Learning how best to speak to children about this pandemic can help reduce their chances of ongoing emotional difficulties.

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Parents play a key role in helping their children navigate the uncertainty, according to Kamilah Jackson, M.D., M.P.H., a medical director at AmeriHealth Caritas, a national leader in Medicaid managed care and other health care solutions for those most in need.

“Children do well with structure and predictability in general,” added Dr. Jackson, “so it is best to continue with a routine as much as possible.”

“Parents should be mindful of limiting the news when children are awake so they aren’t overexposed to the unfolding drama,” said Dr. Jackson.

Dr. Jackson offers the following suggestions when talking to you children about the COVID-19 pandemic:

Learn more by visiting the websites for the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, The National Child Traumatic Stress Network  and the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.