Marin explores ‘learning hubs’ to aid instruction

Students in underserved Marin neighborhoods could get a boost with distance learning if Marin installs new “learning hubs” at local libraries, community centers and churches.

The hubs, which are already in place in some San Francisco communities, are for school families who don’t have access to private tutors, homeschooling or micro-school pods, but whose children still need help with distance learning in the COVID-19 environment, said Ken Lippi, assistant superintendent for the Marin County Office of Education.

“We know the year is going to begin without kids on school campuses,” Lippi said. “It’s extremely important to set support systems in place for kids who are in families where there are obstacles and challenges with distance learning and who might not have the opportunity of private pods and tutoring.”

Bank of Marin is donating $200,000 to help finance the program. The grant will allow Marin educators, government agencies, nonprofits and faith-based partners to set up the learning hubs at various libraries, community centers, churches or synagogues where there is room.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has brought to the forefront inequities in our education system that have existed for far too long,” Bank of Marin CEO Russ Colombo said.

“As a community, we need to come together to ensure equitable access to remote learning for all our children,” he added. “Bank of Marin’s contribution to the Marin County Office of Education is a first step toward bridging the access gap so that all students can receive the education they deserve.”

Colombo said Bank of Marin is leaving the details of the program to Marin County Office of Education.

“While we made it clear to the Marin County team that our primary goal is support for the families and students in Marin with the greatest need, we are bankers, not educators,” he said. “We are relying on the experts at MCOE to develop an equitable program for all of Marin’s students.”

Lippi said the hubs are still in planning and specific locations or staffing have not yet been identified. The county will likely use the same anti-coronavirus safeguards already established in Marin with the popup child care centers that were used early on in the pandemic, he said.

“There will be conditions for physical distancing, handwashing, face coverings and appropriate group size limits,” Lippi said.

Although an age range for the hubs has not yet been identified, Lippi said he expects it will be most beneficial for families with elementary and middle-school-aged children where the parents need to work outside the home and are not available for homeschooling or child care. Also, some families might

have issues with technology or lack of internet connectivity.

While locations have not yet been confirmed, some of the neighborhoods that could need the hubs are the Canal area of San Rafael and some communities in Novato, Lippi said. The county and city of San Rafael are community partners as are the libraries and some faith-based organizations, he said.

“Our goal is to provide a safe, healthy and supportive environment,” he said. “Nothing about this project is cookie-cutter. We’re going to work with our community partners to make sure it is tailor-made to meet the specific needs of the families it serves.”

All Marin schools are starting the fall term this month with distance learning under an order from Gov. Gavin Newsom. On July 17, Newsom said that schools in Marin and other counties on the state virus “watch list” were restricted to distance learning only until virus numbers are declining and Marin was off the watch list.

The restriction carries multiple difficulties for many Marin families, especially those where both parents work and are unavailable to help with homeschooling or child care. For the children, especially younger kids, there are also challenges with learning from a screen. Many also suffer from isolation and emotional distress due to lack of contact with their peers and teachers.

“We’re going to do an extensive outreach for families in underserved areas,” Lippi said. “The schools will be able to contact a lot of families through the school meals programs.”

Kris Cosca, superintendent of the Novato Unified School District, said he has discussed the idea of learning hubs with Marin County Office of Education and county government officials — but that the program was still being sketched out.

“We are currently exploring the idea with the goal of ensuring all of our students continue have access to high quality education during remote learning,” Cosca said. “At this point, we do not have concrete plans about what this might look like in Novato.”

Many Marin school kids in underserved areas experienced learning loss in the spring when the county moved to distance learning abruptly during the stay at home order. At that time, scores of families were left without internet access, computer devices or both. Since then, Marin educators have distributed hundreds of Chromebooks and “hotspots” for internet connectivity throughout the county.

The state has also mandated, starting in the fall term, that distance learning include daily live instruction and a minimum set of educational minutes per day. Schools will be required to supply and document a much more robust distance learning experience for students, or else face scrutiny and possible penalties, under terms of Senate Bill 98 adopted earlier this year.