Virtual Learning
As soon as we learned that school would be closed the week after Spring Break, we did a quick pivot to using technology for service delivery. Out of our 50 children, we are serving all 50 with, a combination of teletherapy, classroom activities, and parent support. We applaud the efforts of our amazing teaching staff!
Our dedicated and creative teachers and therapists have designed lessons and/or therapy plans for all our program components:
- Parent Coaching continues to be 1 hour, one-on-one coaching sessions with the caregiver and child. The family meets with one of our professionals in a virtual classroom.
- For Toddler Class, children and parents are able to access one-on-one coaching, virtual classrooms with groups of three and support through Google Classroom.
- Our Pre-school teaches are working with children and parents one-on-one, in groups of three and through Google Classroom.
On the financial front, we have applied for the SBA Emergency Loan Paycheck Protection Program under the CARES Act. Should this be approved, we will be receiving 2.5 times the average monthly wages we had during the last fiscal year. With that loan, we will be able to support wages and related costs such as health insurance for almost 3 months. Eight weeks after we receive the funds, the loan will be forgiven.
Because of our teachers and their creativity, the families and children are more comfortable with this new reality. Our leadership team has been working closely with State and District funding partners to confirm that our contracts are in place and payments will continue. In short, we have found our silver lining and it is us.
We will continue to keep you posted on how our students and staff are doing and how we are doing keeping our virtual doors open. Thank you for caring about Desert Voices. Without you, we would not be able to continue our mission, change the lives of the students we teach, and to whom you have given a voice. Please let me know if you have any questions.
"At our snack meeting, we had a puppy, cat, AND a hamster join the meeting! You never know where a preschool snack session will go with online learning!"
-Audrey, Teacher of the Deaf
