“Trying to Stay Positive in a Negative World”: Vulnerable families supporting children’s learning during COVID-19

The aim of this study was to investigate how parents reported supporting their children’s learning at home during the first year of COVID-19 in the U.S., with a focus on vulnerable families. During the 2020-21 academic year, due to COVID-19, U.S. schools provided all instruction online. For children in low-income or housing-insecure families, learning at home was an especially difficult challenge. We recruited a diverse sample of 20 parents of children between 4 and 14 from a population of low-income and housing-insecure families in the southwestern U.S. Parents were interviewed about their experiences of supporting their children’s learning. Using Phenomenological Analysis we identified five themes. (1) Parents reported using strategies to help their children deal with social isolation, (2) Parents prioritized supporting their children’s learning, (3) Parents balanced their stress with caring for their children, (4) Parents focused on positive aspects, and (5) Parents utilized various resources to cope with challenges. Our study identifies family processes that increased children’s resilience during school closings and has implications for families and schools. Providing parents with guidance for holding conversations about difficult topics in age-appropriate ways may increase parental self-efficacy and children’s resilience to stressors. Vulnerable families may benefit from stronger relationships with schools and teachers and from support for obtaining necessary resources. The study aim was to learn how parents in vulnerable families supported their children’s at-home learning during the first year of COVID-19. Twenty parents from low-income and/or housing-insecure families were interviewed about their experiences with children ranging from 4 to 14 years. Using descriptive phenomenological analysis, we found 5 themes: helping children with social isolation, supporting children’s learning, balancing roles, focusing on positive, and using coping resources. Study implications include the importance of family communication and school and community support as factors to alleviate stress in vulnerable families during times of crisis.