by Alexis Gutierrez

The great “virtual learning experiment” starts for DC Public Schools as well as some Charters on August 31st (September 3rd for pre-K). If you are a parent like me, you have been exploring multiple options to try to get through this first quarter, and some of those plans may have fallen apart quickly. In the end, we all are hoping that the option we landed on will work out.

Let’s take a look at some of the options that parents have come up with to manage the start of the school year, and a chance to take a quick survey and learn what your neighbors are doing.

Doing it themselves
Many brave souls are going to try and make virtual learning work themselves. This means getting creative on their own work schedules and setting up home classrooms. Some are doing this out of necessity and some because their kids are older and relatively self-sufficient.
Nanny
The emails on the Petworth parents listserv seeking nannies or promoting nannies are always high at this time of year, as 3-year olds traditionally transition into pre-K programs now. However, this year the conversations tend to be more about seeking nannies than offering nannies as parents seek an extra set of hands to keep kids at home and do virtual learning.

Pods with a hired tutor/teacher
As you might have seen on the Petworth listservs, the mad dash to find a “pod” really began after DCPS announced that the first quarter would be all virtual. Pods group together four to five children with a tutor, who comes to a family’s home or rotates between participants’ homes. Companies such as Beyond the Basics and KidOvation Stage started retooling their businesses in July as it became increasingly obvious that virtual learning was going to happen.
Pods with parents rotating as the teacher
Some families are banding together so that parents will take turns being the “teacher.” They may be rotating houses or have found space outside of their houses to use as a “classroom.”
Daycares that help your kids log in
Lots of daycares are getting savvy on the need for families with pre-K children to be able to keep working but not lose their precious DCPS or charter school seats. Multiple daycares are now offering to log in kids. As of now DCPS has said kids must log into Canvas once a day between 6am and 11:59pm to have their attendance counted. Theoretically this will give working families some flexibility to log in in the evenings after work and do some of the activities that will be in Canvas. However, there will be plenty of synchronous learning going on during the day as well that families are being encouraged to participate in.
Virtual camps that help your kids log in
Companies that have traditionally run camps during school breaks have jumped into the marketplace to help out families. Salsa with Silva and other camp providers are now also providing virtual log in support and then activities when virtual learning is not going on.
Grandparents or other family members (including older siblings)
Family members, particularly grandparents, have definitely been called into service during this time. Those lucky enough to have extended family nearby are dropping their kids off during the day to help with virtual learning. Others have temporarily left DC to move in with or be near grandparents so that parents can work during the day and grandparents can support their grandkids who are virtually learning. Others have invited their parents to temporarily move to DC so that they have help.
Temporarily moved out of state and enrolled in schools that are doing in-person learning
Finally, one of the most interesting options to date, in my opinion, has been families who can work virtually moving to less populous areas (often in the mountains or near the beach) to enroll their kids in private schools that are open for in-person learning but less expensive than the DC area.

One thing to keep in mind if you decide to hire a tutor or a nanny is that in DC you as an employer are responsible for providing a safe working environment (including masks), sick pay, minimum wage, time off for COVID-19 exposure and paid family leave. Check out this fact sheet put together by the First Shift Justice Project to learn more.

No matter how you are choosing to cope, I wish you the best of luck next week!

Take a Survey!

Let us know what you decided to do by taking a survey on local education options. The anonymous results will be reported out next week.

Alexis T. Gutierrez, D.Phil, is a born-and-bred Washingtonian who has lived in Petworth since 2008. She and her husband Colin have two boys in local public school in Petworth. With graduate degrees in international environmental policy from Johns Hopkins University and Oxford University, she spends her days trying to protect the oceans. At night, she thinks about how educating the next generation can make the world a better place, playing with her kids and once in a blue moon, cooking dinner.