Handle with Care

The Handle with Care tool was made popular by two innovative fourth grade teachers in Festus, Missouri, who sent a note to parents titled “Handle with Care.” The note reads: “If your family is experiencing difficulties at home, I would like to provide additional support at school…If your child is coming to school after a difficult night, morning or weekend please text me ‘Handle with Care.’ Nothing else will be said or asked. This will let me know that your child may need extra time, patience or help during the day." A parent posted the letter on Facebook, and it has been shared more than 200,000 times.

The Oregon Department of Education developed several versions of this tool, which you can find below.

• Handle with Care Resources
  
• Handle with Care Guidance
  
• Handle with Care Translations (zip file) - available in Arabic, Traditional Chinese, Russian, Somali, Spanish, and Vietnamese
  
• Handle with Care Printable Image (with ODE logo)
  
• Handle with Care Printable Image (without ODE logo)
  

Return to the Care & Connection home page.