Dear LEARN Friends and Supporters,
First, I sincerely hope that you and your families are well. I know many of you have family and friends who are medical workers, first responders and essential workers on the front lines. We are so grateful for the work they do to keep us safe and healthy.
At LEARN, we are grateful to see our families, educators and community come together — quickly and creatively — to ensure that our scholars have what they need to stay well and continue learning. I wanted to share the extraordinary ways our LEARN community has rallied together during this challenging time.
Communication with our Families
When COVID-19 began, we, like many others, felt the uncertainty and stress. We knew we needed to quickly take action to support our families. Our incredible team sprang into action and began “LEARN Wellness Calls.” Staff at each LEARN school committed to contacting every LEARN family to check-in and address immediate needs.
We discovered that our families needed supports ranging from food to household items to computers and internet access for online learning. We used this feedback to roll-out further plans outlined below. And Forbes cited LEARN for how communication is key in educating our students. They quoted, “That’s the attitude we all need right now as we are increasingly confined to our homes and endure weeks more of this virus.”
Food Service
Over the past week, we have coordinated home delivery of a 10-day supply of fresh and non-perishable breakfast and lunch food items to over 2,490 LEARN scholars and family members. (That’s over 48,000 meals!) LEARN families can opt-in to this service and continue to go to our district partner sites for additional food distribution.
Technology
Another trend in our Wellness Calls revealed many LEARN families need technology to access online learning. As a result, our Operations and Technology Teams coordinated the cleaning, packaging and distribution process of laptops for our families. Between now and April 24, we will put computers into the hands of all 4,000 LEARN children who need access to a personal device.
LEARN Academics
Our outstanding Teaching and Learning Team is hard at work developing online and written content to keep our scholars on track while they #LEARNatHome. Our teachers are actively conducting online classes and creatively working with families to ensure that each scholar continues to learn. Communication with families has been so important so that we know how to best support each scholar individually and set them up for academic success during this time.
LEARN Family Fund
As always, our commitment to families extends far beyond the walls of the classroom. Days after the Shelter In Place order was announced, we launched a LEARN Family Fund to provide basic needs support to our overwhelmingly low-income population. To date, we’ve raised over $73,000 to help families purchase basic household necessities, such as food, medication, toiletries, cleaning supplies, academic materials, and other necessary items. 326 LEARN families have benefitted from the generosity of our wonderful community of supporters. This list grows everyday and we’re so thankful to be in a position to directly impact the well-being of our community. Please consider supporting the Family Fund by visiting learncharter.org/donate.
This unprecedented COVID-19 challenge will not only build our character, it will reveal it. I am so proud of my 500 colleagues who are living LEARN’s values and meeting the urgent needs of our students. Thank you for your support.
Warm Regards,
Greg White, President & CEO