How You Can Help NYC Students Learn Remotely - The New York Community Trust

November 19, 2020 | By The New York Community Trust

How You Can Help NYC Students Learn Remotely

A student at one of the family shelters run by BronxWorks doing her schoolwork online. Photo by Aaron Cipollina/BronxWorks

Donors have asked how they can help the city’s schoolchildren adapt to the remote learning environment caused by the pandemic. The Trust recently vetted and provided grants to the nonprofits below, which are helping students, teachers, and families during this difficult time. Please consider donating to any of these organizations as they make sure schoolchildren get a well-rounded education in and outside of the physical classroom.

Remote learning at homeless shelters

BronxWorks retrofitted three homeless shelters so children can participate in their online lessons, and trained its staff to help students during the day and after school.
Women In Need is the city’s largest provider of services to homeless families, and a recent Trust grant allowed it to expand its educational work with students in its shelters.
CAMBA ensured families at five homeless shelters were able to have online access and gave additional services to students struggling in the new environment.
HELP USA trained staff, added wifi services, and engaged with families so that students at its homeless shelters would be able to keep up with online classes.

Creating arts education curricula for remote K-12 teaching

92nd Street Y created lessons about dance styles that have historic ties to New York.
Carnegie Hall put together courses about songwriting and global music traditions.
Roundabout Theatre developed courses in playwriting, acting, and theatrical production.
Studio in a School created a curriculum that engages kids in looking at and making visual art.

System-wide solutions

Teaching Matters created and shared lesson plans that are specifically designed for online and hybrid learning and held online teacher trainings.
Morningside Center for Teaching Social Responsibility trained teachers how to ameliorate the pandemic’s negative impact on students’ emotional health while being remote from peers and staff.

Helping children with disabilities

IncludeNYC expanded its outreach to help the families of children with disabilities so they could keep up with changes as schooling and necessary services went online.

Out-of-school youth development

Brotherhood/Sister Sol moved a teen leadership program online, teaching students about the history of racism and community advocacy.
Row New York continued its work with young people online, combining academic support and teaching competitive rowing despite the pandemic.
Team First supplied laptops to its students in the Bronx and altered its athletics and academic programs so they could work with young people online.

These are just a few of the nonprofits across the city that are supporting students during the school day and in afterschool programs even though they are learning remotely. The effects of the pandemic are having profound impacts on the educational progress of our children. Together, we can support groups that are creating ways to make sure the minds of young New Yorkers continue to grow and develop during the pandemic. Give to one or more of these organizations directly, or through your fund.