{"id":559768,"date":"2020-08-12T17:01:00","date_gmt":"2020-08-12T21:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.the74million.org\/?post_type=article&p=559768"},"modified":"2020-08-14T11:29:05","modified_gmt":"2020-08-14T15:29:05","slug":"learning-centers-take-in-kids-locked-out-of-schools-during-online-only-classes","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/www.the74million.org\/article\/learning-centers-take-in-kids-locked-out-of-schools-during-online-only-classes\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Learning Centers\u2019 Take In Kids Locked Out of Schools During Online-Only Classes"},"content":{"rendered":"

T<\/span>he coronavirus may have closed school buildings in Cleveland for at least several weeks, but it\u2019s not stopping nonprofits like the Boys and Girls Clubs or the YMCA from giving students a place to do their online lessons while their parents work.<\/p>\n

The organizations are joining a growing movement in Cleveland and nationally to provide remote \u201clearning centers\u201d or \u201clearning hubs.\u201d They\u2019re a key strategy in cities such as San Antonio<\/a>, Denver<\/a> and San Francisco<\/a> and for statewide efforts like in Oklahoma<\/a> to help kids connect to classes in broader ways than the learning \u201cpods\u201d affluent parents are setting up.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur mission is to provide support and programs to the kids that need us most,\u201d said Jeff Scott, president of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Northeast Ohio. \u201cRight now, our kids need us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Churches and afterschool officials said their programs are planning to open during school hours \u2014 often at no cost to families \u2014 and seat kids at socially distanced desks, usually about 10 to a room. The centers will hand out masks and sanitizer, feed students and provide Wi-Fi to do schoolwork.<\/p>\n

When possible, afterschool sports, tutoring, theater, poetry, chess and other activities will be added to the mix. The result is part study hall, part summer camp, part child care and part afterschool program, all designed to be safe spaces where kids keep up with their online lessons<\/a> while parents work.<\/p>\n

Ana Thomas, vice president of youth development of the YMCA of Greater Cleveland, said families need a safe place for children to go while parents work. Most never expected to pay child care expenses during normal school days and can\u2019t really afford those costs, she said, and students also need some interaction with other kids.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know this is the right thing to do for kids and their families,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Who\u2019s minding the kids?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Though some school districts across the country are opening for in-person classes, often sparking heated debates over masks and safety precautions<\/a>, many have been planning for weeks to open with at least some days spent on online learning each week. As school approaches, more than half are choosing to open online-only, according to surveys by the Center on Reinventing Public Education<\/a> and others.<\/a><\/p>\n

The school closures have prompted some parents to create their own learning pods<\/a> \u2014 small groups of kids from a few families who will gather for their own lessons, often with teachers hired by well-to-do parents.<\/p>\n

The rise of these pods have raised concerns about equity issues between affluent families and those that dominate cities like Cleveland, where median family income is a little over $26,000 a year.<\/p>\n

There are also higher-end learning centers starting, such as one at Cleveland\u2019s science museum, the Great Lakes Science Center,<\/a> where staff will help students navigating their schools\u2019 online learning systems and provide science activities just like the center does at its summer camps.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also $59 a day per child \u2014 too pricey for many Cleveland families, though the center hopes donations will let them offer scholarships to kids who need them.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s not exactly going to fly for our families,\u201d said John Zitzner, a co-founder of the Breakthrough charter school network in Cleveland. \u201cThat\u2019s for suburban families who work downtown.\u201d<\/p>\n