KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Several school districts across the Kansas City, Missouri, area started the fall semester with students learning virtually, whether in a hybrid model or full-on distance learning.
Teachers record videos of themselves teaching lessons and host live webcam chats while students work from home with laptops or tablets provided by the district.
School leaders chose to do this in order to avoid large gatherings in school buildings, which could potentially spread the COVID-19 virus.
As a result, virtual learning centers have popped up in churches, community centers, theaters and fitness centers.
The centers give students a place to access the internet, socialize (from a distance) with peers and give working parents someone to supervise their children during business hours.
It would appear the centers, in essence, create the exact thing districts are trying to avoid: a school-like environment.
But organizations operating the centers explain they’re different than schools and a health department leader supports the idea.
“We’ve really taken it to the next step, the next level to create a classroom setting for our families,” explained Eric Newson, a kids activities manager at Life Time, a fitness center with locations in Overland Park and Lenexa, Kansas.
The center transformed racquetball and basketball courts into “socially distant learning centers.” Parents drop off their students for either a full day or half day. Adults help children navigate any technical hiccups to keep them on track for virtual learning, while following strict CDC guidelines like wearing face masks, washing hands, and staying socially distant to avoid spreading the virus.
Cynthia Hardeman transformed the Blackbox on Troost into a similar center. The venue is normally a theater to introduce students to performance arts as part of a Charlotte Street Foundation project.
Now, the stage is gone and Hardeman has strategically placed desks in separate parts of the building. She came up with the idea when her two grandchildren began virtual learning.
“I just wanted to continue to serve the community,” she said.
Hardeman capped capacity at Blackbox on Troost at eight students. Newson said there are typically never more than 20 children in the program at Life Time. It uses three large spaces as classrooms.
Life Time and the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Kansas City - another organization hosting virtual learning sites - both hosted summer camps this past summer, which weren’t much different than what the centers are doing now.
The Kansas City metro hit a peak number of COVID-19 cases in July.
“They [students] need us now more than ever. They need those adults, those mentorships and connections in order for them to be successful this school year,” explained Dr. Dred Scott, the president and CEO of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Kansas City, who has a background in public education.
From a medical perspective, Dr. Rex Archer, the director of the Kansas City, Missouri, Health Department, said there is not much evidence children under the age of 10 transmit the disease between each other or to adults. He said it appears most young children who do get sick get the virus from adults, and usually, it’s their caregivers.
He added younger students need guidance while they learn.
“There really aren’t any proven models for successful virtual learning for kids in the pre-K through grade school,” Dr. Archer pointed out. “If you’re not reading on a 5th grade level, how do you really do virtual learning very effectively?”
Bottom line: with small groups and proper COVID-19 protocols, Archer said the virtual learning centers, and even traditional, in-person teaching, can be beneficial.
Olathe, Blue Valley and Shawnee Mission school districts all announced plans this week to bring elementary students back to in-person learning over the next month.
Here’s information on how to register your child at one of the virtual learning centers 41 Action News spoke with:
- Blackbox on Troost, 4001 Troost Ave, KCMO. Open from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday-Friday. Email blackboxontroost@gmail.com
- Life Time: 16851 W 90th St, Lenexa, KS and 6800 W 138th St, Overland Park, KS. Register by gong online.
- Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Kansas City, multiple locations in Kansas and Missouri. Visit their website for information about registering.
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