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NEW YORK and WASHINGTON, October 21, 2020 – America’s educators see an urgent need to provide greater social-emotional support to students as COVID-19 amplifies the increasing prevalence of grief in our nation’s schools, according to a national survey of educators released today by the New York Life Foundation and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT).
Even before COVID-19, grief in the classroom was an all-too common occurrence, with an estimated one in 14 children in the U.S. experiencing the death of a parent or sibling by age 181. Educators echo this experience: when asked how many students each year typically need their support due to the loss of a loved one, 87% said at least one and 25% said six or more. Now, as students return to the classroom, educators anticipate the potential for these numbers to increase. Of the educators surveyed, more than one in four (26%) report that a member of their school community (including direct family members of students, teachers or staff) had died from the coronavirus.
“COVID-19 is powerfully and poignantly illustrating the challenges our nation’s educators already faced in confronting grief in the classroom each and every day. As the need grows, we all have a critical role to play in providing greater bereavement support to students wherever and however our school communities come together,” said Heather Nesle, president of the New York Life Foundation, one of the largest corporate funders of childhood bereavement support.
Educators Prioritize Social-Emotional Support
The survey reveals the heightened focus on social-emotional learning as a mechanism to help students cope with grief, with 75% of educators in strong agreement that social and emotional support for students has never been more important. Despite this acknowledgment, educators feel under-prepared to tackle students’ growing social and emotional needs:
When asked about “non-death related losses,” educators said physical, mental health and financial challenges related to COVID-19 were areas where they felt least prepared to lend support.
Inspired by New York Life’s tradition of service and humanity, the New York Life Foundation has, since its founding in 1979, provided over $360 million in charitable contributions to national and local nonprofit organizations. The Foundation supports programs that benefit young people, particularly in the areas of educational enhancement and childhood bereavement. The Foundation also encourages and facilitates the community involvement of employees and agents of New York Life through its Volunteers for Good program and Grief-Sensitive Schools Initiative. To learn more, please visit www.newyorklifefoundation.org.
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Media contact
Lacey Siegel
New York Life Insurance Company
(212) 576-7937
Lacey_S_Siegel@newyorklife.com