Resources
Resources
We have compiled links to resources including how to access food, educational tools and ideas for activities to keep children engaged and supported. Check back regularly – we’ll continue to add additional resources.
Essential Resources
COVID-19 & Flu Vaccine Finder: This site shows where vaccines are available by zip code. (The vaccines for children under 12 are not currently listed.) Also lists if appointments are required, if walk-ins are accepted, eligibility and other possible incentives.
Telemundo Noticias: Todo lo que necesitas saber sobre la vacuna contra el COVID-19, a medida que el programa de inmunización avanza en Estados Unidos, en Español.
COVID -19 Services: NYC Health + Hospitals continue to be a gateway for New Yorkers seeking COVID-19 testing, treatment, and vaccination, regardless of their insurance or immigration status.
Advance Child Tax Credit Payments: To help families during COVID, the U.S. government made changes to the Child Tax Credit. Families can get half of the fully refundable credit—worth up to $3,600 per child—as monthly payments in 2021 and the other half as a refund in 2022. For full details, click here.
HelpNow NYC: Resources for navigating COVID-19 testing, unemployment, food and medical assistance, and more.
Resources for Working Families: Information from New York State on accessing and applying to benefit programs (including Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP), and Temporary Assistance, and more.)
South Brooklyn Mutual Aid: This mutual aid network provides support including delivering groceries, picking up prescriptions, conversation and companionship, translation, social services guidance, preparing cooked food, dog walking, and in certain cases childcare/pet care.
FOOD
Hunger Free NYC: Get help accessing food benefits, such as SNAP and WIC. Help is available to aid individuals and families through each step of the SNAP application process, from conducting pre-screenings and filing applications to serving as client advocates. In-person aid is offered in their office at 938 Sheridan Ave, Bronx, NY, 10451.
- English: (646) 355-1475
- Spanish: (347) 599-1510
- Mandarin/Cantonese: (646) 935-3513
No Kid Hungry: A free meals finder and free texting service that helps families find free meals in their neighborhoods. Text the word “FOOD” to 304-304 to find your nearby options. (For Spanish, text the word “COMIDA”)
Access NYC: Find help in NYC with food, money, housing, work and more.
Coronavirus NYC Neighborhood Food Resource Guides: Hunter College NYC Food Policy Center has created Food Resource Guides for each NYC neighborhood.
Emergency Food Assistance: A collection of resources to help New Yorkers to access to the food they need.
FoodHelp NYC: Resources for finding food pantries, soup kitchens, and SNAP centers in NYC.
Food Hub NYC: Food resources for children.
Plentiful App: A free, easy-to-use reservation system for food pantries. You can use Plentiful to find pantries and get the food you need, without waiting in line.
HOUSING
Access HRA: If your work schedule was reduced as a result of the coronavirus and you are unable to pay your rent, you can apply for a Cash Assistance special grant request to get benefits for emergencies.
NYC Housing Preservation & Development: Information on Covid-19 related Section 8 Resources.
Health Resources
Brainpop – Understanding Coronavirus for Kids: Short, engaging, age-appropriate and informative video on coronavirus to help explain situation to children.
Get Covered NYC: The 2021-2022 health insurance Open Enrollment Period has now been extended for New Yorkers to apply by the 15th of the month and begin receiving health coverage starting the 1st of the following month. New Yorkers in the five boroughs can enroll in health insurance, including low- or no-cost options, under the Affordable Care Act (also known as Obamacare).
How to Care for Yourself While Practicing Physical Distancing: Mental Health First Aid provides some top tips for self-care during COVID-19.
NYC Mayor’s Office of ThriveNYC: Mental Health support New Yorkers can access while staying home.
NYCWell: 24/7 services available to speak with someone via call, chat or text during a time of crisis.
Education Resources
Audible: Kids everywhere can instantly stream an incredible collection of stories, including titles across twelve different languages.
NYC DOE – Devices for Remote Learning & Tech Support: Do you need a device, need technical support or to fix a broken device, or are dealing with a lost or stolen device? Call DOE’s IT Help Desk at 718-935-5100 and press 5 to get assistance.
Khan Academy: Offering free online content and resources for all subjects and grade-levels. Daily schedules, daily weekday live streams and guides for anyone looking to get started. All resources are translated into 11 languages.
National Geographic Kids – Games and real-world videos about fascinating topics, ranging from the three branches of government to important female historians, and more.
New York Hall of Science: Free, fun, at-home resources which will encourage open-ended exploration, imaginative learning, personal relevance, deep engagement and delight for all age ranges.
New York Public Library: Offers remote learning resources for children and teens including academic support, reading resources, and engaging activities to do at home are also available.
New York Times Learning Network: The New York Times is supplying activities for students including writing prompts and multimedia challenges – suitable for middle school and college students.
ReadWorks: Free resources to help families supporting reading growth at home. Find easy-to-follow help for parents and guardians, including live and recorded webinars.
Schoolhouse – A free online tutoring platform for math, SAT, and AP preparation founded by Sal Khan, the founder of Khan Academy
Thames and Kosmos: Free and downloadable science and play activities for at-home fun and learning, ages 3-11+! Note: Most activities require the use of at-home kitchen and office supplies, as well as parental supervision.
UPchieve – High school students receive free, one-on-one academic help and college counseling from certified tutors.
Zearn: Offers 400 hours of free digital math lessons via webinars.
Activities for Kids
ABTKids Daily: American Ballet Theatre’s new home for families and educators to discover digital content for their virtual classrooms. Each day, you can Meet an ABT Dancer, engage with an ABT Teaching Artist, learn fun facts and enjoy ballet-themed activities from the comfort of your own home.
Action for Healthy Kids: Fun ways to stay active, eat healthy and practice mindfulness – all at home.
American Museum of Natural History: This museum is offering their exhibits and online resources including materials for families and teachers, virtual tours, videos, games and more.
America’s Test Kitchen: Kids can discover and learn more about food, cooking and recipes online.
The Bronx Museum of the Arts: Check out the thought-provoking, free, exhibits at the Bronx Museum, open Wednesday through Sunday. Walk-ins are welcome and only groups of more than 10 people need to make a reservation.
The Bronx Zoo: Free tickets are available to visit the Bronx Zoo on Wednesdays, and are released at 5pm each Monday. Reserve here – tickets go quickly!
Brooklyn Public Library: Lobby service is now offered at all locations with the continuation of various in person programs to participate in.
Culture Pass: Using their New York, Brooklyn or Queens Public Library card, New Yorkers can reserve a pass and get free admission to dozens of NYC cultural institutions, including museums, historical societies, heritage centers, public gardens and more.
Encantos: Offers free, bilingual resources for preschoolers as well as printable, social studies resources for elementary-age students.
Libby: This app makes it easy for kids to search and download books from the library right to their device! All you need is a library card.
Little Island at Pier 55: The Little Island provides fun and free activities for kids of all ages, like arts and crafts and a library. Learn about upcoming events here.
Mystery Science: Sign up with your email for up to 200 free science lessons and hands-on activities until June 2024.
The New Victory Theater: Teaching Artists lead “Art Breaks” – an opportunity for you and your family to discover new skills through dance, art, movement and more!
PBS Kids: Daily weekday newsletter offering activities and tips parents can use to help kids play and learn at home.
Queens Museum: Spend an afternoon at the Queen Museum, which offers , observing all the cool exhibits. Open Thursday-Sunday – you must reserve free tickets here in order to visit.
Queens Public Library: QPLAnywhere allows you to have 24/7 access to virtual programs including books, music, and more. Mobile library service is also available in select locations. Check out the calendar for upcoming in-person events!
Fresh Air @ Home
Below are links to activities and programming that are part of our new Fresh Air @ Home series. Email us at communications@freshair.org to share any art, poems, photos, or more that you have created!
- Watch Part I of our new series “Singing around the Campfire” and send in your camp chants for a chance to be featured in Part II!
- View our Earth Day Collage Activity
- View our Template for Creating Digital Art – “Color Therapy” Activity
- View our Fresh Air Bingo Card
- Watch our Camp ABC Teen Leader read her original poem “All My Life in Camp”
- View our Nutrition Tips & Easy Recipes
- Watch our Fresh Air Virtual Art Gallery
- View Sharpe Reservation’s Recipes from the Nutrition Center
- View our Fresh Air Scavenger Hunt
- Watch our short video “A Few Moments of Serenity at Sharpe Reservation”
- Watch “Meet the Farm Animals of Sharpe Reservation”
- Watch our new “Singing around the Campfire” video, featuring Camp Hidden Valley
Black Lives Matter
Talking to Children and Teenagers about Race, Racial Justice & Current Events
- PBS Kids: Resources from PBS KIDS on how to talk to children about race and racism including videos and how to use art and storytime as learning tools.
- PBS for Parents – Helping Kids Navigate Scary News Stories: Dr. Eric Rasmussen, PhD offers suggestions for helping kids navigate unsettling events which happen in the world through simple, responsive, reassuring conversations.
- Sesame Street in Communities – Traumatic Experiences: Sesame Street offers activities you can do with children, ways to offer comfort and reassurance, tips for working with children and ideas for taking care of yourself.
- Table Talk: Family Conversations About Current Events by ADL: Guidance from the Anti-Defamation League on ways for families to have conversations with children, 11 and older, about race and systemic racism.
- Center for Racial Justice in Education: The organization trains and empowers educators to dismantle patterns of racism and injustice in schools and communities and shares resources for speaking with kids.
- Facing History, Facing Ourselves – Current with Events in Your Classroom: An in-depth set of discussion questions to help teachers guide conversations around race, violence and inequality (with attention to teaching remotely).
- Here’s How W. Kamau Bell Talks About Race With His Kids: Comedian and host of Emmy Award-winning CNN Original Series, “United Shades of America,” shares his experience and book recommendations to start conversations.
- Sesame Street: A 60-minute special “Coming Together: Standing Up to Racism. A CNN/Sesame Street Town Hall for Kids and Families” originally aired on Saturday, June 6, at 10 a.m. ET.
- Teaching Tolerance – When Bad Things Are Happening: A resource for teachers to help break news of crisis, and how to discuss the events that unfold.
- First Book & Pizza Hut: Empowering Educators to Have Conversations with Students about Race: A series of free resources designed to support educators in helping their students engage in effective, courageous conversations about race and social justice.
Getting Involved
- Color of Change: A racial justice organization which works to end practices that unfairly hold Black people back. Their newsletter includes steps for online actions you can take and information about in-person events you can join to stand up for racial justice.
- M4BL: Movement for Black Lives shares news, their policy stances, and ways individuals can get involved and take action to support the critical work needed to work toward a new vision for Black Lives.
Mental Health Resources
- Black Mental Health Alliance: This organization works to develop, promote and sponsor trusted culturally-relevant educational forums, trainings and referral services that support the health and well-being of Black people and other vulnerable communities.
Education
- NAACP Legal Defense Fund: A nonprofit legal organization dedicated to achieving racial justice, equality, and an inclusive society. Their website provides educational resources, information on seeking legal counsel and news about current events.
AAPI
Educational Resources
Asian Americans (PBS): Asian Americans is a five-hour film series that delivers a bold, fresh perspective. Told through intimate personal stories, the series casts a new lens on U.S. history and the ongoing role that Asian Americans have played.
Asia Society Museum: (Free admission) The Asia Society’s Triennial is a multi-venue festival of art, ideas, and innovation across New York City that focuses on contemporary art from and about Asia and the diaspora. Watch performance pieces and go on virtual tours of the exhibit.
Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA): MOCA is offering a variety of virtual educational programming for families, teachers and schools. Learn more about the Asian American experience through activities, story times and viewing their online collection.
Rubin Museum of Art: (Free Friday Nights, 6-10pm. Reserve free tickets in advance here.) The Rubin presents art from Asia’s diverse cultures and regions. Special exhibitions celebrate art forms from ancient to modern, and the permanent collection galleries are focused primarily on art from the Himalayan region.
Safety & Anti-Hate Resources
Anyone who has experienced a bias-based incident can report it to the NY Attorney General’s Office at 1-800-771-7755 or civil.rights@ag.ny.gov
Act to Change Resources: #ActToChange is a public awareness campaign working to address bullying. It provides educational resources and “The Racism is a Virus Toolkit,” as well as several slideshow presentations and reading materials on stopping AAPI hate and promoting inclusivity.
Hollaback Bystander Trainings: Free, virtual, Bystander Intervention Trainings to stop Anti-AAPI and Xenophobic harassment.
Protect Chinatown: Offers protection, ensures safety to the elderly, condemns racism, and spreads awareness. Chaperone services available to those who need them, as well as volunteer opportunities.
SafeWalksNYC: Volunteers walk with community members who feel unsafe walking to and from subway stations.
Stop AAPI Hate: Provides a platform to report anti-Asian hate incidents, offers multilingual resources for impacted community members and advocates for local, state, and national policies that reinforce human rights and civil rights protections.
Stand Against Hatred: Asian Americans Advancing Justice is a proud partner of Communities Against Hate, a diverse coalition coming together for the first time across communities to document hate and demand action.
Flushing Main Street Patrol: This group aims to keep Flushing safe through sharing resources and spreading awareness of community events. The Main Street Patrol is a diverse, female-led group dedicated to protecting their community. Volunteer opportunities available.
NAPABA: A legal organization which offers pro bono legal services to those who have experienced a hate crime, as well as how to report a hate crime to law enforcement, specifically for Asian Pacific Americans.