COVID-19 Information and Resources

 

 

 

Last Updated: January 20, 2021

 

The TEAK Fellowship is actively tracking tools and resources in light of the ongoing COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic.  Staff have communicated directly with students, shared resources with them remotely, and will support them in every conceivable way. 

This page will be updated regularly with community updates and resources.

 

Below are some guidelines and resources that might be helpful for you or anyone you know:

 

PUBLIC RESOURCES

Vaccine Information: Official NYC sites with information about the vaccine in NYC and information on how to schedule an appointment.

• New York State Covid Vaccine Form
• NYC Health and Hospitals
• NYC Gov Health
• NYC Vaccine Hubs
• Somos Vaccinations 

Covid-19 Information:

• Centers for Disease Control
• Centers for Disease Control Travel Health Notices
• World Health Organization
• New York City Department of Health
• NYC DOE COVID-19 Communication Hub
• NYC DOE Learn At Home Resources
• NYT Coronavirus FAQ & Advice
• Text COVID to 692-692 for updates from NYC.gov
• Co-quarantined with an abuser? Worried about having to self-isolate in a dangerous home situation? Please reach out to the National Domestic Violence Hotline: CALL 1−800−799−7233 or TTY 1−800−787−3224 or CHAT at http://thehotline.org
• For medical emergencies, read One Medical’s ‘What You Should Know About Coronavirus’for symptoms, plans of action and recommendations. Call 911 and alert them you may be showing Coronavirus symptoms, so they can come prepared.

 

TALKING TO CHILDREN ABOUT COVID-19

• ENGAGING YOUTH IMPACTED BY VIOLENCE AND TRAUMA – From The Youth Collaboratory.
• The Child Mind Institute has published a resource on how to talk to young people about COVID-19.
• Talking to Teens and Tweens About Coronavirus. A helpful resource from the New York Times featuring advice on how parents can help adolescents get the facts straight and be prepared.
• Speaking Up Against Racism Around the New Coronavirus. This article addresses the bias associated with COVID-19, and why it is important for us to have these conversations. 

 

MENTAL HEALTH

• Current Fellows – reach out to your TEAK Dean or Vanessa Greer, Director of College Success and Fellow Support.
• Surviving Social Distancing with Depression & Anxiety
• The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has guidance on managing mental health and coping during COVID-19 for children and caregivers, as well as guidance for higher education administrators.
• The Hope Center has outlined resources for supporting college students during this crisis.
• The American College Health Association has created a guide to help college health staff and campus administrators address COVID-19 on campus.
• Anxiety and Depression Association of America Psychologist Jelena Kecmanovic provides some science-based strategies and tips for coping with COVID-19 anxiety. 
• Free Meditations via Headspace
• Crisis Text Line is the free, 24/7, confidential text message service for people in crisis. Text HOME to 741741 in the United States – https://www.crisistextline.org/
• Black Girl Magik’s Spreadsheet of Mental Health Resources and Support Funds
• Resources to Do Art at Home
• Dealing with Racism

 

ECONOMIC RESOURCES

• Coronavirus and Forbearance Info for Students, Borrowers, and Parents (includes information pertaining to student work study)
• Emergency Funds for NYC Undocumented Youth and Families
• Scholly Student Relief Fund – resource for college students to apply for $200 in assistance
• Expensify’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Grocery Reimbursement
  • Get reimbursed for groceries bought with your SNAP (EBT) card (up to $50 per family). Click here for full instructions.
• Freelance Artist Resource
• Disaster Assistance Loans: These loans may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable and other bills that can’t be paid because of the disaster’s impact. The interest rate is 3.75% for small businesses without credit available elsewhere; businesses with credit available elsewhere are not eligible. The interest rate for non-profits is 2.75%.
• NYC Employee Retention Grant Program: This grants offers small businesses and nonprofits with fewer than 5 employees a grant to cover 40% of payroll costs (up to $27,000) for two months to help retain employees. Applicants must:
  • Be located within the five boroughs of New York City
  • Demonstrate that the COVID-19 outbreak caused at least a 25% decrease in revenue
  • Employ 1-4 employees in total across all locations
  • Have been in operation for at least 6 months
  • Have no outstanding tax liens or legal judgments
• NYC Small Business Continuity Fund: This program is available to New York City businesses with fewer than 100 employees that can demonstrate at least a 25% decrease in revenue as a result of COVID-19.
• Free Financial Counseling from NYC Financial Empowerment Centers: Counselors can help you create a budget, manage bills, save for essentials, deal with student loans, and more.
• National Domestic Workers Alliance – The Coronavirus Care Fund (CCF): $400 in emergency assistance for qualifying home care workers, nannies, and house cleaners.
• One Fair Wage – Free, cash assistance to restaurant workers, delivery drivers and other tipped workers and service workers.
• NY COVID Rent Relief Program – The COVID Rent Relief Program will provide eligible households with a one-time rental subsidy that will be sent directly to the household’s landlord. Applicants will not need to repay this assistance.

 

EDUCATION RESOURCES

• Math instruction website bank 
• From NYCORE: Anti-Oppressive/Anti-Racist Home School Options 
• Scholastic Learn at Home
• NYPL Free One-On-One Tutors: Get free online homework help from one-on-one tutors. For older students, study materials and practice tests for PSAT, SAT, ACT, AP, and GED exams, and state-standardized tests.
• EduMate NYC
  • Free virtual tutoring to NYC public school students. Tutoring includes all classic school subjects and the arts, preparation for standardized tests, and guidance on the college application and essay-writing process.

CHILD WELFARE RESOURCES FOR IMMIGRANTS:

Policy/Legal Resources

• Immigrant Rights Fact Sheet from the National Immigration Law Center (NILC)
• Know Your Rights from Protecting Immigrant Families Campaign
• What Families Need to Know from the Protecting Immigrant Families Campaign 

Clinical/Family Resources

• Multilingual E-Book on Supporting and Reassuring Children Regarding COVID-19 by Manuela Molina Cruz
• Caregiving with COVID-19 from The National Child Traumatic Stress Network
• Talking with Children About Infectious Disease Outbreak from SAMHSA

 

FREE INTERNET ACCESS AND PHONE SERVICE

• 60 Days of Free Broadband Service From Comcast for Low-Income Communities:
  • Sign up for 60 days of no-cost service, with the opportunity to sign up after for $9.95 per month or cancel service at no cost.
  • Support is available in Spanish and ASL as well as other languages at www.internetessentials.com.
  • People can sign up by phone at 1-855-846-8376 for English and 1-855-765-6995 for Spanish.
• 60 Days of Free Broadband Service for New K-12 and College Students From Charter:
  • Free Spectrum broadband and Wi-Fi access for 60 days to households with K-12 and/or college students who do not already have a Spectrum broadband subscription at any service level up to 100 Mbps.
  • To enroll call 1-844-488-8395.
  • For eligible low-income households without school-aged children, Charter continues to offer Spectrum Internet Assist, a low-cost broadband program delivering speeds of 30 Mbps
• Charter will open its Wi-Fi hotspots across our footprint for public use.
• Xfinity is offering free Wi-Fi/Hotspot access when you download their free app. The app connects to available hotspots in your area. No requirements for this service.
• AT&T is waiving data overage fees to all customers so that families and students can stay connected during the pandemic.
• T-Mobile is providing unlimited data on all mobile plans for the next 60 days and an additional 20GB of mobile hotspot
• Verizon is opening their hotspots to all Americans for 60 days
• Sprint will offer unlimited data for 60 days starting March 19

 

FOOD RESOURCES

• Free Meals through NYC Department of Education (DOE)
  • Beginning March 23, meals will be distributed at more than 400 sites across the city
  • Three meals a day, including breakfast, will be available to all NYC children
• Food assistance map: https://maps.nyc.gov/foodhelp/#map-page

 

OTHER RESOURCES

• Free Streaming Services 
• How to Sew a Face Mask
• Free online yoga classes
• Free Online Exercise and Movement Classes
• Resources to Do Art at Home
• Netflix Party (host a virtual watch party with friends; works with Google Chrome only)
• Skribble.io (multi-player and guessing game to play with friends)
• Playingcards.io – card games 
• Hoopla (instantly borrow digital movies, music, ebooks and more, 24/7 with library card)
• The MET Opera Live Streams  Each day, a different encore presentation from the company’s Live in HD series is being made available for free streaming on the Met website
• VIrtual Museum Visits from Google Arts & Culture
• General Assembly – Learn to Code for Free
• Lunch Doodles with Mo Willems 
• AI activities
• https://kids.sandiegozoo.org/  (The San Diego Zoo is one of many offering videos, activities and games online.)
• Road Trip From Home: Virtual Field Trips (Fun and wonderful websites that will show you different parts of the world, famous landmarks, beautiful works of art, historic marvels, science adventures and so much more!