Moraga School District

Adults are back for a “normal” week of work after last week’s power outage. However, your child’s anxieties and fears may still be heightened from the power outage and for some members of our Moraga community, the wildfire evacuation last week.

Children react in a variety of ways to situations they are not in control of, although it is different for each individual. Some possible reactions in elementary students can include irritability, aggressiveness, clinginess, nightmares, school avoidance, poor concentration and/or withdrawal. It could also be possible that your child is not exhibiting any of these behaviors. Even if that is true, it may still be beneficial for them to discuss last week’s events with a loving a parent or caregiver.

Some suggestions for helping your family should emphasize teaching effective coping strategies; fostering supportive relationships and helping your children understand their reactions.

Please encourage your children to talk about the wildfire or event. Children need an opportunity to discuss their experiences in a safe and accepting environment. You can also provide activities that enable your children to discuss their experiences. This may include a range of methods (both verbal and nonverbal) and incorporate varying projects (drawing or stories).

A child’s ability to cope is highly influenced by their parents and/or guardians’ reaction. Parents and/or guardians are the most important source of security to their children. Therefore, you may need to do some self-care in ways for you to cope with the evacuation so that you can help your child manage these reactions.

Normalizing and validating a child’s reaction is also important.  You can do this by reflecting back to your child their statement and including a feeling word. For example, “I hear that you felt scared and worried when I woke you up suddenly in the middle of the night to leave the house”.

Promoting problem-solving skills in your child is also an important step when they are ready.  Create and review your family safety plan.  Talk about what went well during your evacuation or power outage and how you can make steps to improve your plan.  The purpose of problem solving is to let your child know that they will be safe in the future, if a situation occurs. Talk about the coping skills your child used during the event when they felt worried or anxious and praise them for their efforts during this stressful time.

Please know that it is typical if reactions to an event like a wildfire, evacuation or power outage may continue to cause a child to experience anxiety for a few weeks. If there are more power outages occurring this fall, expect your children to reflect back onto our experiences from last week. 

Please feel free to reach out to your school counselor if reactions to the event continue after a few weeks or are affecting your child’s learning at school.