Do School offers support for children learning at home, due to the pandemic
by Leo Adam Biga
When the pandemic forced schools to close last spring and switch to remote education, many families got left behind. Economic and technology disparities soon surfaced. As COVID-19 spikes and surges continue and districts alternate between remote and in-person schooling, some families lack the options or resources to support children’s learning at home.
Local educators noted the need for a safe, structured, resource-rich and barrier-free environment to give impacted families a break and to keep children on track academically. Enter Metropolitan Community College and the tech library Do Space, where MCC maintains a presence. These institutions with a collaborative history created Do School for select K-8 students. It launched September 22 in Do Space at 7205 Dodge Street. After being piloted there, a second location opened in MCC’s North Express at The Highlander, 2120 North 30th St., on October 19.
enter mcc and do space
This hyper-local community response serves students from neighborhood Title I schools within close proximity to each site. Up to 20 students from Westbrook Elementary School near 80th and Western Avenue attend Do Space. A max of 50 kids drawn from two Omaha Public Schools sites, Howard Kennedy Elementary, 2920 North 30th St., and King Science and Technology Magnet Center, 3720 Florence Blvd., attend Highlander. A few students from McMillan Magnet Middle School, 3802 Redick Ave., also attend Do School at Highlander. Students attend Do School when their regular schools go remote.
Available slots were filled immediately, said MCC College of Continuing Education Dean Gary Girard, who also serves as Do School program director. Having reached capacity with just those three schools, the program hasn’t been offered to others. MCC administrators are deliberating potential expansion. Do School only emerged over the summer when awareness of a looming problem prompted action by a confluence of players.
“THE SCHOOLS OUR PROGRAM SERVES RECOMMEND STUDENTS OF GREATEST NEED.”
-MCC College of Continuing Education Dean Gary Girard
“At every level of the college we recognized a developing community and education crisis for working families that we should identify ways to respond to,” Girard said. “The principals and their staff know the families who can most benefit from this resource. Many parents we serve do not have flexible working hours, so when districts go virtual it becomes a hardship for them to stay at home and watch their kids. Desperate parents have to choose between kids and work. Some families struggle with daycare access, technology access, food insecurity, et cetera.”
Students already lagging behind on the achievement continuum risk falling further behind absent adult supervision, age-appropriate, engaged learning activities and reliable internet access. Not all wi-fi connections and hot spots are reliable. Food-shelter insecurity issues pose more struggles. Traditional school settings present too great a risk of exposure for children with certain medical conditions. Parents of special needs kids worry there may not be enough individualized attention at school in such a fraught time.
As disparities emerged, Do Space Director Rebecca Stavick noted a national model she felt could address local needs. “I approached Metro Community College with the idea for Do School this past summer as a possible solution to help families who have been hardest hit by the pandemic,” she said.
Stavick contacted MCC just as it was formulating a community learning hub in response to the crisis. The college has previously established hubs in South Omaha, North Downtown and North Omaha. Pre-COVID, it ran one at Do Space for adult ed courses and College for Kids-Teens programs. Its Metro North Express in the Highlander is another hub. Do School became an even more urgent project when Westbrook principal Tyler Hottovy contacted MCC looking for alternative spaces to accommodate some of his students.
“MANY OF MY COLLEAGUES IN THE LIBRARY FIELD ACROSS THE COUNTRY, PARTICULARLY IN MAJOR CITIES, HAVE BEEN WORKING ON SIMILAR PROJECTS, SO IT ONLY MADE SENSE TO SEE IF WE COULD BRING THIS IDEA TO OMAHA,”
-Do Space Director Rebecca Stavick
“When we shut down without much notice my role pivoted from being a principal to being a social worker the first couple weeks. It was all about what do families need right now,” Hottovy said. In delivering materials to families, Hottovy noted “Internet equity issues” and “some parents working from home struggling to also support their students’ schooling.”
”It struck me how many of our families were living with other families or housing other families. I was also surprised how many of our families were insecure with housing and in need of assistance. The first time we had food pick up at the school, we had solid lines for six hours. Food insecurity is much more prevalent than we realize and the pandemic magnifies that.”
He had contacted other area institutions and organizations searching for resources to help bridge the education gap. MCC was the only one poised to act. When MCC president Randy Schmailzl informed Hottovy the college was fast-tracking Do School, he jumped at the chance.
In order to be ready by the time Westbrook, which is in the Westside Community Schools District, commenced its fall term, Girard said, “The conceptualization, development and launch had to happen within a three-week period.”
Stavick credits MCC with moving from concept to reality so quickly. “They took the idea and created an extremely well-managed, safe space for a limited number of kids to do Do School at Do Space. The program is limited, but it has absolutely changed lives this fall, and that's thanks to the intentional management of the program by MCC staff and their strong partnerships with local principals.”
Do Space dedicates first-floor youth spaces to the program that are otherwise closed during the pandemic.
“We're proud to be able to play a part in supporting the program by reactivating these spaces for Do School.” Stavick said. The model initiated at Do Space has been replicated at Highlander, where Metro’s third floor space was going unused in the pandemic.
Howard Kennedy Principal Tony Gunter embraced this opportunity for his students as soon as MCC offered it. “There are some families having difficulties, challenges and crises and this whole partnership is about removing barriers to help our kids continue learning and not let a pandemic stop them,” Gunter said. Access and other home environment issues make it hard for some children to learn at home.
“WE TRY TO CAPITALIZE ON ANY RESOURCES THAT WILL HELP KEEP OUR KIDS ON THE CUTTING EDGE OR STAY CONNECTED OR JUST GIVE THEM A WELL-ROUNDED EDUCATION.”
-Howard Kennedy Principal Tony Gunter
“It’s hit or miss sometimes with their connectivity or they just don’t have the structure and support at home with their parents,” he said. Absent the right supervision, some students log in late or not at all and don’t get assignments turned in from home.
Do School holds students accountable in real time for connecting with their teacher-classroom. Students bring their district-provided device (iPad) to log in to their school. Staff ensure whatever apps students need on their devices are properly installed. Support is readily available for any tech issues that arise.
The first half of the day students engage in synchronous remote learning with their regular classroom and tackle any homework teachers assign. The second half they do maker and STEAM activities. There’s an extended lunch break with meals provided by participating school districts. Other built-in breaks give kids a chance to log off the screen and get active. MCC College of Continuing Education staff serve as monitors and tutors. Instructors from MCC ’s College for Kids-Teens program and nonprofit Prairie STEM direct activities with 3D pens, printers and robotics.
”STEM-STEAM education is a strength of ours through our College for Kids-Teens program. A component of that is the interactive Science on a Sphere at North Express in the Highlander,” Girard said, “Our youth programs reported record enrollment (5,000-plus kids) before the pandemic forced their cancelation. But we now replicate those unique learning experiences to underserved kids at Do School, where students engage in coding projects to create, for example, entire solar systems via computer modeling. These are opportunities maybe many of these kids would not have otherwise.”
Westbrook principal Tyler Hottovy is satisfied and a little envious of what students are able to immerse themselves in at Do School “They’re getting a vast range of creative and practical experiences. To be honest, I wish we could replicate some of that here at my school. We can a little bit but not to that scale during the pandemic.”
Gunter is impressed by not only how well his students have taken to Do School but by the enhanced opportunities if offers them. “There’s been a positive change in their engagement and learning. Attendance is up. That’s a huge win for us. It’s not a day care. It is a true learning environment. This is about educating kids, not babysitting them.”
On visits to Do School, Gunter and Hottovy observe students fully engaged, active and on-task. MCC staff see the same. “When kids are involved in these projects they’re in the zone coding and doing deep learning,” Girard said. “They are focused and building skills. This kind of discipline keeps kids learning at a high level. And they’re enjoying it. The structure is designed in such a way that there have really not been any behavior issues.”
Reba Williams (pictured) has five children enrolled in Do School at the Highlander.
Reba and John Williams have five children, including 12-year-old twins, participating in Do School at the Highlander. The twins graduated from Howard Kennedy and now attend McMillan Magnet Center. Their younger siblings are at Howard Kennedy. Do School is the children’s go-to learning center when regular school goes remote.
“It’s a beautiful place the way it’s all set up. My kids love it,” said Reba Williams. “There’s so many things I don’t have to worry about. They have it all covered. It’s a safe place. I just feel blessed we’ve got it.” The working parents cannot provide the same level of support and structure at home that Do School offers.
“It’s hard to get all five of them on track at the same time,” she said. The couple didn’t feel their younger kids got enough individualized attention at day care, which also made Do School appealing. At Do School children are segmented in separate spaces by age-grade to reduce distractions and enhance learning, Stringent safety measures helped sell Gunter, colleague Tyler Hottovy and parents on the program. Reba Williams expressed confidence her five kids are safe there because of the “super clean” environment.
MCC Dean of Health Careers Stacey Ocander and staff applied the college’s rigorous campus protocols to each Do School site with emphasis on deep cleaning, social distancing, plexiglass barriers, timely tracing and a flip card system marking areas active or clean. Each child has his-her own activity bin-bag. Building staff and visitors, even parents, have limited access to the facilities, especially the learning areas, to prevent cross-contamination.
Families got to tour the sites and the safety systems in place. “We have a student with a newly identified medical condition. The family physician said the student could not go back to public school because there were just too many students and it wouldn’t be safe. After the mom came and looked at Do School the physician agreed to let the child attend because it was the most sanitary learning place that child could be in. For us that was a key indicator we were doing it right,” Ocander said, adding, “It comes down to economics, too, because that mom had to get back to work. At the end of the day that’s really what it’s about – keeping everybody safe and helping families be sustainable.”
“IT’S NOT TEACHING ABOUT COVID AS IF IT’S GOING AWAY TOMORROW - IT’S TEACHING TO LIVE AND THRIVE IN AN ENVIRONMENT OF COVID.”
-MCC Dean of Health Careers Stacey Ocander
Jeanette Stickney has a boy and a girl enrolled in Do School at Do Space. Both are Westbrook Elementary School students. She felt the program offered a more stable learning environment for her son, who has ADHD. Now that her job has Stickney working from home, Do School is a particularly good option for her family, she said, because she also has a baby and a teen to care for.
It’s actually more convenient to have my 7-year-old and 8-year-old in there right now. I know that they’re safe there and it makes me feel really good about sending them there,” said Stickney, who also likes the extension learning activities her kids engage in there. “It means a lot to me the staff find other things to do with them.”
Part of Do School’s mandate is teaching children to do their part in keeping themselves and others safe. “It’s not teaching about COVID as if it’s going away tomorrow,” Ocander said, “it’s teaching to live and thrive in an environment of COVID.” She and other MCC staffers say kids are indeed mindful about masks, social distancing, washing hands, keeping fingers out of eyes and mouths and not overly touching surfaces. “I really appreciate the mindfulness and support that Metro and Do Space showed in putting this together,” said Gunter.
Girard said the intention is for Do School to be that “community equalizer” and continuity hub for schools, families and students. Another equalizer is Seventy Five North Revitalization Corp., which built and manages Highlander, The nonprofit works with OPS to infuse extra resources into nearby Howard Kennedy, whose students already intersect with extension learning activities at Metro’s North Express at Highlander. Howard Kennedy has been adopted by 75 North in realizing its purpose built and choice neighborhood vision of revitalizing the North 30th Street corridor. Hosting Do School is a welcome addition to its work.
-75 North CEO Cydney Franklin
“We were beyond eager to play an important role in the neighborhood to support whatever version of school a student may currently be involved in during these challenging times,” 75 North CEO Cydney Franklin said. “We’re pleased to help students access needed resources, instruction and at the most basic levels, internet access and food, maybe even social interaction and companionship. This program, as well as other educational, technological and recreational programs taking place in the Highlander neighborhood to increase accessibility to needed resources, is very emblematic of 75 North's origin story and the reasons for our existence.”
Gunter appreciates all the help his school gets from 75 North, whose leverage makes a real difference, he said. “They want us to be successful by any means necessary. They look out for our families and for our school.” With partners like 75 North, MCC and Do Space, he adds, “It’s a perfect storm of entities heavily invested in the work we’re doing at our school by making resources available to our families and students.”.
As COVID has raged on and forced school districts to variously close and reopen and to adopt hybrid remote and in-person schedules, families and schools have to adapt on the fly. All the variables make it hard on parents. Reba Williams acknowledged “it’s hard keeping up with all the changes” and Jeanette Stickney added, “It’s kind of overwhelming.”
Do School must modify its days and hours to match changes in school district schedules. “It does take a lot of coordination;” Girard said. “However, the focus is always on the needs of the kids and families. Our goal from the beginning was to provide a continuity of learning and support for youth as a support mechanism to minimize the academic achievement gap. Flexibility is key to our success.”
Jeanette Stickney (pictured) has two children enrolled in Do School.
All the changes to how and where students are educated hasn’t seemed to slow their progress. “Kids are resilient,” Gunter said. “Once you get them with the right environment, the right structure, the right resources, they will adapt, they will flourish, they will succeed. We just have to cultivate the soil for them to flourish. You’ve got to have the right resources to help kids to learn, and Do School has that.”
A subtle but telling feature of Do School’s intentional approach is its project manager, Raymone Sazone. He ran an after school program at Howard Kennedy. “That relationship was critical to us being successful at the North Express because he and the school nurse and the principal already had that connection,” Ocander said.
Not only do students feel safe, Sazone said, they are conscious of receiving an experience their families couldn’t duplicate at home and that mirrors what their regular school provides. “I think it gives them relief to feel like, I’m still at a school, I’m able to learn, I’m able to meet new people. It’s just more towards normalcy.”
He adds that students are aware they are in a college environment. “They hear and read the name Metro Community College, so when they see classmates the biggest thing to say is, ‘I’m at college.’ They take pride in it.” For many, it’s their first exposure to college.
Hottovy marvels at how so many moving parts and players came together with Do School. “The folks who made this happen worked so hard to get these systems and structures in place. They’ve been amazing getting all that figured out and worked through.” With COVID not going away any time soon, Hottovy said, “The learning hub is a valuable opportunity. I think a lot of families could use it. With things not looking any better with the pandemic, it looks like we might need more community resources like this.”
Hottovy suggests this born-from-the-pandemic resource could be a model for how districts, along with community stakeholders, approach educational gaps during COVID and beyond.
“I appreciate having these opportunities for our community. I wish I could see more places like this in our community to help all of our students.
-Howard Kennedy Principal Tony Gunter
“Hopefully we’ve learned a few things to where we can apply this after a pandemic to make this a viable learning opportunity for students and families. Maybe we’re rethinking what summer school and our breaks might look like for students. Those are all things I hope we can take away from this.”
Gunter echoes the sentiment, saying, “I appreciate having these opportunities for our community. I wish I could see more places like this in our community to help all of our students.”
More could be on the way. “Our president Randy Schmailzl was very supportive of our developing a model that could be replicated,” Girard said. “That was our intent from the start. We’ve learned the need is even greater than we anticipated. The reality is we could open five more and they’d fill up. The need is there.”
For now, he said, “MCC plans to continue the program through the end of the 2020-2021 school year. Keep in mind, we are adapting and pivoting daily. If for any reason we need to suspend the program due to public health guidelines or safety, we will need to do so.”Meanwhile, the mosaic of partners who’ve come together to serve children at Do School reminds Raymone Sazone of an old proverb come to life.
“We’ve all heard it takes a village to raise a child. Well, that’s what’s taking place with this opportunity.”