ICE Raids Are Affecting Children—And What Youth Programs Can Do?

Source: Ian Kapsalis/The Express

We queried Google AI to learn more about how youth programs can protect youth while the threat of ICE raids is possible. Below are the responses:

How Youth Programs Can Protect Students

• Enact "Safe Haven" Policies: Establish clear protocols that prohibit staff from sharing student information or allowing ICE agents into non-public areas without a judicial warrant.
• Implement Trauma-Informed Care: Train all staff to recognize trauma responses and prioritize emotional safety. Shift from punitive discipline to supportive interventions that address the root causes of behavioral changes.
• Support Family Preparedness: Help families create emergency plans, such as Caregiver’s Authorization Affidavits, which designate temporary guardians if parents are detained.
• Provide Mental Health Resources: Partner with community organizations to offer culturally responsive counseling and support groups that help youth process community-wide trauma.
• Facilitate Safe Travel: Organize community carpools or "walking buses" to ensure students can travel to and from programs without fear of encountering enforcement. 

Below is a checklist for staff training on how to respond if immigration officials arrive at your facility, provided by Google AI. Please note that your school, district or program provider agency may already have a protocol should ICE agents conduct a raid. It is important that you consult for prior checklists and ensure that you disregard any of the checklists below if you think this list is contrary to existing policy or if you think any of these actions would be unsafe for your staff.

Training staff for potential visits from immigration officials (such as ICE) focuses on maintaining calm, verifying legal authority, and following a pre-set communication chain. 

1. Preparation (Before a Visit)

• Designate a Point Person: Assign a primary and alternate representative (e.g., HR Director or Manager) as the only staff authorized to interact with officials.
• Create a "Cheat Sheet": Provide reception and front-line staff with a step-by-step response guide, including emergency contact numbers for legal counsel. 
• Distribute "Know Your Rights" Notices: As of February 1, 2026, certain jurisdictions (like California under SB 294) require employers to provide written notices to all employees regarding their rights during immigration inspections.
• Emergency Contacts: By March 30, 2026, ensure employees have the opportunity to designate an emergency contact specifically for workplace arrests or detentions. 

2. Front-Line Staff Protocol (Upon Arrival) 

• Stay Calm: Instruct staff to remain professional and avoid sudden movements or running, which officials may interpret as "articulable suspicion".
• Verify Identity: Politely ask for the official’s business card and government-issued photo ID.
• Identify Public vs. Private Areas: Train staff that officials may enter public areas (lobbies) but need a judicial warrant (signed by a judge, not just an agency official) to enter private workspaces.
• Direct to Management: Staff should state: "I do not have authority to grant access. Please wait while I contact my employer".  

3. Management & Legal Protocol

• Review the Warrant: Check that any presented warrant is signed by a judge/magistrate and correctly identifies your facility's address.
• Do Not Consent: If no judicial warrant is present, managers should politely but clearly state that they do not consent to a search of non-public areas.
• Avoid Obstruction: Staff must not hide employees, destroy documents, or provide false information, as these actions can lead to criminal charges.
• Document the Visit: Assign a staff member to record agent badge numbers, names, and all actions taken. If permitted by local law, video or photo documentation is recommended. 

4. Post-Visit Actions

• Request Receipts: Obtain an itemized receipt for any property or records removed from the facility.
• Notify Contacts: If an employee is detained, immediately notify their designated emergency contact and legal counsel.
• Debrief: Record a factual account of the encounter while details are fresh to assist legal counsel. (If it is safe, we recommend that somebody video the encounter.)   

Source: www.pexels.com

Because the threat of deportation has existed for a few years, we have written other resources to assist afterschool programs with this. Below is a listing of some of the resources we have developed:

Learning in Afterschool & Summer Blogs:

• ICE Raids at Schools
• Deportation: Things Immigrant Families Can Do Now to Protect Loved Ones
• Collateral Damage: New Immigration Policies and Education in California
• Practitioners Speak Out: Serving the Needs of Immigrant Youth
• Supporting Immigrant Families
• How California Schools Can Support Students, Families Fearing ICE Raids
• Immigration and Afterschool

Briefing Papers:

• Countering the Threat of Deportation

How ICE Raids Are Affecting Children—And What Schools Can Do

Liam Conejo Ramos, a five-year-old Ecuadorian boy,
was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents
in Minneapolis while returning from school with his father.
Source: © Ali Daniels/AP

ICE raids are being conducted across the country. Even if raids are not being conducted in your city, because all of the news coming out of Minneapolis, it is difficult for young people to not witness these events. As of early 2025, federal guidelines regarding "sensitive locations" (like schools) have been revoked, making it even more crucial for districts to have, and strictly enforce, local protective policies. 

The impact on young people is profound. In this blog we draw on an article published by The Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley. This article is entitled, How ICE Raids Are Affecting Children—And What Schools Can Do and is authored by Nirvi Shah. You can read this entire article here. Below we offer several excerpts. Future blogs will expand on how afterschool programs are responding and how programs can prepare.  

“Immigration enforcement actions, including raids and the threat of deportation, severely impact children by inducing chronic stress, fear, and trauma, which leads to increased school absences and emotional distress.” – Google AI

Nirvi Shah writes, “What is immigration enforcement doing to kids and families? And what can youth programs do to protect their students’ mental health and physical safety? 

Immigration enforcement actions have intensified in 2025 and 2026, significantly increasing the daily number of children in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention. These operations, which now include raids at schools and daycares, are driving a mental health crisis characterized by "toxic stress" and pervasive fear among immigrant families. 

At the end of winter break at the Garlough Environmental Magnet School in West St. Paul, Minnesota, more than 50 students did not return to class. 

At the time, federal immigration agents were conducting military-style operations throughout the area, detaining both students and parents as they went to or from school, including a 5-year-old boy and a 10-year-old girl in another town. In January, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents killed two protesters and injured many others in Minnesota. 

Principal Libby Huettl, Garlough
Environmental Magnet School.
© ISD 197

Principal Libby Huettl knew she had to do something. She worked with her school’s cultural liaison to gather volunteers to pick students up at their apartments and walk them to school bus stops. Other staff members stationed themselves at the stops. Some volunteers drove students directly to school. The goal was to make students—and their parents—feel it was safe enough to make the trek, however long or short.

 By the end of January, she says their efforts were paying off: The number of kids not showing up to her elementary school was down to seven.

 “We are spending a lot of our energy on getting students back to school, however that needs to look,” Huettl says.

Principals around the country report similar patterns in students missing school, but the fear that is keeping students home is especially acute in the Minneapolis area—though protesters and local officials have successfully pressed the federal government to scale back their presence. As of this writing, the federal government announced that 700 agents, out of about 3,000, will leave the area. But, given the Trump administration’s priorities, the overall campaign is unlikely to end anytime soon.

“'This is a devastating time in the education space,' says Alejandra Vázquez Baur, the co-founder of the Newcomers Network, a coalition of educators, researchers, and advocates in 46 states. 'Immigration is becoming one of the leading issues impacting schools.'”

Experts and educators alike say that immigration raids are inflicting a terrible toll on children’s mental health and education. Some school systems have created new rules for addressing ICE visits to their campuses. Others are sharing information with families about their rights, and some parents signed power of attorney agreements that would give another adult the ability to take custody, even briefly, of their children should they be detained. Meanwhile, principals like Huettl are setting up plans in real time for dealing with immigration enforcement in their communities.

Here’s an overview of what ICE raids are doing to kids and how schools are responding to protect their students’ mental health and physical safety.

Immigrants in schools
The nonprofit KFF (formerly known as the Kaiser Family Foundation) estimates that 1 in 4, or 19 million, children in the U.S. have an immigrant parent. While immigrant students and families are clearly the most affected by federal actions, schools may not know the backgrounds of some of their students—and cannot turn away students based on their status. Some schools use English-language abilities as a proxy, however, for counting how many immigrant students they enroll.

But Vázquez Baur notes the effects of immigration enforcement are hardly limited to these children. “It is not just immigrant students who are staying home from schools,” says Vázquez Baur, who comes from an immigrant family. She ticks off examples: A whole group of students could find themselves stranded because their school bus driver was detained. One student’s babysitter, who helped with dropoff and pickup, is no longer around. Another may find that their best friend suddenly isn’t coming to school anymore. “Your child is going to leave with the idea that school isn’t for some kids,” she says. “This will touch every child in some way—and that was before the violent escalation.” 

Educational outcomes
The ways families are trying to cope create their own side effects, with high school principals telling researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles that when families shelter at home to avoid encountering ICE, their children don’t eat very well. Other kids have become caretakers for younger siblings overnight after a parent was detained.

And these students may not be able to do their schoolwork. Although schools in Minneapolis and the surrounding areas gave students the option of accessing classes online, the pandemic proved this was not a successful version of schooling for many kids. It can result in a slew of side effects, and the same problems during that era of virtual learning may exist now: limited or no access to high-speed internet and a lack of enough, or the right kind of, devices for kids to use for their lessons.

A spike in absences—what Huettl was working through—is one problem that can follow immigration agents’ presence and may involve students of any background. The Charlotte-Mecklenberg school district in North Carolina said more than 27,000 students were absent the first school day after U.S. Border Patrol agents arrived in the city in November. That amounted to nearly triple the number of students absent compared with a week before and was about a fifth of all kids in the 141,000-student district.

At school, the federal immigration onslaught has meant more bullying, high school principals told the UCLA researchers.

“’The biggest impact I can speak to is other students making inappropriate comments,’ another principal told researchers at the UCLA Institute for Democracy, Education, and Access, even telling friends: “‘You’re a border hopper, your parents are border hoppers, go back where you came from.’” - High School Principal

 

Mental health impact
Other research, including some that measured the effects of immigration enforcement during the first Trump administration, affirms what many educators already know: A ramp up in activity by federal immigration agents has a corrosive effect on children.

In a research brief last year from the Children’s Equity Project at Arizona State University, experts cited a study that found “children from immigrant backgrounds who witnessed their parent/s being arrested due to deportation tended to experience changes in sleeping, eating, and higher levels of fear and anxiety compared to children who had not witnessed this event.” 

They noted that some amount of stress is required for the healthy development of children, but extended periods of stress or extreme stress can lead to lasting physical and psychological damage. That’s because that kind of exposure can disrupt the way the hypothalamus and pituitary gland in the brain and the adrenal glands, which sit atop the kidneys, interact. Together, these organs help the body respond to stress. Too much stress, especially in children, the ASU experts wrote, can lead to long-term issues that impair memory, language development, and learning abilities and increase the risk of heart diseases in young adults.

The researchers compared what happened to Latino and non-Latino white students in places affected by the Secure Communities policy. Latino students, relative to white peers, reported persistent sadness or hopelessness; suicidal ideation; planning or attempted suicide; alcohol and cigarette use; fighting; and poor grades. 

The findings, the researchers said, show that the more students were exposed to the intensified enforcement, the sadder or more hopeless they felt.

What’s happening in children’s minds
When children, and adults, see something that could be a threat, and an unexpected one, “it’s going to activate a whole set of evolutionary responses,” says Dr. Kerry Ressler, a professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and chief of the Division of Depression and Anxiety Disorders at McLean Hospital and director of its Neurobiology of Fear Laboratory.

“It’s everything we think of as a panic attack,” he says: increased breathing, an upset stomach, a dry mouth, wanting to run away. And people don’t have to experience that threat directly to trigger this physical reaction, Ressler says. “A lot of studies have shown that secondary viewing of somebody else being threatened still activates a lot of your own systems.”

Images of the clashes between Minnesota residents and ICE agents have been difficult to avoid on television and social media for weeks. Beyond that, residents of all ages have witnessed agents driving through neighborhoods, waiting outside churches and near school bus stops, and taking into custody a 5-year-old child wearing a Spider-Man backpack and bunny hat. 

“The onslaught of ICE activity in our community is inducing trauma and is taking a toll on our children, taking a toll on our families, our staff, our community members. This surge has changed nearly everything about our daily lives. The kids just want to come to school. They want to be in person learning. They thrive. They’re happy in school.” - Zena Stenvik, superintendent of the Columbia Heights Public School District, said during a press conference in January. 

According to researcher Dr. Kerry Ressler, “For children from lower-resourced environments, where food, money, or family support are scarce, or those who have experienced other trauma, witnessing or learning about immigration enforcement activity may trigger their own memories of being abused or tracked or not being safe or not being cared for.” Ultimately, that will cause further trauma, regardless of how that looks from child to child.

Below is a list from Google AI on the impacts of increased ICE raids on kids and families:

• Trauma and Mental Health: Raids cause severe, long-term anxiety, depression, and PTSD, with children often fearing they will be separated from their parents.
• Educational Disruption: Fear of raids leads to high absenteeism and, in some cases, students dropping out or transferring schools.
• Family Separation: The fear of, or actual, detention of caregivers destabilizes families, leaving children without adequate care. Aggressive enforcement has led to more frequent separations of children from their primary caregivers, causing severe psychological distress and disrupting essential attachment bonds.
• Surveillance Risks: Increased use of technology and data, such as license plate readers and social security records, deepens fear and distrust in public institutions. 
• Increased Detention: The average number of children in ICE custody daily has jumped more than sixfold since early 2025, with some days exceeding 400 children.
• Safety Concerns in Schools: The rescinding of sensitive locations policies has led to enforcement actions near schools, causing chronic absenteeism, drops in enrollment, and a general climate of hypervigilance.
• Mental Health Crisis: Experts report higher rates of PTSD, depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation among affected youth. Some children even exhibit regression in eating and sleeping habits. 

MORE ABOUT...

Nirvi Shah

Nirvi Shah is a longtime education journalist and most recently served as executive editor of The Hechinger Report. Her work has been published in The Christian Science Monitor, The Guardian, The Nation, POLITICO, Slate and USA TODAY, among other outlets, and recognized by the Education Writers Association, the Society for Professional Journalists and other organizations. Reach her at nirvi.h.shah@gmail.com.

Since 2001, the Greater Good Science Center (GGSC), based at the University of California, Berkeley, is one of the world’s leading institutions of research and higher education. The GGSC is unique in its commitment to both science and practice: Not only do they sponsor groundbreaking scientific research into social and emotional well-being, they help people apply this research to their personal and professional lives. GGSC studies the psychology, sociology, and neuroscience of well-being and teaches skills that foster a thriving, resilient, and compassionate society. You can sign up for their newsletter here.

Happy Holidays

As we reflect upon the end of the year, we can't ignore that there are far too many families that are experiencing high levels of poverty and the fear of deportation. With that in mind, all of us at Temescal Associates and the How Kids Learn Foundation wish you a peaceful and restful holiday! 

How California Schools Can Support Students, Families Fearing ICE Raids

Source: Ian Kapsalis/The Express

Guest Blog by Laura E. Enriquez, Ed Source. This story was originally published by EdSource. Sign up for their daily newsletter.

Back-to-school season should be a time of hope and excitement. This year in Southern California, however, it was shadowed by fear as immigration threats spilled into schools.

All summer, federal immigration agents besieged the streets of Southern California. In response, schools in impacted areas set up safety zones, coordinated school personnel and volunteers to monitor nearby areas for ICE activity. Still, violent raids and violated rights are ratcheting up fear across entire communities. Just this week, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that one’s race and related factors can be used to detain individuals, paving the way for immigration enforcement officers to make more frequent stops. 

As I got my kids ready for school — picking out new shoes and stuffing supplies into backpacks — I was struck by the privilege that these are our biggest worries. For many other Latino families in Southern California, the first day back was overshadowed by anxiety: Will Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) be waiting outside? Will a parent not come home tonight?  

As a professor who studies the impacts of exclusionary immigration policy on undocumented and mixed-status families, I anticipate the long-term effects of this moment. Detention and deportation of a family member destabilizes households and harms children’s mental health and academic success. Even for those who manage to avoid the deportation of loved ones, these raids will be core memories that shape how a whole generation understands legal vulnerability.

In my past research, I often listened to undocumented and U.S. citizen young adults recall a key moment: being in the car when a parent was pulled over, hearing late-night knocks on the door, or encountering police checkpoints. Those memories have shaped lifelong understandings of when and how deportation may threaten their families. 

Because the students I studied grew up in California, these incidents were once occasional and isolated. Now, the threat is coordinated and constant. Students tell me their parents say it’s never been like this before. From now on, when their mom doesn’t answer the phone, the worst-case scenarios that flash through their heads will be the ones they see in the news: brutal detentions, disappearances into ICE custody, and possibly deadly outcomes. 

Such fears compromise students’ educational engagement and mental health, weakening their academic performance. In our research on undocumented students and U.S. citizens with undocumented parents at the University of California, my colleagues and I found that immigration-related threats created clear disparities between these students and their peers with lawfully present parents. These fears fueled high rates of anxiety, depression and academic disengagement. The overall pattern is clear: Immigration policies harm whole families and communities, not just undocumented immigrants. 

California legislators have passed two bills that seek to restrict immigration enforcement on school campuses and inform students and families of the presence of immigration officers on campuses. Signing these bills into law and implementing them will provide a critical sense of safety that can enhance student well-being. 

Source: Mindsite News/ Linda Perales

Administrators and educators — from elementary school through college — can further step in to help families navigate threats. Existing school mass notification systems can be used to inform families when ICE is active nearby. Just as schools prepare for earthquakes, they can support families in creating emergency reunification plans so that younger children are cared for and older students know what to do. 

Teachers and staff at all levels must be prepared to talk with students in culturally competent and compassionate ways. This means staying current on immigration-related issues, sharing resources, and making clear that anti-immigrant language will not be tolerated. For high school and college students, recognizing immigration stress as a valid reason to request extensions can prevent them from falling further behind. 

These measures may seem small in the face of the severe threat and fear that students are facing. However, they can offer a beacon of hope, letting families know they are not alone and bolstering their ability to cope with and navigate these threats.

The families in recent news stories could have easily been mine. My oldest child was born into a mixed-status family. Her father, my husband, was undocumented until he gained permanent residency when she was 2 months old. That change was the result of complex immigration policies that worked in our favor. Ten years later, my daughter’s biggest concern is which backpack fits with her style — not whether her dad will be there to meet her at the bus stop. 

Outdated federal immigration policies block many undocumented and mixed-status families from achieving the security my family enjoys. To protect the next generation, we need immigration policies that do not disappear undocumented immigrants and traumatize U.S. citizens. State, local and institutional policies can help combat ongoing threats, but ultimately, we need federal action to create a humane and accessible pathway to legal status.

The next generation shouldn’t grow up fearing a knock on the door. It’s time for policies that keep families together and children safe. 

MORE ABOUT...

Laura E. Enriquez

Laura E. Enriquez is an associate professor of Chicano/Latino studies at the University of California, Irvine. She is the author of the forthcoming book “Family Legal Vulnerability: How Immigration Policy Shapes the Lives of Latino College Students.” 

EdSource is California’s largest journalism organization focused on education. EdSource believes that an informed, involved public is necessary to strengthen California’s education institutions, improve student success and build a better workforce.

Therapy Dogs: An Interview with Pet Partners

Source: The Campanile

By Sam Piha

There is a growing concern regarding the mental health of young people as we are seeing an increase in anxiety and depression. Some say this is due to a number of factors, including the COVID pandemic, regional wars, climate change and the latest threat of deportation. One solution is the introduction of therapy dogs to afterschool programs. Below are responses to an interview we did with Mary Margaret Callahan, the Chief Mission Officer for Pet Partners, an organization that has registered and supported thousands of volunteer therapy animal teams who have made millions of meaningful visits around the world that help improve the physical, social, and emotional lives of both the people and animals involved.

Q: How would you define "therapy dog"? And how are they different from service dogs?

A: A therapy dog is an animal that can provide physical, psychological, and emotional benefits to those they interact with, typically in facility settings such as healthcare, assisted living and schools. These pets are evaluated on their ability to safely interact with a wide range of populations, and their handlers are trained in best practices to ensure effective interactions that support animal welfare. Therapy animal handlers may volunteer their time to visit with their animals in the community, or they may be practitioners who utilize the power of the human-animal bond in professional settings.

The best way to contrast therapy dogs and service dogs is to think about their relationship with others. Therapy dogs have a one-to-many relationship with people – a single therapy dog may interact with, support or benefit a number of people. For example, a therapy dog in a school setting may interact with dozens of children, faculty and staff over the course of a day. A service dog, on the other hand, has a one-to-one relationship with the individual they support. For example, a seeing eye dog helps a single individual with visual impairment.  And unlike service dogs, a therapy animal has no special rights of access, except in those facilities where they are welcomed. 

Q: How are therapy dogs in the classroom effective? How are they utilized?

A: Therapy dogs have a wide variety of benefits in the classroom. They have been very popular in read aloud programs for years where there is no judgement for mispronunciation or words stumbled over. Additionally, therapy animals provide emotional support by reducing stress and anxiety, such as during midterms and finals weeks on high school and college campuses. They also can broadly enhance mood and well-being with visits from a therapy dog being a highlight of the week for students and even help improve school attendance.

The presence of therapy animals can also promote social development, fostering positive interactions between students and promoting empathy and compassion.  Academically, the presence of therapy animals can be motivational and there are studies which suggest improved focus and attention by students in classrooms where therapy dogs are present.

Therapy animals can be incorporated into school settings both formally and informally, depending on the goals of the teacher or staff person. Informal activities like meet and greets may be ideal for stress relief sessions, whereas creating lesson plans that involve the therapy dog would be a formalized way to enhance learning outcomes.  

Q: While it is possible to contact organizations to visit with their dogs, we believe that many afterschool workers who have dogs that may qualify, may want to bring them to their program. Can you comment on this? 

A: If you have an affiliative dog with good basic obedience skills with whom you have a strong bond or relationship yourself, you may be a candidate to become a therapy animal team. It’s important to realize that handling your own dog in a work setting means you’re responsible for both the students in your program and the wellbeing of your dog, so it does take training and preparation for you as the handler too, not just your dog.

Q: What would be the requirements that future therapy dogs should have?

A: Future therapy dogs should:

• Be physically and socially mature, typically at least 1 year of age for dogs,
• Be in good physical health with no acute or chronic health conditions and be vaccinated against rabies,
• Have a strong bond with their handler and be responsive to their handler’s direction and support,
• Have basic obedience skills, and
• Most importantly - welcome, not merely tolerate, interactions with strangers.

It’s important to recognize we’re asking our pets to participate in this activity. A good therapy dog loves what they do. If you have to cajole, bribe, or force your animal to be a therapy dog, not only are you damaging the relationship you have with your pet, but you’re also putting yourself, your animal and your program at risk for an incident or injury.

Future handlers must be able to:

• Read your pet’s body language, recognizing approaching and avoidant behaviors,
• Anticipate your pet’s response in different situations and set them up for success at all times,
• Guide interactions, always advocating for the safety and well-being of your pet,
• Interact with your pet positively, supporting them as needed, and
• Cue or redirect your pet gently and effectively, without force or coercion.

Behind every great therapy dog is a handler who is vigilant about ensuring their animal’s welfare and enjoyment of therapy animal work. These handlers have a strong trust-based relationship with their animal. When your dog trusts that you always have their best interests at heart because you actively ‘listen’ to their body language and support them, they will be confident in interacting with others, even if something unusual or unexpected happens.

Q: Should dog handlers get insurance?

A: Absolutely. In today’s litigious society, you should be sure you are protected in the event of real or perceived errors or accidents. It’s worthwhile noting that even if nothing really did go wrong and you or your animal were not at fault, someone can still sue you and you’ll still need insurance to pay for your defense. Volunteer therapy animal programs should offer insurance coverage (always ask), but if you are incorporating your dog into your paid work, you’ll need separate insurance coverage. 

Q: In your experience, how should the afterschool program work in coordination with the school when introducing a therapy dog and communicating with parents?

A: Starting a therapy animal program involves a lot of pre-work. You’ll want to talk through risk assessment, assuring your school administration that the handler and therapy animal are well prepared and can safely interact with students. You’ll likely need to develop plans for parental permission as well as how to manage students with allergies or fears. You may also be interested in creating behavior contracts with students so they understand the expectations of how they’ll interact respectfully with and near a therapy dog. It’s also important to set expectations with administration, parents and students that the therapy dog has agency and some days visits may be cut short or cancelled because that’s what is in the best interest of the animal. Good preparation and creating buy- in with the administration and parents will go a long way to launching a successful therapy animal program.

MORE ABOUT...

Mary Margaret Callahan

Mary Margaret Callahan is the Chief Mission Officer for Pet Partners, where she is responsible for leading mission delivery, including the Therapy Animal Program and grassroots advocacy program. As an animal lover with a background spanning education and health care, Mary Margaret couldn’t be more delighted to find herself at the nexus of her interests and experience working to improve human health and well-being through the power of the human-animal bond.

The daughter of a veterinarian, Mary Margaret grew up surrounded by pets and has a deep appreciation for the strength of the human-animal bond. She joined Pet Partners in 2013 and has worked to establish the organization as both an influencer and a resource within the animal-assisted intervention (AAI) and human-animal bond (HAB) community. In 2018 she was named one of PetAge Magazine’s Women of Influence. Mary Margaret lives on a small farm outside Seattle with her husband, daughter, and menagerie of animals including dogs, cats, guinea pigs, chickens, goats, and miniature donkeys.

Since 1977, Pet Partners has registered and supported thousands of volunteer therapy animal teams who have made millions of meaningful visits around the world that help improve the physical, social, and emotional lives of both the people and animals involved. Their therapy animal for workplace program is available nationwide with the help of their dedicated therapy animal volunteers!

To learn more about therapy dogs and how to introduce them to your afterschool program, check out our briefing paper, Bringing Therapy Dogs into Youth Afterschool Programs. To read and download, click here.

Bringing Therapy Dogs into Youth Afterschool Programs

Source: Gabrielle Lurie/ The SF Chronicle 

By Sam Piha

We know that due to the COVID pandemic, the threat of deportation and other recent events that young people are experiencing anxiety at record rates. According to US Service Animals, “comfort or therapy dogs are increasingly used in schools and youth programs to provide emotional support, reduce stress and anxiety, and improve social skills, often with positive impacts on learning and well-being. Comfort dogs are a type of therapy dog that is typically utilized to provide comfort to individuals who have experienced a traumatic or tragic event. They are generally categorized as support animals and thus have different legal protections.” [i]

“The students love the dogs. The teenagers transform, their phones and cool personas forgotten. When a dog shows up, their innocence shows up. They’re little kids again.” [ii] - High School Teacher, Victor Kenneth

THE TASKS THERAPY DOGS COMPLETE

Source: PSI Solutions

According to US Service Animals, “Therapy dogs may complete several different tasks to help patients feel better, and they may need to understand several different commands that allow handlers to better direct their loving energy. Below is an example of the tasks you may expect a therapy dog to complete.

• Participating in animal-assisted therapy, which includes being groomed, pet, and played with
• Providing comfort and support by cuddling or simply acting as a calming presence
• Staying calm and patient in loud or noisy environments
• Listening to their handler when it comes to basic obedience tasks like sitting, staying, and waiting
• Redirecting focus from unwanted behaviors by bringing patients toys and brushes so that they interact with the dog instead
• Providing a care routine and something to look forward to with regular visits to a medical center or another treatment facility
• Cuddling with patients, guiding individuals to safety, and taking a well-deserved nap with the individuals they are comforting

Of course, all therapy dogs are different, and different tasks may be necessary for your therapy dog to learn. This isn’t a complete list, but keep in mind your therapy dog should have basic obedience skills and public manners in order to thrive both inside and outside of their work.” [iii]

Source: Association of Independent School Librarians 

BENEFITS OF THERAPY DOGS IN SCHOOL CLASSROOMS AND YOUTH PROGRAMS

There are many benefits that come with the introduction of therapy dogs in afterschool programs. According to Google AI, these include: 

• “Emotional Support and Stress Reduction: Therapy dogs can provide a calming presence, helping children and teens feel more comfortable and relaxed, especially in stressful situations like school or therapy sessions. 
• Improved Social Skills: Interactions with therapy dogs can encourage social interaction and build confidence, particularly for children who may struggle with social situations. 
• Enhanced Learning: The presence of a therapy dog can create a more positive and engaging learning environment, leading to better focus and concentration. 
• Support for Students with Special Needs: Therapy dogs can be particularly beneficial for students with disabilities, such as autism or ADHD, by providing emotional support and helping with emotional regulation. 
• Crisis Response: In the event of a school crisis or tragedy, therapy dogs can offer comfort and emotional support to students and staff. 
• Boost Confidence: Therapy dogs can help children feel more comfortable reading aloud, as they provide a non-judgmental audience, boosting confidence and reducing anxiety. 
• Promote Literacy: Programs like "Paws to Read" bring therapy dogs to libraries and schools to promote literacy and a love of animals. 
• Facilitate Therapy: Therapy dogs can be integrated into various therapies, helping clients become more receptive to treatment and build healthy relationships. 
• Foster a Sense of Belonging: Therapy dogs can build trust with students, fostering a sense of belonging and community within the school. 
• Reduce Loneliness: The affectionate nature of therapy dogs can help distract children from negative thoughts and redirect their focus to more positive feelings, reducing feelings of loneliness.” [iv]

Source: Pets in the Classroom

END NOTES:
[i] US Service Animals, What Is a Comfort Dog? Your Guide
[ii]  Jill Tucker, ‘This is the best part of my day’: Dogs in Bay Area schools bring joy to kids
[iii] US Service Animals, What Is a Comfort Dog? Your Guide
[iv] Google AI, What Are the Benefits of Comfort Dogs in School Classrooms and Youth Programs?

 UPCOMING WEBINAR

To learn more and register, click here.

How to Help Kids Cope with ICE Deportation Raids During The Summer

Source: EdSource, Ian Kapsalis/ The Express

Summer can be a difficult time for kids as schools close down. But, have we thought that how this is especially true for those with undocumented family members?  This blog contains excerpts from How to help kids cope with ongoing ICE raids, deportations | Quick Guide written by Vani Sanganeria for EdSource. To view this original publication, click here.

“Fears remain unabated for both children of immigrants and their friends, as federal immigration agents in California continue to detain, arrest and deport residents, in what community members say has become an indefinite fixture of the Trump administration.” 

Vani Sanganeria explains:



• With school out for the summer, some students may no longer have access to crucial support and services available during the academic school year, as fear and anxiety rise in their communities from ongoing immigration raids.
• The absence of school-based services often leads to worsening mental health for students during the summer.
• During the summer, unstructured routine, social isolation and increased social media use can exacerbate feelings of sadness and fear. Also, children are much more likely to internalize traumatic events like raids on social media or outside of school, often in isolation and lacking the safe environment of a classroom to talk through their feelings about the day’s news.  
• Data indicate a spike in both substance use and feelings of sadness among adolescents during the summer, which worsens in part due to unstructured routine, increased isolation and increased social media use.

“Children are already seeing masked individuals with weapons coming into the communities, tackling people and taking them away and putting them into vehicles. We have to acknowledge that some very scary things are happening in all of our communities — by lying about the magnitude of this, we may be risking our trust with our children in the future.” – Ahmanise Sanati, school social worker in Los Angeles 

Source: www.pexels.com

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PARENTS
According to Marta Melendez, a social worker with LAUSD, families can prepare for scenarios like an ICE raid, detention or deportation by preemptively building their and their child’s mental health tool kit, similar to an emergency plan. 

“Families can take steps to support their child’s mental health and prepare for what experts are calling a child welfare and human rights crisis.”

• Research shows that even basic mindfulness interventions can mitigate the short- and long-term negative effects of stress and trauma, and these techniques, when taught bilingually, are especially effective for populations such as the Latino community. 
• Prioritize something that is a positive outlet for the child, whether they like to play sports, to write about their feelings, draw about their feelings, sing about their feelings, if they want to dance about their feelings — make sure that they have a way of processing all the emotions that they are experiencing.
• Talk through your child’s feelings.

“One way to validate a child who is afraid is by letting them know that their family will be ready for a worst-case scenario.” - Marta Melendez, a social worker with LAUSD.

• To create a sense of normalcy for children, Melendez said families should do their best to maintain healthy routines and hobbies during the summer, especially those that promote social connection with their peers.
• Prepare for emergencies. 
• Create a childcare plan.
• Find remote mental health support for your child. 
• Practice healthy coping skills as a family.

Previous LIAS Blogs on this topic can be viewed here. 

MORE ABOUT...

EdSource is California’s largest journalism organization focused on education. Access to a quality education is an important right of all children. EdSource believes that an informed, involved public is necessary to strengthen California’s education institutions, improve student success and build a better workforce.

 UPCOMING WEBINARS: 

Best of 2025, So Far...

By Sam Piha 

Temescal Associates and The How Kids Learn Foundation have created a large number of resources over the years. They are catalogued here. Below we have listed several of our favorites from 2025, January through June.

FAVORITE BLOGS:

• Debunking the Myths About Boys and Emotions (Part 1)
• Ways to Support Girls in STEM
• ICE Raids at Schools

GUEST BLOGS:

• Save 21st CCLC Afterschool Programs- An Update from the Afterschool Alliance
• How Toys Can Help Break Stereotypes and Support STEAM Learning
• Why Equity Matters in Youth Sports

YOUTH VOICE:

• Social Media and Mental Health: Students Share Their Top Strategies for Striking a Balance Online
• News Literacy in America: A Survey of Teens

INTERVIEWS:

• Trump and Afterschool: What You Need to Know

BRIEFING PAPERS:

• Countering the Threat of Deportation
• UNDERSTANDING DEI: Why Diversity, Equity and Inclusion are Under Attack
• An Overview of Neurodiversity

WEBINAR RECORDING:

• Serving the Needs of Girls in Afterschool

 

Deportation: Guardianship for Minor Children, Power of Attorney and What Schools Can Do to Help

Source: Shawn Thew / EPA/ LA Times

By Sam Piha

Regardless of immigration status, parents should understand the importance of guardianship for minor children and a power of attorney document. 

Guardianship 

“What is Guardianship? Guardianship of minor children allows one person to make decisions on the children’s behalf. Under guardianship, control is relinquished from a biological or adoptive parent to another person on a temporary or permanent basis.  Usually, a minor’s guardian is appointed upon incapacity, disability, or death of the legal parent.

There are three different types of guardianship: informal guardianship, temporary legal guardianship, and permanent legal guardianship. Depending on the type of guardianship, powers consist of one or more of the following:

1. Assuring the maintenance and care of another person
2. Making financial, medical, and educational decisions
3. Reporting to the court about the guardianship status on an annual basis.” [i] 

“You should think about who will care for your children if you are detained or deported. This is an essential part of safety planning. However, not everyone will need a court-appointed legal guardian. You should be aware that a guardianship will give the guardian the right to make decisions concerning your children, including whether to allow your children to see you. It may be difficult to terminate a guardianship if you change your mind. You should consult with an attorney before seeking a guardianship. 

Power Of Attorney (POA)

A Power of Attorney document is a written document that grants a designated person (your “Agent”) authority to act on behalf of the person giving the POA in some matters. The authority of the Agent may be broad or limited and may allow decisions regarding finances, medical treatment, and/or property. A POA is not a standardized, “one size fits all” form. POAs are not guardianships and an Agent who has authority under a POA is usually not authorized to care for or make decisions on behalf of one’s children.

Not everyone needs a POA. Each person should consider whether a POA is right for them based on their individual circumstances. A POA may be useful because it can be used to allow a trusted friend or family member to access your bank account. If you do not have a bank account in the United States or other substantial financial assets, there may not be a compelling reason to complete a POA. Many banks allow customers to manage their accounts from outside the United States, so if someone is deported, they will generally be able to access their resources from abroad.” [ii]

Source: Wellpoint Care Network

What Schools and Educators Can Do to Eradicate Fear 

According to Kayla Lee, “Although the ICE has a 'Sensitive Locations' policy stating that it generally will not conduct enforcement actions at or near schools, the series of raids—especially those that picked up children en route to school—are causing families to doubt their safety within their own communities. 

The Los Angeles Unified School District, or LAUSD, voted to prohibit ICE officers from entering school campuses until they have contacted school officials for approval. Additionally, Steve Zimmer, LAUSD school board president, presented a resolution to the school board forbidding the presence of ICE officers on campus until the LAUSD superintendent and lawyer’s office make the decision to allow it. The resolution also gives the superintendent 90 days to come up with a plan to provide assistance, information, and safe havens for students and families faced with fear and anxiety over immigration enforcement efforts. School officials’ actions are important to the protection of unauthorized students and families. According to LA School Report, an unauthorized mother who spoke to LAUSD said that she felt ‘relieved knowing that they can now go to school for help.’ 

Schools in Prince George’s County, Maryland, have implemented policies to make clear the conditions under which law enforcement officers can interview or detain children on school grounds. The CEO of Prince George’s County Public Schools wrote an open letter to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in which he expressed his concern for immigrant students who are experiencing fear and anxiety over the recent deportations. 

Beyond policies that bar ICE officials from campuses, educators can also allay the fears of students and their families by establishing best practices to provide support and guidance.” [iii]

“The protection of the right to K-12 education for all children established in Plyler v. Doe helps educators create safe environments for immigrant students where they can achieve their full potential. High-quality education is a critical, long- term investment for all children in the United States, and it cannot exist when school attendance is limited by fear.” [iv]

Kayla Lee concludes, “All students are more likely to succeed when their communities come together to protect them. Schools and communities—especially those with high unauthorized immigrant populations —across the United States should follow the examples of Durham, LAUSD, and Prince George’s County and create safe spaces for their students.” [v]

For a full briefing paper on countering the threat of deportation, click here.

END NOTES:
[i] A People’s Choice, Types of Guardianship for Minor in California
[ii] National Immigrant Justice Center, Guardianship & Power of Attorney
[iii] Kayla Lee, How Educators and Communities Can Reduce the Fear of Deportation Among Unauthorized Students and Families
[iv] IBID.
[v] IBID.