RICHMOND, Va. - As Virginia schools plan to reopen their doors again on Monday, changes from virtual learning during the pandemic have raised concerns about the challenges faced by multigenerational families and grand-families.

More than 180,000 grandparents, often in high-risk age groups for COVID infection, are living with their grandchildren in the Commonwealth, according to U.S. Census data. And more than 63,000 grandparents bear sole responsibility for grandkids.

Charles Pyle, director of communications for the Virginia Department of Education, said school divisions took this issue into account when planning their reopening.

"When you have a situation because of a multigenerational household with high-risk members," said Pyle, "our school divisions have been making those decisions to bring the children back into the buildings with all of the proper mitigation strategies. They're also providing those virtual options for those who just aren't ready to come back yet."

Pyle pointed to research showing children with special learning needs benefit more from in-person instruction, and some students have fallen behind in math and reading with virtual learning.

He sought to reassure grandparent caretakers that the school systems will be safe and following Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines when they reopen.

Multigenerational families are caught between the danger of catching COVID from in-person learning, and issues around knowing how to use technology for virtual learning.

Jaia Peterson Lent, deputy executive director with Generations United and co-director of the National Center on Grandfamilies, said some seniors had trouble getting broadband access and helping grandkids operate online.

"We're seeing with grand-families, particularly near the beginning of the pandemic, wanting to support their child and distance learning," said Peterson Lent. "But they had six different classes with six different links to find multiple places. And perhaps if you have a caregiver who's just less comfortable with technology, it was really difficult to support that child."

Gov. Ralph Northam acknowledged this week that some multigenerational families are hesitant to return children to the classroom. He said for now, schools will continue to provide virtual learning to support those families.


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A touring conference from the National Alliance for Children's Grief comes to Montana this week. The event will be in Whitefish on Tuesday.

The alliance works with organizations like the Tamarack Grief Resource Center in Missoula, which is organizing the Whitefish conference. Tina Barrett, executive director of the center, said it started as a camp 25 years ago to help kids and families heal after the death of a loved one.

"We can't take the pain away, but we can walk alongside and we can add strength to one another's journey," said Barrett. "And may we wrap children in not only care, but effective care - with understanding others, with opportunities to creatively, symbolically, physically, narratively move through their experience."

Since Montana is such a large state, Barrett said part of Tamarack's goal is to support education so folks can expand the circle of care for people who are grieving.

In Montana, one in 12 children will experience the death of a parent or sibling by age 18, according to the Childhood Bereavement Estimation Model.

Tami Sparks works at Tamarack Grief Resource Center as an outreach specialist and has personal experience with the work it does. Her husband died by suicide in 2006, leaving her with three children. Her oldest, who was five at the time, attended the camp that predated Tamarack. She said eventually, all three went to the camp every year.

Sparks said kids get the space to be children there, but also to talk about their feelings.

"They really attribute how they show up in the world to being involved with Tamarack," said Sparks. "They feel like going to camps gave them the experience and ability to understand where other people were coming from in their walk with grief."

The conference in Whitefish features three speakers who will discuss the losses many families have felt in the past two years of the pandemic. Barrett said they'll touch on a variety of topics.

"How do we look at cultural humility and center culture and equity in our programming that we do?" said Barrett. "How do we understand the prevalence, and more importantly, the story behind the numbers as we're seeking to more effectively support children's grief? And what are some practical takeaways?"

The conference begins at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The theme is "No Child Grieves Alone."

Advocates for children's well-being are in Washington, D.C. today, calling on lawmakers to invest in
kids.

The Save the Children advocacy summit is gathering people from around the country to speak with members of Congress. They are focusing on the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program, which is a voluntary home visiting program.

Anita Davis, volunteer and outreach leader for the Save the Children Action Network in Tennessee, said she did home visiting for seven years in Metro Nashville in a low-income housing area and is well aware of the needs of families and the importance of the renewal of the program.

"This legislation will end on September 30th if Congress does not renew it," Davis pointed out. "So we're talking with -- I'll be speaking with -- my two state senators and two of the congressional representatives from Tennessee, to urge them to please not only renew this legislation but to improve it."

Davis noted they also are advocating for Congress to reauthorize the Farm Bill, which would include improvements to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

According to Feeding America, in Tennessee, 41.8% of households receiving SNAP benefits have children. Save the Children is urging Congress to preserve and protect SNAP benefits because so many families rely on them.

Roy Chrobocinski, managing director of federal domestic policy for Save the Children, said the rising price of goods and supply-chain issues have affected families and their ability to access food.

"We know the benefits don't go far enough," Chrobocinski stressed. "We know that families who receive the benefits, they still have to pay money out of pocket. It's not covering the cost of all of their food, but it makes sure that they can supplement what they are paying to make sure that they have enough food to eat each day, each month."

Chrobocinski added children do not donate to political campaigns, and they cannot vote, so he argued it is critical for Save the Children advocates in Washington to share their stories and make it clear to members of Congress the importance of investing in children.

Nebraska is one of six states participating in "No Child Grieves Alone," a series of regional conferences aiming to help communities recover after the social isolation and the tremendous loss of life during the global pandemic.

Carly Runestad, executive director of the Mourning Hope Grief Center, said the event will explore ways for parents, teachers, school counselors and anyone else working with children to support them as they process the loss of a family member or friend.

"It's kind of our human nature for us to try and shield children from grief, but grief is really a natural human experience," Runestad explained. "It's not a problem, we don't need to try to fix it, it is just a universal healthy reaction to loss."

The one-day conference begins at 11 a.m., Sept. 29 at Mourning Hope's campus on South Folsom street in Lincoln. The event is free to attend, includes lunch, and professionals can earn three Continuing Education credits for a fee.

Children of color are more likely than their white counterparts to experience the death of a parent, as are children living in rural areas. One in sixteen Nebraska kids will experience a death before they turn 18.

Runestad emphasized when children have support, they can learn to integrate a death-loss experience and go on to live healthy, engaged lives. Without support, they can suffer long-term consequences.

"That's where we can see their life trajectory derail a bit," Runestad observed. "That's where we can start to see them finding unhealthy coping skills, where they may start to look at drugs or alcohol to help ease the pain of their loss."

Runestad noted just like adults, each child experiences grief differently. It is not one size fits all. She added anyone with children in their lives can offer critical support by simply being there, and listening with their heart.

"Having people that walk alongside them in their grief, that meet them where they're at, and are really present for that person's pain," Runestad advised. "Not trying to take it away, not trying to relieve it, but just to be present for them."