Nonprofit Offering Safe Workspace In Germantown Church To Help Students, Families As School Year Shifts To Virtual Learning
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- With the first day of school just weeks away, parents are wondering how they will juggle full-time jobs while helping their kids learn virtually. Now a Philadelphia group has a plan to ease the burden.
It will be a trying time for parents with students in Philadelphia schools, as many are just weeks away from the start of the school year, which will be all digital at the start.
"A lot of parents are trying to scramble to figure out what they're going to do," Haneef Hill said.
Hill, the founder of the nonprofit Urban Youth Kings and Queens, has a plan in place already. The plan is taking the classroom out of the class and bringing it to the Providence Baptist Church in Germantown.
"The children will be supervised," said Hill. "They'll be able to be engaged with their teachers online and be engaged with the other peers inside the facility. But really this is kind of a safe place for children to do their schoolwork."
And like what used to be part of the traditional classroom experience, students here at a remote learning center will also have access to recess at a park across the street.
"Just to get some fresh air, probably play some sports with one another. Just to give them that school feeling, but in a safe environment away from school," Hill said.
The remote learning center will be capped at 20 students in 5th grade and up. It is open from 7 a.m. through 6 p.m. to allow parents to go to work.
The cost is $25 per day but Hill says he's already applied for stipends for those who cannot afford the fee.
"That's something that we're hoping to get in place in the next couple of months," he said.
Students will have access to the internet and will be able to complete their coursework, all while in a safe environment.
"Children will be required to wear masks. We'll be sanitizing and cleaning throughout the day," said Hill.
Click here if you're interested in this remote classroom experience and more information on how to apply.