SAVVYkids | September 2020

SAVVY kids News & Notes pg 30 | Meet the Mom pg 38

Photography by Lucy Baehr

BRING IT ON HOME Experts talk homeschooling, strategies for reducing stress.

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SEPTEMBER 2020 | SAVVYKIDSAR.COM

COUNSELING & DIAGNOSTICS

Now Offering Diagnostic Assessments for

Autism Spectrum Disorder

PPCD offers autism diagnostic services for children 3 years of age and older: Our comprehensive evaluation includes: • an autism specific diagnostic assessment • an evaluation of cognitive abilities • an adaptive beheavior measure • a diagnostic interview with the parent regarding general development, concerns, and ASD-related symptoms www.PPCDAR.com | ppcd@pediatricsplus.com 501-891-5492 SAVVYKIDSAR.COM | SEPTEMBER 2020

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NEWS & NOTES

SEPTEMBER 2020

TINKER ON

Tinkerfest, the Museum of Discovery’s most popular annual event, is still on this year, but to keep guests spread out and allow more of the museum’s staff to focus on sanitization amid all the tinkering, it’s been divided into four Saturdays. Tinkerfest 2020 will take place from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Sept. 12, Sept. 26, Oct. 10 and Oct. 24 on the 100 block of Sherman Street, just outside the museum’s main entrance. Each Tinkerfest will have a different theme: The Sept. 12 event is called “Splashing and Tinkering” and will be all about water-related activities. The Oct. 24 Tinkerfest, “Spooky Tinkering,” celebrates Halloween. The Tinkerfests on Sept. 26 and Oct. 10 will involve technology and tinkering, with activities such as LEGO robotics and a car takeapart, where guests use tools to disassemble a junked car.

Tinkerfest events are included in the museum’s regular daily admission: $10 for adults, $8 for children 1-12 and free for infants younger than 1. Seniors, teachers, Little Rock city employees and active and retired military get in for $8. SNAP recipients plus an additional five people are admitted for $2.

VIRTUAL FESTIVAL TO RAISE MONEY TO FEED HUNGRY FAMILIES

Yadaloo Music & Arts Festival, a showcase of local, regional and national country and Americana musicians that held its inaugural event in North Little Rock last year, is going virtual this year. The festival, 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 19, will be free to stream, but organizers will use the platform to raise money for its nonprofit partner, City Connections Inc., which works to feed hungry families and support schools in Central Arkansas. There will also be a small, socially distanced VIP and sponsor viewing party. Go to yadaloo.com for more information.

SUICIDE PREVENTION

WALK FOR EASTERSEALS

Support Easterseals Arkansas through Sept.

19 by participating in the nonprofit’s annual fundraiser “Walk with Me,” which is a virtual event this year. You can register as an individual or a team to walk 3.1 miles, or simply donate at easterseals.com/arkansas.

Check the website for information on a celebratory car parade Saturday, Sept. 19. Tag your pictures of the event on social media #virtualwalkwithmear.

National Suicide Prevention Week is Sept. 6-12. Suicide is one of the top five leading causes of death among teenagers, and, in a July 24 press briefing, Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said his agency had seen increases in adolescent suicide during the COVID-19 pandemic. If you or someone you know is considering suicide, call 800-273-8255 or text TALK to 741741.

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SMALL TALK

Sylvie Davis of Little Rock loves being outdoors. You’ll often find her pirouetting across the summer grass, cartwheeling from point A to B, scrambling up trees in the blink of an eye, making fairy gardens and wading in any available body of water (puddle, pond or stream). How fitting, then, that her name originates from the Latin word for forest. This little woodland sprite, age 7, is a secondgrader at Pulaski Heights Elementary.

When not playing at Allsopp Park or other natural areas, Sylvie enjoys spending time at home with her sister, Sharlotte, 10, and their cats.

Here’s a Q&A by Silas Wyrick (pictured above with Sylvie), age 8: Name a book you love (picture or chapter).

“El Deafo.” It’s a graphic novel about a bunny person who is deaf.

If you could be an animal, what would you be?

I would be a housecat because they get whatever they want.

What is your favorite food?

Bacon donuts.

What’s your favorite mythological creature?

A phoenix.

Would you rather turn into a fairy or have as many pets as you want?

I would rather have a bunch of pets so that I can have a giant bird that I could fly on or a bunch of owls that could carry me into the sky.

Brooke Wallace, Publisher, brooke@arktimes.com | Katie Hassell, Art Director | Lesa Thomas, Senior Account Executive, lesa@arktimes.com SEPTEMBER 2020 | SAVVYKIDSAR.COM

PULASKI COUNTY SPECIAL SCHOOL DISTRICT IS EXCITED ABOUT PROVIDING EQUITY AND EXCELLENCE TO ALL STUDENTS IN THE 2020-2021 SCHOOL YEAR. As we navigate the unknowns of COVID-19, PCSSD is offering three paths for our students this school year: traditional, virtual, blended.

This summer, parents were given the option to choose what they feel is best for their family. This approach allows our schools to better adhere to social distancing guidelines.

Students attending school in person should also wear a face-covering.

Entering his third year as superintendent, Dr. Charles McNulty is constantly monitoring the health and safety of staff and students, but he also continues the shift to improving education, opportunities and collaboration across the district.

PCSSD will continue to enhance initiatives that started last year in the upcoming school year in a blended learning approach for those in the traditional classroom and those participating in the virtual classroom.

Two of these initiatives include AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) and PBIS (Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports). AVID increases student engagement, promotes classroom collaboration and activates deeper levels of learning with practical, useful tools and instructional strategies. PBIS assists our schools with enhancing our school climates and provides additional support to all students.

DRIVEN School of Opportunity is another program offered to students at Joe T. Robinson, Maumelle and Wilbur D. Mills University Studies high schools. DRIVEN is a flexible online and The U.S. Department of Agriculture has approved 12 PCSSD in-person learning program which allows students to master schools to participate in the Community Eligibility Provision core knowledge and skills because lessons are accessible 24/7. (CEP) program. CEP provides breakfast and lunch, regardless of eligibility category, at NO CHARGE for students at these schools.. The provision will be available for the next four years at the following schools: Cato Elementary, College Station Elementary, Crystal Hill Elementary, Daisy Bates Elementary, Harris Elementary, Joe T. Robinson Middle, Landmark Elementary, Lawson Elementary, Mills Middle, Oak Grove Elementary, Wilbur D. Mills University Studies High, and William Jefferson Clinton Elementary.

We look forward to seeing what the 2020-2021 school year will bring us. Every day in PCSSD, we are working to find solutions to continue to provide a quality education, equity and excellence to our students.

ABOUT PCSSD Pulaski County Special School District spans more than 600 square miles in central Arkansas and requires highly skilled and passionate personnel to adapt educational policies and personalization to 25 schools. Every school is accredited by the Arkansas State Board of Education. PCSSD has served schools across Pulaski County since July 1927.

pcssd.org 501.234.2000

PCSSD is committed to creating a nationally recognized school district that assures that all students achieve at their maximum potential through collaborative, supportive and continuous efforts of all stakeholders.

SAVVYKIDSAR.COM | SEPTEMBER 2020

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HOMESCHOOL PRO: HEATHER LARSEN, MOTHER OF SEVEN, HAS BEEN TEACHING HER KIDS AT HOME FOR 11 YEARS. SHE'S PART OF THE HOME EDUCATORS OF GREATER LITTLE ROCK AND RECOMMENDS THAT PARENTS OF CHILDREN DOING VIRTUAL EDUCATION THROUGH THEIR SCHOOLS JOIN FOR SUPPORT AND SUPPLEMENTAL EDUCATION RESOURCES.

School days, school days,

BRAND-NEW COVID RULE DAYS

How to deal with the stress of parenting school children amid the pandemic.

BY DWAIN HEBDA PHOTOGRAPHY BY LUCY BAEHR

F

or generations, back-to-school has meant unlimited promise and the potential for new growth and experiences as bright as a new box of crayons. But as Arkansans enter the uncharted 2020-21 school year, that traditional optimism and excitement has been tempered substantially by the coronavirus pandemic.

This isn’t the first time in history formal education has been disrupted by national and world events, but there’s no question the 2020-21 school year will be unprecedented. The mode and manner of content delivery, social distancing and the shifting recommendations and directives of medical and governing bodies from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to Governor Hutchinson’s office means this year holds the potential to be highly stressful for everyone involved.

Bronwyn MacFarlane, professor of gifted education at UA Little Rock, said the disruption of traditional routines are likely to be the most challenging aspects of the school year’s “new normal.” Parents should therefore seek to create order and consistency to shore up their children’s feelings of security.

SAVVYKIDSAR.COM | SEPTEMBER 2020

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“There are many things to think about and consider as we go back to school,” she said. “Consistency with routine is the first thing; it provides children with an understanding of what to expect. Predictable is comfortable. When kids have a routine and it’s a consistent routine, that keeps them from being overwhelmed by constant chaos and fear.”

MacFarlane said parents can play a big role in minimizing their children’s fear and anxiety over the coronavirus by controlling the home environment regardless of whether they choose in-person or virtual instruction this school year. This includes limiting access to media and being intentional in how they broach the subject of the pandemic.

“It’s really important to talk with [children] every day and ask them questions about what they’ve heard to clarify any misunderstandings they may have taken in,” she said. “Talk about the facts in the news regarding the pandemic; when we keep it at the factual level, that helps provide some security that this is absolutely known as opposed to something that’s ambiguous and speculative.”

MacFarlane also said parents should monitor their own feelings of fear or frustration as children take their cues from mom and dad’s speech and mannerism.

“Talking to children calmly will help nurture their ability to cope with big topics and big issues,” she said. “Your words should be careful, loving and kind. Choose words that are clear and not ambiguous; children need words that inspire security and a sense of confidence.”

Angela Scott, assistant professor of developmental-behavioral pediatrics at UAMS, said that to create the comforting routines in which children find so much solace, parents should follow the same patterns they always have, including practicing the skills of the school year.

“It’s the things we say every year before we go back to school: You’ve been out for the summer, so try to get back into a regular sleep routine, try to go to bed at the same time, wake up at the same time,” she said. “Get them back on school hours by getting back into eating breakfast, lunch and dinner at certain times to help make that transition a little easier.

“Those things are going to be even more important this year because we’ve been out for so long. It’s not just a couple of months that kids have been on the summer schedule, it’s quite a while.”

From there, it’s a relatively small step to practicing the new activities related to school life, those things specifically dictated by the pandemic.

“If you haven’t been bringing your children out to stores and practicing wearing masks, it would be a good thing to do that,” she said. “Pick out something that is comfortable for them to wear, something that’s in bright colors and they’re excited about and then practice wearing it. Some kids aren’t going to love wearing the mask, so try a little bit at a time and go a little bit longer every day.

“Do the same thing with handwashing. If your kids aren’t used to washing their hands for the full 20 seconds, start that at home by singing the ABCs or the birthday song or come up with

WHO WILL WHO WILL YOU BE THIS YOU BE THIS

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“If you haven't been bringing your children to stores and practicing wearing masks, it would be a good thing to do that. Pick out something that is colorful to wear, something that's in bright colors and they're excited about."

— Professor of pediatrics Angela Scott something fun. For older kids, make it a couple of bars of a Taylor Swift song or something that helps to keep track of that time.”

Of course, routine is precisely what’s in shortest supply as the new school year opens. Even though school districts from coast to coast have developed new plans and protocols — the Little Rock School District among them — such plans are rife with contradictions, many of them unavoidable.

For instance, per the LRSD’s updated “Frequently Asked Questions” page (as of Aug. 4), parents may choose if their student attends classes in person or digitally, offering no hybrid options. However, as extracurricular activities are open to all, stay-at-home students will likely mix with peers anyway. Students will be expected to wear masks and maintain social distancing on school campuses, but the practical

implications of maintaining such guidelines during PE, lunch, busing and recess reduced the district to acknowledging, simply, “We know we will have settings where social distancing will be a challenge.”

And all of this, of course, can be wiped out with a wave of a hand due to another surge in cases, as seen this spring.

It’s enough to cause stress and anxiety in adults as well as children, as the 13th annual Back to School survey by Deloitte and Touche confirms. The survey reported 66 percent of parents nationally are anxious about sending their children back to school, with Southern states reporting the second-highest level of anxiety behind the Northeast. Nearly six in 10 Southern-state parents are unsure how the school year will start and more than 75 percent are concerned about their health and that of their families.

11218 N. RODNEY PARHAM RD. 4822 N. HILLS BLVD. LITTLE ROCK / 501.223.4929 NORTH LITTLE ROCK / 501.978.3154 11218 N. RODNEY PARHAM RD. 4822 N. HILLS BLVD. LITTLE ROCK / 501.223.4929 NORTH LITTLE ROCK / 501.978.3154 SAVVYKIDSAR.COM | SEPTEMBER 2020

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DEVELOP ROUTINES FOR YOUR KIDS: REGARDLESS OF WHETHER THEY'RE GOING BACK TO SCHOOL OR LEARNING VIRTUALLY. THAT'S THE ADVICE OF UAMS PROFESSOR OF PEDIATRICS ANGELA SCOTT, HERE WITH DAUGHTER LUCY, SON HOLDEN AND DOG MAX.

Even in situations where kids are learning digitally, parents are likely to feel additional stress over being pushed to the forefront of their kids’ learning.

“It’s a challenge; what they’re having to do is actually more difficult than if they were just homeschooling their kid on their own,” said Heather Larsen, mother of seven, who’s homeschooled her children for 11 years. “[Parents ] don’t have as much control because they’re having to work within someone else’s constraints and system.”

Larsen, volunteer communications coordinator for the homeschooling group Home Educators of Greater Little Rock (homeedonline.com/1082/), said she’s talked to many parents looking to homeschool for the first time this year as well as parents who will exercise the digital option. She advocates joining the association to both groups as an important, lowcost educational resource.

“It’s $25 to join and they get all of the support that Home Ed offers,” she said. “There’s a forum where you can post

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questions or challenges that you’re having. Home Ed has also started offering some homeschool-mom mentors who have been doing this for a long time and can walk beside you.

Sometimes it just helps to have someone that you can ask questions or get advice.”

Larsen said the group also provides ways to provide supplemental educational experiences.

“There are actually many small group activities you can do,” she said. “There might be a small group Spanish class. Or, if there’s an art class or anything you want to put together, you bring in a teacher and do it. It’s great for the COVID situation because you can limit the size of the groups.

“My 8-year-old really loves to draw, and we found a girl who did lessons and three of his other friends went to her house once a week and had great drawing lessons.”

Educational challenges and worries over health and exposure being what they are, family counselors say parents have to pay particular attention to their own mental health in the new school year. Ken Clark, practice director of Chenal Family Therapy, said developing these coping mechanisms are a key element to the entire family surviving the year ahead.

“As mom and dad go, so go the kids,” he said. “Kids are phenomenally attuned to what’s going on, so first and foremost, parents need to be honest with themselves about whether or not the situation is freaking them out.

“One of the best things a parent can show a kid is how they themselves deal with adversity, not that they’re impervious to it, but how to struggle and survive. Teaching them how to struggle with something in a healthy way may be the silver lining of this whole thing.”

To do this, parents should maintain a support system of their own to properly cope with the stress and volatility of the coronavirus pandemic. This preserves the parents’ own mental and emotional health and makes them better equipped to address their children’s needs.

“Mom and dad need to go ahead and wrestle with the complexity and the uncertainty and the frustration and the emotions of this, and they need to do it with their significant other, with their best friends, with their own parents or their support system,” he said. “That’s far better than just pouring some mommy juice and locking the kids in their room.

“Good child therapists teach mom and dad how to be therapists on the scene by learning how to do this for themselves so they can do it for their kids. It’s like airplane safety; you need to put on your own mask before you can help the people around you.”

CRIB NOTES

It’s impossible to predict everything that lies ahead in the 2020-21 school year, so we asked our experts to boil down three essential things for parents to keep in mind. Here’s what they told us.

Coronavirus Also Affects Minds That’s why we are available anytime from anywhere, offering all our services in the safest possible manner – from telehealth to in-person psychiatric testing with plexiglass screen and PPE

KEN CLARK, Chenal Family Therapy “We need to show our kids that it’s OK to not be OK. You cannot take people where you have not gone yourself.

“It’s an important developmental modeling moment to say, ‘I need space; I need an hour of just me with a book so I can be a fun mom the rest of the night.’ That’s a really good example to set for any growing human.

“Know you’re a good parent if you’re getting out of bed and focusing on being with your kid. That alone makes you a good parent in the middle of this.”

ANGELA SCOTT, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences “The thing about anxiety is, it’s contagious. Parents have to control not only what they say, but how they say it, what their body language is and their tone of voice.

“Take the child’s lead in conversations [about COVID-19]. Ask what questions they have and ask how they’re feeling, but don’t try to give them a lot of information without knowing that’s what they need.

“Watch for changes in sleep habits, changes in eating habits.

[Kids] should still be showing some happiness and some joy and if you’re not seeing that, it’s worth seeking some professional help. I would have a really low threshold for talking to your primary care doctor or your child’s pediatrician.”

HEATHER LARSEN, homeschool parent-educator

Call 877-778-1197 info@MethodistFamily.org

well

STAY

“First of all, relax. Parents feel a lot of pressure, but it’s very hard to mess instruction up, especially with schools doing things virtually.

“Having a loose schedule with time for children to be active and be outside or have a snack, I think, is helpful both for the parent and for the kids.

“People who are going to do a virtual option with their school should consider joining Home Educators of Greater Little Rock. It’s super cheap and they can get all of the support that Home Ed offers.”

BRONWYN MacFARLANE, UA Little Rock

When you or an aging loved one in Central

“Have fun with any learning activity. You want to inspire fun and enjoyment with children to learn. It’s very important to have that overarching sense of enthusiasm and excitement that we’re learning together.

“There are many educational resources available for parents posted online. Here’s just one: ualr.edu/gifted/exciting-enrichingand-exceptional-recourses-for-the-curious-the-advanced-and-thegifted-child.

“Productive play is really valuable for learning, so plan some outdoor activities every day. It’s just really important, cognitively and physically, to have outdoor activities and exercise. As Mr. Rogers used to say, ‘Play is the work of childhood.’ ”

Arkansas needs help aging gracefully at home, CareLink is there with services like Meals on Wheels, HomeCare, family caregiver support, & urgent needs.

Contact us today to learn how we can be there for you and your older loved ones.

501.372.5300 | CareLink.org SAVVYKIDSAR.COM | SEPTEMBER 2020

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Meet the Parent:

VERDA DAVENPORT Verda Davenport is an actor and costume designer who shares a home with husband Guy Booher, mom Loretta Davenport, son Rhett (18), daughter Sela (15), and rescue dogs Viola and Murrie. She’s known for her work on the films “Nothing but the Truth,” “The Rainmaker, “21 Grams” and “Sweet Inspirations.” A veteran of the local theater scene, Davenport is also costume manager for Ballet Arkansas. Her most recent role is on “Blueberry’s Clubhouse,” an original series for young viewers from the Arkansas Arts Center and Arkansas PBS. How do you balance work and family (and online school if that’s what’s happening in your house)?

I don’t! Who does? After years of homeschooling, virtual schooling, charter schooling and public schooling and freelance theater/commercial/film/voice acting, costuming, teaching and more, I’ve gotten very good at trusting that things will work out, and stressing out does not ever help. I do try to sleep well, eat well and move my body, and when my mind is swirling and I’m overwhelmed, I reach out and talk to my friends.

What are your favorite family-time activities?

My favorite is walking our dogs and watching movies. I think my family’s favorite is game night.

Do your kids help with chores, and is it uniquely hard to get teenagers on board with this sort of thing?

NO! Now after months of being in the house and school starting, I’m delegating kitchen duties. I’m getting over the idea that it really won’t be done how I would like it — or is it that I just don’t care anymore?

'THINGS WILL WORK OUT': THAT'S VERDA DAVENPORT'S MOTTO AMID A HECTIC FAMILY AND WORK LIFE. SHE SHARES A HOME WITH (ABOVE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP) HER MOTHER, LORETTA DAVENPORT; HUSBAND GUY BOOHER; AND CHILDREN SELA AND RHETT.

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Name three things that are helping your family get through 2020.

Loblolly ice cream, Shuffles and Ballet II dance classes and “The Legend of Zelda.”

though, and have had some on-camera and voice work, but much of my other work (UAMSstandardized patient and teaching professional) has dried up significantly.

How do you recharge?

Reading, learning new things but mostly talking to and hanging out with friends — socially distanced, of course.

Which phase of parenting have you enjoyed the most?

Is raising teens everything you dreamed it would be and more?

My favorite phase so far has been the toddler and early school years. So much exploring, playing and hanging outside in Allsopp Park with friends — and lots of muffins (thanks Angie and Whitney).

The teen years are hard for me; primarily I’m struggling with letting go! The eye-rolling and talking back is a bit much, too!

Is it fun seeing your kids follow in your footsteps with acting?

I’m so proud of them! But it’s not fun. I know all of the challenges so all of my mama senses are on overdrive!

How have you seen your work change/evolve since the coronavirus pandemic?

My work with Ballet Arkansas has been impacted the most.

The staff and the board are working to try to find ways to have a 2020-21 season following all of the COVID safety guidelines; it’s intense, but we are hopeful. I have been lucky,

Any parenting advice or wisdom you’ve been given over the years that has stuck with you?

Just like we tell teens going to high school: Find your people!

Community makes it all feel much easier.

SAVVYKIDSAR.COM | SEPTEMBER 2020

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