The City, in partnership with United Way of Delaware, and Wilmington Community Advisory Council (WCAC) announced that a portion of the City’s CARES Act funds is being used to help fund 12 learning pods for Wilmington students who are staying engaged with their classes through remote learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“With our City students unable to return to the classroom due to the virus, we’ve got to do all we can to keep them and their families engaged with their education so they don’t fall further behind, and one way to do that is to offer learning pods,” said Mayor Purzycki. “WCAC came to the City with this wonderful idea and we have allocated approximately $90,000 in CARES Act federal funding to support learning sites around the City.”
Each learning pod location has staff assigned to assist students and noted that local school districts have assigned para-professional staff as resources to some of the community agency sites. The following organizations are operating learning pods:
- Latin American Community Center
- Hilltop Lutheran Community Center
- Neighborhood House
- Clarence Fraim Boys and Girls Club
- H. Fletcher Brown Boys and Girls Club
- West End Neighborhood House
- The Center for Structural Equity
- Kingswood Community Center
- Youth Empowerment Program
- Be Ready Jesus is Coming Church
- Girls, Inc.
- YMCA of Delaware
Parents seeking more information about Wilmington’s learning pods should call 2-1-1, then press 4.
The $90,000 from the City will help secure matching funds from the Longwood Foundation, which will be combined to purchase laptops so students can participate in remote learning, and to acquire such things as plexiglass partitions, PPE equipment, sanitizing supplies, and other safety and health products and services for the learning pod locations.
Each learning pod location is taking extra precautions to sanitize and deep clean surfaces and rooms, social distance, and ensure that staff and students wear masks.
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