The Chicago Public Schools has provided remote learning guidance for parents at https://cps.edu/SiteCollectionDocuments/Remote-Learning-Guidance-for-Parents.pdf. Remote learning resources in English, Arabic, Chinese, Polish, Spanish, and Urdu can be found at https://cps.edu/coronavirus/Pages/packets.aspx.
CPS operates meal sites at more than 270 schools. Sites are open Monday through Friday between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. The sites allow families to pick up three days’ worth of meals for every child in their household. IDs are not required. Non-CPS students are free to access these meals. More information about CPS meal sites can be found at https://cps.edu/coronavirus/Pages/mealsites.aspx.
In addition, the Greater Chicago Food Depository offers food at 333 locations throughout the Chicago area, with a map of food sites at https://www.chicagosfoodbank.org/find-food/.
See Whitney Young Magnet High School’s principal, Joyce D. Kenner, in her Las Vegas video message at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tz8m_k8tJY&feature=youtu.be.
Learn about the University of Illinois at Chicago’s response to COVID-19 at https://today.uic.edu/coronavirus?utm_source=homepage&utm_medium=website&utm_campaign=covid-19
For Comcast’s COVID-19 update for Internet Essentials, visit www.internetessentials.com/covid19
The Big Shoulders Fund has a webpage dedicated to distance learning support at https://sites.google.com/view/bigshouldersfunddislearn/home.
St. Malachy teacher Patti Taylor recommended families check out the Field Museum’s website (www.fieldmuseum.org/educators/learning-resources) and the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum’s website (https://naturemuseum.org/) for learning resources and other fun activities for kids. She also recommended Chicago Public Library online story times (www.chipublib.org/kids/) and Epic Books, which is now free to parents for 30 days (www.getepic.com/). She also recommended Happy Numbers (https://happynumbers.com/) for online math lessons as well as ABC Mouse, a comprehensive curriculum resource for children ages 8 through 12 (www.abcmouse.com/abt/homepage).
The Illinois State Board of Education offers frequent COVID-19 updates at https://www.isbe.net/Pages/covid19.aspx.
According to De La Salle’s principal, Diane Brown, De La Salle Institute staff have found many helpful virtual lessons on YouTube and at the Khan Academy website. Khan Academy is at https://www.khanacademy.org/.
According to Toni Roucka, DDS, associate dean for academic affairs for the UIC College of Dentistry, the college is working with Governor JB Pritzker’s office and the American Dental Education Association (ADEA), American Dental Association (ADA), Illinois State Dental Society (ISDS), Chicago Dental Society (CDS), Southern Illinois University School of Dental Medicine, Midwestern University School of Dentistry, Illinois State Dental Board, and University of Illinois System to help students.
Jacquelyn Bonavia, director of advancement at UIC Jane Addams College of Social Work, highlighted ongoing community service by JACSW faculty, including James Swartz, a member of the University of Illinois System’s Institute of Government & Public Affairs COVID-19 Pandemic Task Force. The IGPA has published its first report examining the pandemic’s impact on Illinois families and communities, viewable at https://igpa.uillinois.edu/page/igpa-covid-19-pandemic-task-force.
Bonavia also highlighted research professor John Holton’s appearance on WTTW-TV’s Chicago Tonight,talking about how seniors can stay safe and fed during the coronavirus pandemic, at https://video.wttw.com/video/how-seniors-can-stay-safe-and-fed-during-pandemic-h9kncz/.
—Nathan Worcester