The Children’s Collaborative is an initiative that started in 2021 to honor the stories of children that have lost a caregiver to COVID-19, and provide resources to help them and their families as they rebuild and look to the future. Today, the collaborative works to support all families that have experienced the loss of a parent or caregiver. We’re bringing together community organizations, grief groups, government resources, and more to surround these families with a comprehensive network of support. By strengthening the system to support these children and families, we will be helping all children and families who have experienced loss.
1 in 12 children will lose a parent before the age of 18.
Too often their stories go unnoticed.
“It’s harder than people think, the dramatic change of your caretaker being there every single day of your life and then all of a sudden they’re gone. Your whole world changes. Everything changes. Radical change like that can affect you for a long time.”
Age 16, Arizona
Lost Father
“It’s a very hard time in your life and you just don’t know what to do… It is difficult to go to sleep at night when you’re thinking of that special person. It’s hard to get out of bed when you’re thinking of that person. It is just hard to do stuff when you’re thinking of that person.”
Age 16, Maryland
Lost Mother
FindResources to Navigate Loss
We’ve curated a library of high-quality resources to support families and community champions through every step of the journey. This includes resources for financial services, grief and bereavement, mentoring and non-clinical interventions, and educational support to help your child and family navigate this challenging time.
The Hidden Pain report, published in December 2021, provided first-of-their-kind estimates of the number of children who have lost a caregiver and concrete recommendations to support them.
Children's Collaborative is an initiative of the COVID Collaborative, a bipartisan coalition of the nation’s leading experts in public health, education, and the economy working together with state and local leaders across America to win the fight against COVID-19.
