During this time, virtual learning is important, but meeting kids’ basic safety, social, and emotional needs have to take priority.
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is a familiar theory that shows that humans have different levels of needs, and each builds upon the level below it. In other words, the needs on one level cannot be addressed or met unless the needs at the level below it have been met.
Using Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, MBF will address each level and give individuals specific actions they can take in order to ensure the needs of children are met during this difficult time when kids are isolated at home.
Below are some ideas to get you started. We encourage you to think creatively about how you can do more for the kids in your life!
We must ensure kids’ basic/physiological needs are met (food, healthcare, and shelter) before we try to focus on learning or anything else. These are the basic needs of human beings and are essential to survival.
Here are the actions that you can take to ensure children’s basic needs are met:
To thrive, kids need to feel and be safe in homes that are comfortable, supportive, and give them a sense of security. For many kids, school was their safe place, and during this isolation at home, they are experiencing violence, abuse, and neglect. After their basic needs are met, and before other needs can be addressed, we have to ensure all children truly are “Safer at Home.” We’ve listed some ideas and resources below to help you.
NOTE: It’s also important that kids know who to turn to and how to seek help if they are in an unsafe situation at home. Don’t be afraid to talk about safety with them and let them know you are a Safe Adult that can help them. Also, make sure you provide them with resources to seek help if needed.
Send the following links to the kids in your life today:
SAFETY RESOURCES FOR EVERYONE:
1. Distance Check-Ins
2. Free online trainings:
3. Safety Briefs
4. Blogs worth revisiting
Stay connected to kids at home. In addition to their basic and safety needs, kids need family, friends, and healthy connections, now more than ever. Children need caring adults in their life to foster these healthy connections.
The esteem needs of children are developed through recognition and feeling valued by others. Once we ensure kids are safe, cared for, and feeling connected to caring adults, it is then important to make sure we are fostering their positive emotions, responsible and appropriate coping skills, and building their self-esteem.
Reaching this level is where a child is ready to rise, dream, find purpose and be the best they can be. At this level, kids are available and ready to learn, grow, and achieve goals.
The MBF Teen Safety Matters curriculum hosts an in-depth approach to important social and safety concerns relevant to youth. The program content is age-appropriate with engaging activities, jargon, and realistic situations to positively promote a relatable and impacting learning experience…Teen Safety Matters is an educational benefit to all parties involved – students, parents, facilitators, and schools.
I heard about the program through my son. He came home…and showed me the safety rules. I cannot thank the Foundation enough; to have other people who are also concerned about my child’s safety and the safety of other kids is wonderful. I especially like the program’s focus on the prevention side.
There’s not a child in the world who can’t benefit from this program. There are so many instances where we see children who have been damaged and hurt. Things happened to them and we think, if they’d only had this program, if they’d only had the benefit of this education, that might not have happened to them. If we can prevent that from happening to a single child, then it’s worth all the effort we have put forth.
