Some working families struggle with distance learning

Mable Thorne starts work remotely each morning at 8:30.

She works for about an hour before bringing her godson, a fourth-grader at Nathan Hale School in New Haven, to his learning hub at First Cavalry Baptist Church. They go while he’s on a break from the virtual class that he has to log onto at 7:45 (45 minutes before his learning hub is open).

After dropping off her godson, Thorne goes into work at Yale Publishing from 10 to 2 in the afternoon when she picks up her godson after school is over and goes back to work from home for the rest of the day.

It’s a juggling act to say the least, especially considering she also has a foster son at the Bridgeport Learning Center.

As districts across the state settle into entirely virtual models like New Haven or hybrid models with in-person and virtual learning, it’s leaving many working parents relying on community resources for child care while their students learn and they go back to work.

In Greenwich, the Boys and Girls Club offered a program for high schoolers using Greenwich’s hybrid model. Norwalk Public Schools is offering learning pods for middle- and highschoolers at their public library branches and at the Carver Community Center, while in New Milford and Bethel parents are turning to private programs and ones at their local Ys.

Ron Yeomans said he was lucky the Darien YMCA was offering space for virtual learning for his second grade son while Yeomans and his wife were at work. Darien schools were using a hybrid model with virtual/in-person learning up until this past week.

“It makes distance learning for us and a whole lot of other working families almost impossible,” Yeomans said. “Without that my son would’ve been left behind. There would've been no way we would've been able to do it for him. The schools have to understand for working families with younger children with many of the schools closed, some of these children are going to be left behind.”

Many YMCAs across lower Fairfield County and across the nation launched similar learning hub programs for families who need assistance while their students learn from home, according to Suzanne Richards, director of youth development and special needs programs at the Darien Y.

Over 50 families participated in the Darien program which ended recently as Darien Public Schools went back to a full in-person model. Should the district go back to a hybrid or totally virtual model, Richards said the Y would start the program back up again.

“It’s become very difficult for many parents as many are going into work or still working from home,” Richards said.

Further shutdowns prompted by a spike in COVID cases remain a concern for parents who sent their children back to school. Greenwich resident Anchal Nigam said his 4-year-old son missed preschool and he and his wife needed childcare while working from home, so sending his son back was an easy decision. Still, he worries about what might happen should school close again.

“We’re balancing it,” he said. “It sucks, you deal with it. We both have really understanding employers. We’ve been on calls before where someone’s holding a kid. Everyone’s very understanding. (If schools close again), we’ll juggle and work around it.”

While Yeomans was able to get his son to the Y, the program costs about $500 for the month, an expense not every family can swing.

“Fortunately we were able to cover it, but what about families unable to do that? Maybe there’s not that many in Darien, but I’m sure there are many families in that position,” Yeomans said. “I feel sorry for those kids, I feel sorry for their parents. Let’s face it, not everyone can pull this off. This is hurting younger children of working families the most. Schools have to realize they are essential workers and they have to step up to the challenge.”

Thorne was also looking at a $300 price tag for a program through Yale for her godson during the school day, so she was grateful when she found out about the learning hubs which are popping up in New Haven churches.

“I need my job and he needs his education so we blend things together,” Thorne said. “I have an awesome support group so far as coworkers supporting me. It’s not ideal, but it’s working.”

The Rev. Steve Cousins, pastor of Bethel AME Church in New Haven, said he and other members of the Greater New Haven Clergy Association came up with the idea to use their buildings for students when New Haven moved to virtual learning in the spring. So far, two churches have launched learning hubs.

“When public schools had to shut down, we saw the issues we had with remote learning regarding connectivity, computers and parents who were essential workers that had to go back to work and were unable to facilitate the learning for their child,” Cousins said.

Meanwhile, many churches in New Haven remain vacant as worship ceremonies remain mostly online. They’re also outfitted with WiFi and have large community spaces for students to learn while socially distancing.

The learning hubs are open Monday to Friday 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., which can be a struggle for families like Thorne’s whose godson has to log into class by 7:45 a.m. The learning hubs also provide breakfast and lunch for participants. They facilitate additional classes like art, music and physical education as well as academic assistance for students.

Cousins said other organizations across the city began having similar conversations and opening their own learning hubs. The bulk of the interest has come from families with students in kindergarten through sixth grade.

The churches received funding through the Yale Community Fund, but are looking for ways to keep that funding going throughout the school year.

“It was very important to us not to charge families at all,” Cousins said. “They have to go back to work and we figured that was an additional burden they did not prepare for...We wouldn't be paying for this if our children were back inside school. The budget’s already tight as it is given the economy is not just coming back. We understand parents and families were laid off... That’s why I felt passionate families should not be charged. You're creating more of a divide between the haves and have nots.”

For families like Thorne’s, the learning hubs have created a palpable relief after finding out New Haven schools would be remote until November.

“I just thought how can I make this work? Even though my job was very lenient, I was losing sleep,” Thorne said. “My son now comes home with meals like I cook. It’s just a blessing. I guess I’m one of the lucky ones.”