Healthy Minds for Parents and Children During COVID-19

Many communities around the country are back to in-school learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, and parents, teachers and administrators are working to ensure safe and productive learning environments for all students. But many parents are concerned about the health and safety of their children at school, and these concerns are taking a toll on mental health for parents and their children.

I encourage all parents and others interested in education and mental health to listen to the latest episode of our Contagious Conversations podcast featuring a compelling interview with two representatives from the National PTA, the oldest and largest child advocacy group, who share their perspectives on the impact of the pandemic on education. Anna King, National PTA president, and Elizabeth Rorick, National PTA deputy executive director of government affairs, strategic communications and training, discuss the impact of COVID-19 on schools and education and how the ongoing pandemic has affected the mental health of parents and children. 

So, as the pandemic lingers, how do we prioritize mental health for parents and children right now? Learn in the podcast interview how the National PTA is focusing on healthy minds, including a toolkit they created with resources for parents and PTA leaders to help prioritize mental health.

The CDC Foundation was pleased to sponsor the “Back to Class” Virtual Town Hall in September, which was hosted by the National PTA and included opening remarks by First Lady Dr. Jill Biden, and featured CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky and Secretary of Education Dr. Miguel Cardona.

We appreciate the partnership of the National PTA and hope everyone—parents, teachers and others—listening to this podcast will benefit from the advice shared and choose to prioritize mental health.

Contagious Conversations is developed by the CDC Foundation.

The NPTA Healthy Minds toolkit is supported by the CDC Foundation by way of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and as part of a financial assistance award totaling $447,531 with 21% funded by CDC/HHS and 79%, funded by non-government source(s). The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by CDC/HHS, or the U.S. Government.