Support Our Schools Partners with KCPS and others to Launch Learning Hubs

Support Our Schools is partnering with Kent County Public Schools and community churches and other organizations to provide safe, local, physically distanced spaces for families that need support during online schooling. As our schools transition slowly back to in person learning students will begin their school year online. Recognizing the strain this might put on working families, or families that cannot be reached by any form of internet connection, Support Our Schools has reached out to community organizations to help provide safe spaces for children during the transition. The locations are being called “Learning Hubs.”

Online learning will take place daily Monday through Thursday and during that time, Learning Hubs will provide space and supervision for children that need it in their local communities. The hubs will each host no more than ten children to ensure proper social distancing. Host locations include churches, nonprofits, and businesses with a large enough space to accommodate them. All of the participating organizations cited an interest in supporting the families of Kent County to navigate this difficult new phase of returning to school.

Children will be provided with Chromebooks and all necessary supplies needed to fully participate in their school work. Teachers will be providing lessons and learning live via web-based applications in real time. KCPS will use their buses to deliver meals to the hubs to insure that all students, including those on free and reduced lunch will receive their meals.

In order to help the organizations with additional expenses due to technology, cleaning, and utility use, SOS will kick off our annual Random Acts of Kindness fund through Kent Forward to accept donations to offset those costs. Some of the organizations are looking for the support of additional volunteers as well. Donations are tax deductible. Donation instructions and volunteer and family sign up forms can be found at https://kcpssos.com/hubs/.

Kent County Public School families in need of this support are invited to request a placement with one of the Learning Hubs by contacting their school principal, or by filling out an interest form that will be forwarded to school administrators. Families will work directly with an organization in their community for the duration of online learning. Elementary and Middle School students are expected to transition back to school in small groups throughout the first marking period, which ends November 10th.

The Support Our Schools (SOS) Initiative is a grassroots advocacy effort devoted to increasing awareness of and support for the needs, challenges, and untapped potential of our public school system – both for the sake of the current student population and for its opportunity to serve as a catalyst for economic development.

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