The “Handle with Care Action Pack” from Salud America! aims to help kids who are exposed to trauma get emotional and academic support while schools are out for the summer or closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Learn more about this helpful resource.

A 2009 study conducted by the Department of Justice showed that more than 60% of children surveyed were exposed to violence either directly or indirectly. These kids go to class carrying a burden of trauma that can interfere with their behavior and grades in schools that don’t know there’s an issue.

Download the free Salud America! “Handle With Care Action Pack” to start a Handle With Care program, in which police notify schools when they encounter children at a traumatic scene, so schools can provide support right away, even if that support is virtual while schools are out for the summer or closed due to the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. The Action Pack contains materials and technical assistance to help school and police leaders everywhere start conversations and plans for their own Handle with Care program.

Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, the director of the Salud America! Latino health equity program at the University of Texas Health San Antonio created the Action Pack. She received help from the West Virginia Center for Children’s Justice, which started the Handle with Care program in 2013. Get the Action Pack: https://salud.to/traumakids