The Response of Education Nonprofits to New Covid-19 Challenges
To ensure that low-income students can still receive free or reduced lunches during a time of remote learning, some education nonprofits have begun to provide meals. An example is NEST Community Learning Center: an education nonprofit located in Loveland, Ohio. This organization has opened six local sites around their district where students and their families can receive free meals and snacks from 12:30-1:30pm during the week. The organization also provides home delivery services for families who lack transportation.
In addition to now having to accommodate students nutritional needs, education nonprofits have had to find creative ways to offer academic resources to low-income students while following social distancing regulations. Instead of working closely with individuals or small groups of students with community shared resources, education nonprofits have had to move their support online or offer academic materials for students to take home for independent use. NEST Community Learning Center has begun distributing books to homes and handing out academic packets to students who pick up free meals at one of their sites.
Another challenge that education nonprofits have had to face is making sure that all students have reliable internet connection to participate in remote classes and online learning.
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Joshua Terchek, a member of the Cleveland Metropolitan Schools administration, describes the changes that education nonprofits have made in order to ensure internet access to all students in his district.
How has funding been affected? How have they changed fundraising events or gotten donations?
"We took advantage of some of the Covid-19 relief funds that were released in March and April. . . and also an individual appeal that we made to individual donors to get donated over 100 Chromebooks and iPads that we got out to the students so they could connect."
-Breakthrough's Executive Director
