25 Aug Back to (Virtual) School Resources

25 Aug Back to (Virtual) School Resources

Since the pandemic began we’ve offered basic needs resources, parenting resources and resources to keep kids entertained and safe during a quarantine summer.  Now, we are offering virtual schooling resources to help families get through these next months of online schooling.  We will update this blog post regularly.

Child Care Opportunities

Childcare Providers

• Virginia Child Care Subsidy – The Child Care Subsidy Program assists families in paying child care costs for children under age 13 who are not eligible to attend public school during the part of the day when public education is available, or children with special needs under age 18 who reside with the applicant. If you are eligible and are approved for services, the Subsidy Program can pay a portion of your child care costs directly to the child care provider.
• Child Care for Essential Workers – Access to Child Care Aware’s database of local child care providers who have remained open during the pandemic.

Virtual Study Centers

• Educational Support Program at ACAC – will manage the daily demands of academic work and virtual schooling that your children’s traditional school programs are offering.  At the same time, offers sustained engagement that will offer your children interaction, creativity, physical exercise, and socio-emotional development.
• Piedmont YMCA Virtual Learning Center – offers students a safe and fun place to participate in virtual learning, as well as necessary child care for working parents during the school day. Participants must be enrolled in remote learning through public or private school.
• Boys & Girls Club Reopening – Local Boys & Girls Clubs will open again on Sept. 14 at 30% capacity.  Click here to find out more.
• Redemption Church Study Center – Redemption Church desires to provide equitable access to academic support by offering 20-40 students a safe and fun place to participate in virtual learning, interact with peers, and play.  Their goal is to offer 20 of the students enrollment for little to no cost.

Parent Mutual Support

• Community Charter Middle School Parent Chat – a place where parents of Community Charter Middle School parents can come to chat for support, answer questions and plan places for meet ups.
• Crozet Elementary School, Parents Seeking Pods – Crozet Elementary School Parent Teacher Organization provides a platform for families who need extra social or academic support to find one another. You must be logged-in to their website to access information.
• Familias Hispanohablantes Albemarle – Un grupo donde podemos conectar entre familias Hispanohablantes quienes tienen niños en las escuelas del condado de Albemarle. Quizás para programar horas de juego y / o apoyo mutuo. (A group of Spanish-speaking families looking to provide support to one another.)
• Greenbrier Elementary School Pod Planning – Parents within the Greenbrier Elementary School attendance area are creating support networks of parents to support one another with childcare and online learning.
• Jack Jouett Middle School Parents – This is a parent group for parents/guardians of students at Jack Jouett Middle School to share important information and create a community where we can support each other. We are embarking on the difficult task of online learning and the idea is to create a safe place where we can lean on each other and feel a sense of connection.
• Mountainview Virtual Kids – For parents of kids that attend Mountain View Elementary (formerly Cale Elementary) that have decided on the Virtual learning Option. A place to provide each other with support and ideas in how best to provide our kids an exceptional year.
• Stone Robinson Elementary School – For parents with children at Stone Robinson Elementary School to work together.

Virtual Schooling Resources

• Affordable Internet and Technology Resources

  • Everyone On – Find low cost Internet and affordable computers in your area.
  • Community versus COVID, Virginia – A compiled list of all companies in Virginia offering discounts for Internet or online devices
  • Albemarle County Free Public WiFi Locations – A map of areas around Albemarle County where anyone can access public WiFi.
  • Comcast Free WiFi – Comcast is offering free WiFi access at their xfinitywifi hotspots. People can find their nearest hotspot by visiting this website and entering their zip code. When connecting, make sure to select the “xfinitywifi” network name from the list of available hotspots to get the free access.

• Online Support

  • Charlottesville/Albemarle Virtual Public School Kids – This is a Facebook group for families in the Charlottesville/Albemarle County, Virginia and surrounding areas who are participating in the virtual public school in their district. This is a place for sharing ideas, information and support as we navigate this quickly changing learning environment.
  • Support Cville Education Equity – Cville Education Equity is an active resource full of ways that community locals, students, teachers, and faculty can come to give and get education-related support. Families, this resource will provide you with information about virtual learning, after-school care, mental health resources and more. Teachers/educators and community organizations can share resources that we have for families and find groups of volunteer/mentors to work with. We have also worked hard to collect information for those who want to provide support including a list of ways to donate time and ways to donate funds.
  • Early Skies – A local teacher offering virtual tutoring services, charges a standard tutor rate, but will not turn away a parent asking for help due to finances.
  • CovED – CovEd is a matchmaking platform that connects K-12 students seeking tutoring with volunteer college students offering to mentor students during the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Raising Digital Citizens – The internet is a wonderful place for learning, but like the world around us, it can pose dangers if precautions are not taken. Allowing free access puts your child, your computer and your personal data at risk. Check out these tips on how to keep everyone safe.
  • Distance Learning and Adolescents – A one-hour video seminar about using problem-solving and negotiation skills to reduce family conflict with Dr. Elena Tuerk, Clinical Psychologist at the University of Virginia.
  • ADHD & Online Learning – Children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may face extra challenges dealing with the changes COVID-19 brings, especially once school starts again. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) suggests ways to help support students with ADHD and their families during this stressful time.
  • Virginia Department of Education – Online resources and support for military families, children in foster care and families of students with disabilities.
  • Student Assistance Program – Region Ten Student Assistance Specialists provide a broad range of prevention services to students, families, and staff at select schools (Albemarle High School, Monticello High School, Western Albemarle High School, Burley and Community Middle Schools, Murray High School, Charlottesville High School, and Buford Middle School).  SAP staff provide school-wide education, as well as support students experiencing personal stressors through brief counseling, psychoeducation, crisis intervention, substance use intervention, and referral. Services are being delivered virtually at this time and are free of cost. Talk to your school counselor or email [email protected] for more information.
  • PVCC Kids College After School Academies – Looking for a way to keep your kids entertained and engaged during those after school hours while you still need to work?  Check out these online options for kids from PVCC.

• Setting up Successful At-Home Virtual Schooling

  • A Better School Start: 4 Tips – How to talk about what school will look like this year, manage worry and expectations, problem solve and set your child up for success.
  • Support Your Child During Virtual Learning: Best Practices – Virtual learning comes in all shapes and sizes, but the one thing every variety has in common is the need for parental support to amplify success. This parent guide unpacks eight challenges you may be facing and accompanies them with best practices to help you facilitate learning successfully.
  • Preparing for Back-To-School Success – How to set kids up to thrive despite uncertainties.
  • Age Appropriate Expectations for Paying Attention – Plan a better school day by learning what to expect from your child based on their age.
  • Music for Mindfulness – Use breaks between lessons to refocus kids with music.
  • Why A Bedtime Routine is Important for Kids During the Pandemic – Dr. Pearl Yu, director of the Pediatric Sleep Disorder Program at UVa Children’s Hospital, explains why sleep is important to combat the anxiety children may be facing during this time of unprecedented change and many unknowns.
  • Back-To-School Care Package – Creative and attractive print outs from “Big Life Journal” to help your child combat loneliness and isolation, get along with siblings while learning from home and focus on what they can control.

Parent and Caregiver Support

• Parent and Child Support During COVID-19 – Free stress and anxiety handouts to connect and strengthen relationships
• Mindful Parenting: How to Respond Instead of React – Mindful parenting means that you bring your conscious attention to what’s happening, instead of getting hijacked by your emotions.
• Tantrums: When Kids Flip Their Lids – Ever find yourself lost as to why your child tantrums?  Tips on how not to let a tantrum become a power struggle.
• Relationships, Routines, Resilience – Protests, police brutality, and the ongoing threat of Covid-19 have upended safety and unleashed deep-seated fury and grief across the United States, particularly in communities of color. Adults are understandably having difficulty managing their own stress and are worried about the effects of all this on their children.  Read about how these three things – relationships, routines and resilience – can help children (and adults!) cope.
• Comenzar La Escuela Con Karolina – Videos in Spanish for parents from the ReadyKids Family Coordinator about how to approach the return to school, manage stress, and help kids express their emotions.
• Local Resources – United Way of Charlottesville’s compiled list of COVID-19 resources
• Coronavirus Mental Health Support – The Women’s Initiative’s goal is to provide as much support as they safely can during the coronavirus pandemic. While their physical offices are closed, they are providing vital mental health services through phone and video options. Also, check out their virtual support groups!
• Resilience During COVID – Region Ten will be hosting this course taught virtually via Zoom.  This free training offers strategies for managing the stress of life during a pandemic and how to promote resilience.  Email [email protected] to register, at least 2 days in advance.  Training sessions are Friday, Sept. 18 from noon to 1 p.m., and Friday, Oct. 16 from noon to 2 p.m.
• Family Check Up – Family Check Up is a brief, 3-session, strengths-based intervention model for families with children ages 2 through 17. It promotes positive child outcomes such as decreased substance use and increased school attendance by improving parenting and family management practices. Parents who participate in the Family Check Up complete an assessment and receive feedback to help identify strengths and areas for improvement in parenting.  After completing the Family Check Up, parents may participate in the Everyday Parenting (EP) parent management training, which focuses on positive behavior support, healthy limit setting, and relationship building. For more information and the referral form, visit https://www.youchoosecville.com/family-wellness
• Street Sheets – This database indicates the status of local resources available to individuals in Charlottesville or Albemarle in the setting of COVID-19. It will be updated periodically throughout the pandemic. It’s translated into 12 languages including Spanish, French, Swahili, Mandarin, Turkish, Arabic, Burmese, Farsi, German, Portuguese and Urdu.

If you have more virtual schooling resources to add, contact Kristin Sancken, Communications Officer.