NYC web content, children's coping resources, September 2001

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document

NYC Employee Infonnation Page 1 of 2

.gov HELPING CHILDREN COPE always open

Home NYC Helping ; Pay check Pick- MCU Employee Children j up - 9/28/01 Members WTC Death Affidavit Forms/Information Assistance Cope Program Missing Persons/Familv Assistance Your children may need help coping with the recent disasters In NYC and Washington. Children's reactions will Mayor's Messages be different based on their age, maturity and personality. Even if their lives have not been affected directly, children Transportation/ may be upset by what they hear from television, Utility Information newspapers, and other sources. They may be feeling scared, anxious and upset. Business and Employment Resources • Keep open lines of communication. Talk to Offering Help/Donations children in terms that they can understand. Let them know that their feelings are normal. Share some of Public School Information your own feelings on a level that they can tolerate. Be honest. Fire DepiTTuTTrsntEmerqency Information • Encourage questions. Children may have questions Other Information / Reduced about their own safety following the disaster. Give Sendees children reassurance and comfort to help them feel more secure. New York City Employees • Develop a plan. To help your child feel safer, develop a family emergency plan. Educate your children what to do in an emergency situation for example, how to call for help, how to exit your home, and where to meet in the neighborhood.

• Pay attention. Children do not always have the words to describe how they feel. Their behavior may give clues. Encourage them to express themselves through play, writing and drawing and pay attention for non-verbal signs of emotional distress.

• Be aware. After a crisis, children may show signs of going back to earlier behaviors. For instance, a child may become more "clingy", start sucking their thumb, or suddenly become afraid of tine dark. They might have sleep problems, nightmares, changes In appetite, difficulty concentrating, irritability, and

http://cityweb.nycnet/html/em/eni_child_assistance.html 10/02/2001

NYC-WTC_000152436