With the closure of the Schenectady City School District and the Albany City School District through April 29, 2020, Girls Inc. of the Greater Capital Region centers in both Schenectady and Albany are also closed for programming until that time. Please check back here, or on our Facebook and Twitter pages for future updates.
Here are some resources for families that may be struggling during this time:
- Information on the coronavirus outbreak
- 211 Local Community Assistance
- NYS Unemployment Insurance – How to File a Claim
- Talking to Children about COVID-19
- NYS COVID-19 Emotional Support Hotline – 1-844-863-9314
- Access to wifi/internet service for students
- Schenectady County Emergency Response Coalition
STRONG Resources (healthy and active)
- Schenectady County Food Pantries
- Albany County Food Pantries
- 25 Ways to Stay Active Indoors
- More Stay at Home Activities
- Yoga for Kids
- Free Daily Workouts for Kids
- Games to try at home – and live recess videos
- Physical Activities for Family Members of all ages
- GoNoodle – movement and mindfulness videos created by child development experts
- NFLPlay60 offers ways for families to encourage kids getting their recommended 60 minutes or more of physical activity a day
SMART Resources (academic success)
- Podcasts for Kids
- Podcasts for Teens and Tweens
- Code Monster – learn coding basics
- Learn how to Code a Maze
- Free Learning Apps for Kids
- TED ED has video lessons and series for kids and parents by top educators
- Sesame Street Caring for Each Other – Games, Videos & Art activities
- Scholastic – learn from home projects
- Albany Can Code – Free HTML & CSS coding classes
- Open Culture – Free cultural and educational media
- Rebel Girls Resources
- Scratch – learn programming to write and animate your own stories
- Virtual museum tours
- Home Learning Opportunities through WMHT
- Check out these Saratoga County virtual adventures
- Free Art Lessons for Kids and Adults – YouTube classes
- 100 Activities to do during school closures
- Keep screen-time educational
- Engage girls in STEM activities with SciGirlsConnect
- Check out all the digital learning opportunities at The Wild Center
- Mystery Science is currently offering free science lessons
- Writers and artists helping young readers
- Explore the US National Parks via 360-degree virtual tours on Google
- Take a 360-degree tour of all the New York State parks
- Audible free stories for youth ages 0-18 – Kids can instantly stream a collection of stories including titles across six different languages.
- dailySTEM provides STEM for every student, every classroom, everyday
- Career Girls: Why Choose STEM, a two-minute video of women in STEM talking about the value of a STEM career.
- The Schenectady County Public Library has story time videos on their YouTube Channel. Did you know they also have a Facebook Group with fun activities for Tweens & Teens?
BOLD Resources (life skills and resiliency)
- How to talk to teens about coronavirus
- How to talk to kids about coronavirus
- An age-appropriate comic for kids about coronavirus
- Coronavirus – A Free Downloadable Book for Children
- Financial literacy games
- Behavioral Health Tools
- Meditation Videos for Kids
- Supporting Children’s Emotional Well Being During Coronavirus
- Tips for Answering Your Child’s Questions about Sexuality
- Tips for Talking to Teens about Healthy Relationships
- Being safe on the internet
- 30 Emotional Health Activities: A month-long calendar of daily activities that’s free to download and use (also available in Spanish)
- 15 Mindfulness and Relaxation Apps for Kids with Anxiety
- Glowmedia – Free films and companion guides to help young people develop the emotional agility necessary to thrive.
- iCivics, founded by Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, works to ensure every student in America receives a quality and engaging civic education and graduates from high school well prepared and enthusiastic for citizenship
- 72 Steps: Creating the Women Suffrage Ballet, a six-minute documentary and activity suggestions for utilizing creative expression to tell a historical story.