Resources for Families during Covid-19

On Friday March 13, 2020, Governor John Bel Edwards announced that all Louisiana schools will be closed from Monday March 16, 2020 until Monday April 13, 2020. The following is a list of resources for families to utilize in the wake of this announcement. 

Please note that we will continue to update this list with relevant resources as they become available.

Education & Childcare

• Students may sign up here for Louisiana Virtual Academy.
• Information from the Louisiana Department of Education.
• LDOE's Early Education Update from March 15, 2020.
• BESE's Emergency Waiver Memo from March 14, 2020.
• Email EBR Schools your COVID-19 concerns at [email protected]
• US Department of Education’s Guide to Serving Students with Disabilities during Covid-19
• US Department of Agriculture's Guide to Child Nutrition Meal Service during Covid-19

Food and Nutrition

• School sites statewide offering meal service during Covid-19 school closures.
• The Family Day Care Home Food Program, a USDA government program for people who provide childcare in their home.
• This WAFB news article includes food distribution locations for East Baton Rouge, Livingston, Ascension, West Feliciana, and St. James Parishes with a focus on public schools.
•  Meals on Wheels provides nutritious meals and companionship to seniors
• Find a Free Little Pantry in your neighborhood

Lost Income

• Unemployment insurance information from Louisiana Workforce Commission.
• Family Independence Temporary Assistance Program provides cash assistance to families with children when financial resources of the family are insufficient to meet subsistence needs.
• Disaster Unemployment Assistance from the US Department of Labor.
• Louisiana Workforce Commission.
• Louisiana Workforce Commission response to Covid-19.
• List of temporary and remote job opportunities.
• National Council on Aging's BenefitsCheckUp to search for available benefits nationwide.

Resources for Service & Hospitality Workers

• Grants available for qualified bartenders, bar backs, bar servers, and other industry professionals. Membership to USBG not required.
• Information on unemployment insurance from the Louisiana Restaurant Association.

Resources for Entertainment & Fine Arts Employees

• List of emergency funds & grants for visual artists.
• Financial resources for those in the arts field.
• Emergency funds for artists.

Relief & Resources for Small Buisiness Owners

• Small Business Association provides low-interest disaster loans to businesses and homeowners.
• Employees 1st allows businesses to set up emergency grant funds for their employees.

Utilities

•  Cox pledges to waive fees, keep customers connected for 60 days
• Cox offering free Wifi and installation for affected families.
• Spectrum offering free broadband and Wifi internet for K-12 and college students and will open Wifi hotspots to the public.
• Executive order signed, to be voted on March 18: no public utilities will be shut off due to inability to pay during Covid-19
• Verizon, AT&T, CenturyLink, Sprint, and T-Mobile have committed to no shutoffs, no late fees, and making WiFi hotspots available to anyone who needs them.
• The fee to download and us LA Wallet has been waived.

Housing

• Southeast Louisiana Legal Services offer free, civil legal aid to low-income people, including for landlord-tenant issues.

Transportation

•  Companies Providing Transportation for Seniors in Baton Rouge
• Capital Area Transit System (CATS)
• Companies Providing Medical Transportation in non-emergency situations in Baton Rouge

Preparedness

• Family Preparedness from the LDOH.
• Childcare and School Preparedness from the LDOH.
• Stop the Spread from the LDOH.
• Talking with children about Covid-19.
• Talking with Children About Covid-19 from the National Association of School Psychologists.
• Children and Covid-19: FAQs
• Cleaning and Disinfecting Recommendations
• Text LACOVID to 898-211 for updates from the LDOH
• Louisiana's 211 hotline accepting Covid-19 related questions.
• Check your local government’s websites for local text alerts
• Contact information for Office of Public Health Regional Offices.
• Free Hotlines for Children and Teens: stress, crisis, mental health, etc.
• SAMHSA's Disaster Distress Helpline.
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's information on Covid-19
• Louisiana Department of Health's information on Covid-19

To Donate & Support Your Community

• Donate blood to the Red Cross or your local health care center
• Donate food, cleaning supplies, and other goods to a Free Little Pantry in your neighborhood
• See donation requests from your local branch of the Second Harvest Food Bank.

Know about a resource that should be added to this list? Please email it to [email protected] and we’ll include it here.

Please note that an inclusion of a resource does not imply an endorsement by Stand for Children.