Community Coalition Teams Up With Crenshaw YMCA and Kumon to Combat Covid Learning Loss

11 Mar Community Coalition Teams Up With Crenshaw YMCA and Kumon to Combat Covid Learning Loss

Learning Pods

According to a recent study by Policy Analysis for California Education, the gap of learning loss could be 12% or more for low-income students and English language learners. Community Coalition (CoCo) went on a mission to pinpoint partners in South Los Angeles offering in-person “learning pods” to address the education achievement gap and learning loss due to school closures during the pandemic. What are learning pods, you ask? As schools closed due to coronavirus, some parents created small groups in their homes and brought experienced teachers in for their kids.

Because our communities were so hard hit, lockdowns and restrictions to contain COVID were necessary but not so ideal for education equity–which has had historical repercussions for students of color. Making matters worse, wealthy communities have had access to learning pods through camps, education programs, childcare centers, and even some schools. The pandemic has intensified and exposed long-standing inequities between students in under-resourced schools and those in affluent communities.  

That is why Coco was so pleased to join forces with YMCA-Crenshaw, and Kumon centers to offer learning pod options to our families. YMCA-Crenshaw addresses the need for a safe learning space, with in-person help during the school day while parents work. It also offers a technology pod and other programs for students/parents who are interested. Likewise, Kumon is combating learning loss with a consistent curriculum and 30-minute learning pods. Kumon has a daily online option, or students can come into the center twice a week for in-person tutoring. Both the Crenshaw Y and Kumon programs are COVID compliant, enforcing social distancing and mask requirements.  

Proud of our collaboration with YMCA-Crenshaw

YMCA-Crenshaw welcomed CoCo’s families into its “learning pods” in February. There was a virtual launch on February 3, 2021, with the in-person partnership beginning on February 10, 2021. The pod will serve 50 kids who come in every day, which should relieve stress from both students and parents, alleviating isolation for the students and anxiety. Immediately, pod participation has made a difference for youth in need of support with their learning needs. 

The YMCA-Crenshaw pod is vital to the community because 60% of South Los Angeles homes rely on mobile broadband. Another 17% of households in the area do not have Internet access at all, according to a recent study by the University of Southern California’s Rossier School of Education. The learning pod allows students to participate in virtual learning without having to worry about an internet connection. The site has also partnered with Compudopt to have 100 laptops on hand to provide for students who need them. The CEO of Computdopt, Megan Steckly said, “There are 40,000 households here in South L.A. that don’t have access to a computer at home, and what’s so frustrating about this is that it’s such an incredibly solvable problem.”

Community Coalition’s goal is to aid South LA residents and families by facilitating access to in-person learning pods.

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