It’s 10:30 a.m. You’ve been on conference calls all morning. Your phone is ringing and your son is struggling with his math assignment.
By 10:45 a.m., you may realize, while you are an amazing parent, at-home education is a challenge.
It’s hard to balance working from home and keeping your kids on track with school assignments. So during this challenging time of at-home education, the YMCA of the Triangle is providing academic assistance through online homework sessions for students in grades K - 5.
"We realize many parents are working from home right now and might need extra support for their kids," says Kim Keith, YMCA vice president of youth development. "Think of this online program as similar to the YMCA After School program's homework help."
Each YMCA Learning Lab session is 50 minutes long and will focus on existing school assignments, such as math, social studies or ELA. The learning sessions are staffed by YMCA professional youth directors who have hands-on experience with academic assistance through YMCA After and Before School programs, Track Out Camp or Y Learning.
Registration
We have added more sessions through the end of May. Currently, this program is only open to YMCA Before and After School and Track Out Camp participants and YMCA Members. If your child was enrolled in one or both of these programs during the current school year, you are eligible to participate. The program cost is $15 per session.
Technical Requirements
YMCA Learning Lab sessions are hosted using Microsoft Teams, a video conference software tool that allows users to share screens, talk over video and collaborate.
- A computer, laptop or mobile device with a microphone and speaker.
- Strong internet connection for clear audio and video
- You will need to be able to access the Teams invite (email that comes to your email address) on the device your child will be using for the YMCA Learning Lab session
- Your child needs to be able to log in and access the online tools they use for homework and school from the device you are using for the session. (Google Classroom, Seesaw, Class Dojo ..etc.)
Specific Requirements Laptops/Desktops
- You can access Microsoft Teams via an internet browser. You will not need to download anything.
- Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge will work the best
Specific Requirements for Mobile Devices
- Your mobile device needs to be on the current or previous operating system.
- You will need to download and install the Microsoft Teams app. You can do this ahead of your session.
Session Recommendations
- A quiet place as free from distractions as possible.
- The child will be asked to share their screen so the YMCA staff member can better assist them.
- You will need to be available for the first and last five minutes of the session to ensure your child is set up and to touch base at the session close.
