuts down on the need for sharing.

Snacks, which have always been available for the kids during programming, are now individually packaged or prepared in advance and put in disposable bowls.

Before the pandemic, Cordelia often planned mother and child outings to local attractions, such as the AGO or the Aga Khan museum. Since those types of bonding experiences are no longer feasible, she plans other activities.

“Movie nights give moms the opportunity to bond with their children, and forget about the pandemic for a few hours.”

Want to help us support children living at Nellie’s? Make a secure online donation at nellies.org. Or, you can make an even bigger impact by becoming a monthly donor. As a regular monthly supporter, your generosity provides critical and consistent funding towards our daily efforts to help women and their children impacted by abuse, trauma and homelessness. Automatic monthly payments are easy to set up, convenient, and create a lasting impact on the lives of women and their children at Nellie’s.