Category: Coronavirus

As charter schools across the country confront the challenges related to the Coronavirus (COVID-19), the U.S. Department of Education pulled together a list of COVID-19 resources that can guide your school’s response. We’ve provided the list of resources below. You’ll also find resources for parents seeking educational activities for their children too.

CDC Guidelines for Schools
Additional Resources for Elementary and Secondary Schools
Additional Resources
At-Home Activities

Please note that the materials presented below concerning resources available on a number of Federal agencies’ websites are being provided for your convenience as a potential resource for parents, students, schools, teachers, and other educators to use during this challenging time. They were not developed by the U.S. Department of Education, and we do not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of this information. Furthermore, the inclusion of any hyperlinks and the content presented is not intended to convey their relative importance, nor is it intended to endorse any views expressed or products or services offered. The Department does not control, direct, or encourage any particular curriculum or the information related to the curriculum. The use of materials or information by a school or educator is strictly a State and local matter.

Department of Defense: Learn about careers in STEM fields

Department of Education National Center for Education Statistics: Kids’ Zone

Department of Energy: Games and Activities; Virtual Field Trips to National Energy Labs

Environmental Protection Agency: Games, Quizzes, and Videos about the Environment

The Library of Congress: Presentations and Activities to Help Students Learn about History

NASA: Interactive Lessons about Space, Earth, Solar System and Universe;  Lessons from Astronauts about Living in Space;  STEM Activities for Students of All Ages

The Kennedy Center:  Lunch Doodles with Mo Willems; Tour the Kennedy Center with The Pigeon

The Smithsonian: Free Smithsonian STEM Games and Simulations; Meet the Animals of the National Zoo; 3D Exhibits and Virtual Tours; Smithsonian Magazine Ten Museums You Can Virtually Visit; The Museum of Natural History Virtual Tour; Digital Smithsonian American Art Museum; Distance Learning Resources

NOAA: Use Real-Time Ocean Data to Explore the Environment

USGS: Learn from Home About Physical science, Geography and Maps

Schools should continue promoting everyday disease prevention strategies:
  • If you are sick, stay home from school.
  • Avoid close contact with those who are already sick.
  • Cover your nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing with a tissue or the crook of your arm.
  • Wash your hands often with soap and water.
  • Avoid touching eyes, nose, or mouth.
  • Consult this web page for further guidance from the U.S. Department of Education.

Schools can share relevant CDC fact sheets to help students, families, and staff understand COVID-19 along with steps they can take to protect themselves:

The Department of Education regularly updates its list of resources and information. They’ve also encouraged school leaders to send questions on which the Department can be helpful to the following email address: COVID-19@ed.gov.

For charter school leaders, the news isn’t heartwarming: States are now collectively projecting spending cuts over the next few years in the neighborhood of $500 billion. 

As Daerel Bernette II from EdWeek put it, “Almost half of the nation’s 13,000 school districts may be forced to make the deepest cuts to education spending in a generation—slashing programs and laying off hundreds of thousands of administrators, teachers and other staff—to fend off financial collapse brought on by the coronavirus.”

Reduced tax revenues across the country due to the COVID-19 pandemic will potentially result in deferrals, delays, and reductions in state payments for charter schools. And states more reliant on tax revenues not connected to property taxes may face even starker choices as taxes from other sources—sales tax as people spend less, tourism taxes as people travel less—dry up.

As charter leaders navigate the next few months, one recent guide post came from Nathan Barrett, the Senior Director of Research and Evaluation at National Alliance for Public Charter Schools. In his brief entitled COVID And Education Finance: Acting During the Impending Fiscal Downturn, he noted…

“The uncertainty and impending fiscal challenges will require careful planning and execution. They will also require the ability to make thoughtful but quick course corrections should fiscal realities fail to meet projections. While all schools will be affected, charter schools are of interest because of their unique position in public education, the policies under which they operate, and the fact that they disproportionally serve students who are potentially at greater risk of disruptions because of the pandemic.”

As we’ve done throughout this crisis, Charter School Capital wants to ensure charter school leaders have the best advice possible. And tomorrow, we will continue that work by welcoming Mr. Barrett from National Alliance for an hour-long webinar to help leaders prepare a charter school safety net.

Joining him will be Ricardo Mireles, Executive Director of the Los Angeles-based charter school Academia Avance, who navigated his charter school through the Great Recession. Our VP of Business Services, Tricia Blum, will host Mr. Mireles and Mr. Barrett. 

Watch this recorded webinar now!

WATCH NOW

COVID-19 relief funding image for blog post

The innovation, resilience, and passion we’ve seen from charter school leaders facing the COVID-19 crisis is setting the bar for what it means to serve students today.

You’ve inspired us and we want to help.

The most valuable things we have to offer are immediate access to funds, a financial safety net, and our passionate support. The best way we can think of doing that is to give charter schools the use of our money and resources for free for the rest of 2020.

Free financing for the rest of 2020. No costs, no fees, no interest. You pay zero.

We will provide one month of your school’s revenue in your account now, to access as you need, at no cost through the remainder of the calendar year.
For those facing immediate cash needs, we’re committed to delivering the funding quickly – in as few as five days from application completion.
You can take advantage of our expertise, network, information, and advice that our clients get for free, with rapid access to additional funds as we move through this disruption and into the coming school year. We are here to support you as you lead your students, teachers, teams, and communities into 2021.

Call or click today to access the Free Financing program. Call us at 503-227-2910, email us directly at growcharters@charterschoolcapital.com, or go to charterschoolp.wpengine.com/COVID to get started.

In this together,
Stuart Ellis

Here’s another post from our own Liz Overson, who’s gone the extra mile to interview parents around the country to hear how families are handling this phase of their kids’ learning… And it’s not easy, as she notes, below. (But she has some great tips for parents as a result of her research!) Thank you, Liz, for sharing these suggestions and resources.

—

The New (Not) Normal

It’s happening, and it’s hard. Parents and kids are adapting to the new normal of being home every day together, and now homeschooling is rolling out around the country. Not every family or every public charter school district can accommodate online learning from home, but for those that can – it’s introducing a myriad of new challenges.

We’ve spoken with parents from Ohio to California about the homeschooling challenges they’re seeing daily, especially for younger kids who aren’t yet self-starters. And here’s what we have learned:

Suggestions for Homeschooling Parents with Young Kids 

  • It’s an adjustment. Phase in slowly.
  • Beware of being too aggressive with online learning. Every kid is different, and tolerance levels will vary from kid to kid and even day-to-day for each child.
  • Don’t try to recreate the school day. We heard this a lot.
  • Some things won’t work. That’s ok and even normal in homeschooling.
  • Charter Schools are learning as they go on this as well. Think about feedback channels and communication strategies for your teacher(s). They’re your partners in homeschool, too.
  • Reach out to other parents from your kids’ grades and classes. Maybe they’re finding success with areas that you find unnavigable.
  • Ignore social media and what other people are doing. Who knows what else is happening before and after that sweet photo.
  • Making a checklist every morning can be helpful for all. Crossing tasks off is so satisfying, too!
  • Work together with your kids and follow through on the realistic expectations you set. Some type of school-based assignments will happen Monday – Friday.
  • Find other things your kids like to do online and make space for that in the weeks at home. Online art classes, instructional videos, research, and explorations. There’s a world of educational content available for every age and stage.

Life with Quaranteenagers

And while teenagers may be better equipped to self-manage during homeschooling, they may bristle faster and more often being around their adults 24/7. And motivation is an ebb and flow for every teen in the easiest of times.

Here’s what communications might help:

  • Targeted emails and posts about ways to stay on track – like journals, checklists, and even Productivity Apps would be helpful for these bigger kids.
  • Hearing from college/career advisors about testing and all the other planning and prep that usually gets underway in spring.
  • Virtual office hours and ways to make online appointments with teachers, advisors, administrators, and others who can help.
  • Words of support from administrators, coaches, teachers, and more. Keep the communication coming and supportive.

And if parents are worried about their quarantines and the time they’re spending online – the experts at Common Sense Media have tips about TikTok, Fortnite, YouTube, parental controls, and more.

We found solid parenting advice from the pros at Child Mind Institute. The Clay Center for Young Healthy Minds is an incredible resource. And the gems at Unicef have excellent ideas to support parenting and caregiving during this pandemic, and they’re quick to remind us it’s the most important job in the world.

Suggestions for Charter School Teachers and Educators as we Partner in Homeschooling

  • It can be hard for parents to figure out where to start
  • Trial and error will happen, what should parents expect with the recommended web sites or assignments.
  • Kids get irritable when on screens for too long. What options for workaround can we provide?
  • Kids miss interacting with their teachers!
  • If there wasn’t time for a practice session before schools closed, can there be some instructional videos for parents? Schoology and others seem to allow for this.
  • Don’t abandon PE now – keep kids moving,
  • Help problem-solve for not regressing
  • Try not to spring ‘days off’ on working parents. If there’s going to be a Friday without assignments or an “Art” day, give as much forewarning as possible.
  • Offer advice for motivating sad or stubborn kids.
  • Your community is everything! Now more than ever.

Flexibility and patience seem to be at the forefront of successful homeschooling. Each day is a reboot and a chance to try again. And for everyone’s health – students and their parents – positive reminders to keep moving (even indoors), find a quiet corner when needed, and keep up the virtual visits and socializing can go a long way. So can reminders about the abundance of ways to foster creative and critical thinking.  

As our weather gets warmer and more beautiful as March turns to April and beyond, it’ll allow for more and more charter school families to get outside together, all while still maintaining a healthy #socialdistance.

Image of Student working at his desk

Comcast, Spectrum, and Cox are both offering 60 days of free internet to students during the Coronavirus closures.

As schools across the country close to minimize the spread of COVID-19, we reached out to charter schools and state charter school associations to learn what the biggest challenges facing students, parents, and schools. The resounding answer has been equity issues with distance learning—lack of technology and technology training and internet connectivity.

An estimated 17% of U.S. students do not have access to computers at home and 18% do not have home access to broadband internet, according to an Associated Press analysis of census data.

Comcast and Spectrum both announced 60 days of free internet – with slightly different offers.

  • Spectrum is offering free Wi-Fi and broadband access up to 100 MBPS to any household with K-12 and/or college students that don’t already have Spectrum. Installation fees are for these households, and anyone wishing to enroll will need to call 1-844-488-8395.
  • Comcast is expanding a service they already offer for low-income families called Internet Essentials. The service will be free for new customers for 60 days and is 25 MBPS. People hoping to sign up for the services can call 1-855-846-8376 for English and 1-855-765-6995 for Spanish.
  • Both providers are also offering free access to their Wi-Fi hotspots across the country.

Cox announced that effective Monday, 3/15/2020, Effective Monday, March 16, they are providing:

  • Limited-time, first two months free of Connect2Compete service, $9.95/month thereafter.
  • Until May 15, 2020, Cox is providing phone and remote desktop support through Cox Complete Care at no charge to provide peace of mind and ease for technology needs.
  • Resources for discounted refurbished equipment through our association with PCs for People.
  • A Learn from Home toolkit for schools, including instructions on how to fast-track eligible students without internet access Download toolkit.
  • Visit www.cox.com/c2c to qualify and learn more.

Additionally, the California Department of Education has a full list of internet offerings and details from all the major carriers.

—

We are working on supporting our client schools and are planning a webinar series to help charter school leaders better understand the myths and facts of the Coronavirus (COVID-19).

Join us for our third webinar in the series, COVID-19: Preparing for Attendance and Staffing Issues, Friday, March 27th at 10:00 A.M. PT.

REGISTER HERE

We will post recorded webinar series on-demand here after each is completed and will continue to update about the coronavirus as the situation demands.

California LegislatureCalifornia Legislature Takes Early Recess

This week on late Monday night the California Legislature recessed until April 13th because of the coronavirus. Before they left town, the Legislature acted on two emergency measures to assist Californians and the state’s schools, most of which are closed for the foreseeable future.

In order to take up the measures, the Governor wrote a letter to the Legislature asking they take action and the Legislature voted unanimously to suspend the 72-hour rule; bills must be in print 72 hours before they can be voted on. In short, the measures do the following:

AB 89 Budget Bill

  • Appropriates $500 million from the General Fund for purposes related to the COVID-19 Proclamation of Emergency. A 72 hour written notice to the Joint Legislative Budget Committee (JLBC) is required before any expenditures from this appropriation.
  • Allows the appropriation to be increased in $50 million increments up to a total not to exceed $1 billion, with a 72-hour notice to the JLBC.
    Expected expenditures include, but not limited to:
    • Leasing and activating two hospitals;
    • Providing hotel beds for people experiencing homelessness;
    • Supporting local governments to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in the homeless population;
    • Acquiring hospital and public health surge equipment;
    • Assisting hospitals, nursing homes, and other facilities manage the crisis;
    • Cleaning of child care facilities, so they remain open; and
    • Funding IHSS/APS strike teams to support senior isolation.
  • Appropriates $84 million for Camp Fire tree removal cleanup costs. This wildfire emergency-related action has been expected to be part of any “early budget action,” but is not related to the COVID-19 crisis.

AB 117 Education Trailer Bill

  • Provides statutory changes needed to implement the Governor’s education executive order, specifically:
  • Appropriates $100 million Proposition 98 General Fund for local educational agencies to purchase protective equipment and supplies and labor related to cleaning school sites. The money will be allocated by ADA. School sites will receive no less than $250.
  • Makes a variety of statutory changes to ensure that local educational agencies continue to receive funding for a full school year, regardless of closures due to COVID-19. This includes apportionments made based on average daily attendance, funding for the Afterschool Education and Safety Program, and the waiver of penalties related to instructional days and minute requirements.
  • Provides time extensions for student assessments and a variety of other educational needs.
To view these measures go to www.http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
Additionally, the California Department of Education has issued guidance around the measures. You can find it at https://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/he/hn/guidance.asp

Charter School Capital logoSince the company’s inception in 2007, Charter School Capital has been committed to the success of charter schools. We help schools access, leverage, and sustain the resources charter schools need to thrive, allowing them to focus on what matters most – educating students. Our depth of experience working with charter school leaders and our knowledge of how to address charter school financial and operational needs have allowed us to provide over $2 billion in support of 600 charter schools that have educated over 1,027,000 students across the country. For more information on how we can support your charter school, contact us. We’d love to work with you!

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school resources for COVID-19 coronavirus10 Great School Resources for COVID-19 (Coronavirus)

As promised, we’re going to try to keep you as informed as possible and continue to provide school resources for COVID-19 (coronavirus) preparation and response. These recent articles come from several trusted resources including Education Week, National Association of Independent Schools, UNESCO, the National Association of School Psychologists, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Here are 10 great articles with school resources for COVID-19 (coronavirus). Take a look!

  1. Symptoms of Coronavirus

2. Preventing the Spread of COVID-19 in Communities 

3. COVID-19 Educational Disruption and Response

4. How to Respond to Coronavirus: 6 Steps for Schools

5. 9 Things Educators Need to Know About Coronavirus

6. Coronavirus and Schools

7. 6 Lessons Learned About Remote Learning During the Coronavirus Outbreak

8. Understanding Coronavirus: What Schools Need to Know

9. Coronavirus (COVID-19) Guidance for Schools

10. Talking to Children About COVID-19 (Coronavirus): A Parent Resource

We will continue to keep a pulse on the situation and share information as it becomes available.

Stay tuned to our Events page to attend our upcoming webinars on this topic and find any we’ve recorded here on demand.

Charter School Capital logoSince the company’s inception in 2007, Charter School Capital has been committed to the success of charter schools. We help schools access, leverage, and sustain the resources charter schools need to thrive, allowing them to focus on what matters most – educating students. Our depth of experience working with charter school leaders and our knowledge of how to address charter school financial and operational needs have allowed us to provide over $2 billion in support of 600 charter schools that have educated over 1,027,000 students across the country. For more information on how we can support your charter school, contact us. We’d love to work with you!

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COVID19 School District CommunicationsCOVID-19: Case Study in Great School District Communications – A Parent’s Perspective

In late February, a Lake Oswego, Oregon school staff member tested positive for the COVID-19 virus. It was very early in the initial days of the outbreak, and the Lake Oswego School District (LOSD) was suddenly thrust into the front lines of crisis communications.

One of our team members has two kids in the district, and in her own words, she describes some essentials for keeping parents and caregivers calm and a good model for handling communications during a crisis.

Regular School District Communications

Messages, Multiple Channels – Liz Overson’s Perspective

As a Lake Oswego parent, I feel the district has done a very good job of keeping the people informed when the first Coronavirus case was found/presumptive and later tested positive. I feel aligned with the updates with each move since.

6:00 pm Friday, February 28 – first robocall came explaining a staffer at Forest Hills elementary has tested positive for the coronavirus and is in isolation in the hospital. Text message and emails also came communicating the same message.

7:00 pm Friday, February 28 – second robocall saying all LOSD schools and campuses were closed for the weekend for deep cleaning. Text message and emails also came communicating the same message.

12:00 pm Saturday, Feb 29 – a press conference with the district Superintendent, Communications Director and County/ Health Authority was held. This press conference timing and link were communicated via text, email and robocall as well.

1:00 pm Sunday, March 1 – a health alert update was posted reiterating the safety measures being taken.

On the LOSD home page there is a Health Alert box now. From there, parents can click through to find a timeline of everything that has been shared and done since 2/28:

As a parent, I appreciate:
• Regular communications of fluid info – LOSD is acting as a resource and all LOSD families have the same info.
• LOSD has links to Clackamas County and Oregon Health Authority – making it easy for me to research more if I so choose.
• LOSD communicated in simple and straightforward language.

We can look at this as a model to prepare for the potential that your school will need a similar plan.

Join us for our upcoming webinar:
COVID-19: Six Essential Guidelines for Contingency & Communications Planning
Friday, March 20th | 10:00 a.m. PT

REGISTER HERE

coronavirus and schoolsCoronavirus and Schools: Making Contingency Preparations

We felt it was important to address the issues around coronavirus and schools and help to provide information to support schools in making plans to prepare for what may come. With the first few cases of community spread coronavirus detected in the U.S., schools across the country should begin taking precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19 by developing plans for a range of contingencies ensuring the health and safety of school communities.

  • This is an evolving situation and one that has the best scientists in the world are working hard to understand. At this time, the best way of preventing the spread of any virus – whether coronavirus or the seasonal flu that has hit hard this winter – is to practice good hygiene. These steps are crucial to keeping school communities healthy.
  • Wash your hands often with soap and water (scrub for twenty seconds), especially before and after eating, using the restroom, or touching common area surfaces such as railings and countertops.
Tip: ensure soap dispensers in campus restrooms are filled every morning before school begins.
  1. If soap and water are not readily available, clean your hands with an alcohol-based sanitizer.
    Tip: ensure there are sanitizer dispensers readily available in school restrooms and hallways and they are filled every morning before school begins.
  2. Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
  3. Limit close contact, such as sharing straws, cups or utensils.
  4. If you need to cough or sneeze, cover it with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash; if you do not have a tissue, use your sleeve (not your hand).
  5. If you are sick or think you are sick, DO NOT COME TO SCHOOL. Explicitly state No homework assignment, quiz, game, or performance is worth risking your health or the health of others. Your teachers and coaches will understand if you are absent.

Since this is a dynamic and evolving situation, schools should begin preparing contingency plans including planning for closure. Closures may be for only a few days for a deep clean or for several weeks as a quarantine.

A school should have contingency plans that include:

1) Short term closure
     a) What will trigger closure
     b) How will this be messaged to various stakeholders

2) Long term closure—2 weeks or longer
      a) What will trigger closure
      b) How will this be messaged to various stakeholders
      c) How will students be educated
      d) How will teachers be paid

3) Deep cleaning/sanitizing school
      a) Who will be asked to do this

4) Long term closure homeschool or virtual school academic/curriculum plan
      a) Does school already have a homeschool or virtual component
      b) Does the District or Authorizer have a homeschool or virtual component
       c) Is there a virtual school that would partner

5) Laptop/tablet checkout

6) Working with Authorizers and Districts to ensure there are funding plans in place regardless of closure

7) Financial plan in case of long-term closure or declining enrollment due to illness or quarantine
     a) What austerity measures can school employ now
     b) How will staff and teachers be paid if a school is closed and funding is cut off
      c) What does the lease say in terms of rent deferral if a school is closed due to no fault of the school

We are working on supporting our client schools and are planning a webinar series to help charter school leaders better understand the myths and facts of the Coronavirus (COVID-19).

Join us for our first webinar in the series, Coronavirus: Exposing the Myths from Facts, this Friday, March 13th at 10:00 am.

REGISTER HERE

Stay tuned for our other two webinars in the series:
  • Six Essential Guidelines for Contingency & Communications Planning for COVID-19 | Friday, March 20th | 10:00 A.M. PT
  • COVID-19: Preparing for Attendance and Staffing Issues | Friday, March 27th | 10:00 A.M. PTay tuned for the upcoming webinars in the series:

We will post recorded webinar series on-demand here after each is completed and will continue to update about the coronavirus as the situation demands.

California Charter School ConferencePreparing for Charter School Community Action

As of this morning, the 2020 California Charter Schools Conference has been cancelled due to safety concerns around COVID-19.

While we’re sad we won’t have the chance to meet with the charter school community in person next week, we all understand and appreciate that everyone’s health and safety is a first priority. (My mom always said, “Your health is the most important thing…”)

Mayo Clinic Distinguished Investigator Addresses COVID-19 for Charter Leaders

With all the COVID-19 news out there right now it’s hard to separate hype from reality. To help school leaders cut through the news and general hype, we’ve invited an expert to speak to the charter community about just that.

Join us Friday, March 13 with the Distinguished Investigator of the Mayo Clinic, Gregory A. Poland, M.D. on the health implications of COVID-19. In this live discussion, Dr. Poland will answer questions of our audience. Click the link below to join the discussion.

Coronavirus: Exposing Myths from Facts

Friday, March 13 | 10 a.m. PDT

In this session, participants will learn:

  • How to move beyond the headlines and better understand what’s real and what’s hype?
  • How to ensure a safe environment for students, staff and your families
  • When is the right time to take what kind of action?
  • And when is “wash your hands” enough?

This is the first in a three-webinar series to help charter school leaders prepare for a proper response to the virus. The next two are on the following two Fridays:

  • COVID-19: Six Essential Guidelines for Contingency & Communications Planning
    • Friday, March 20th | 10:00 A.M. PT
  • COVID-19: Preparing for Attendance and Staffing Issues
    • Friday, March 27th | 10:00 A.M. PT

Additional Charter School Content for Your Consideration

Because we can’t meet at the conference, we’re taking this opportunity to share the content we were going to unveil in Long Beach here:

  • Enrollment Marketing session — we’re offering our Enrollment Marketing 101 webinar on-demand! Additionally, you can download the Digital Marketing for Charter Schools Manual to walk through refining your school’s messaging, setting strategic marketing goals, and achieving them through a variety of digital marketing programs.
  • Bridge to Bond session — in lieu of our scheduled poster session on bridging the financial gap as you work towards your bond, we’ll be sharing the information on Bridge Financing in an April 24 webinar that we’ll be hosting. It’s still a ways out, but you can reserve your spot for that one here.
  • Authorizer ED Summit — we were very excited to host a town-hall style Q&A with Greg Richmond, former President and CEO of NACSA and Corey Loomis, Charter School Director of Riverside County and Vice-Chair of California Charter Authorizing Professionals. While this in-person luncheon can no longer take place, we’re hoping to turn it into a digital session in the coming months. Please stay tuned to our usual channels for more information.

Lastly, we know things feel a little crazy – know that we’re here to support the charter school community – and you. As always, your feedback is what keeps us going… please let us know how we might better continue to serve this wonderful charter school community.

Charter School Capital logoSince the company’s inception in 2007, Charter School Capital has been committed to the success of charter schools. We help schools access, leverage, and sustain the resources charter schools need to thrive, allowing them to focus on what matters most – educating students. Our depth of experience working with charter school leaders and our knowledge of how to address charter school financial and operational needs have allowed us to provide over $2 billion in support of 600 charter schools that have educated over 1,027,000 students across the country. For more information on how we can support your charter school, contact us. We’d love to work with you!

LEARN MORE