Fairmont, WV— 7/20/2020 — North Central West Virginia Community Action Association (NCWVCAA) Head Start launched its first Virtual Summer Learning Program on July 1, 2020. With the onset of COVID-19 and closure of most childcare and educational facilities, children and families have lost months of learning opportunities and services. Research has shown that children tend to lose academic gains during the summer months; this is particularly true for children from low-income families.
The NCWVCAA Head Start 2020 Virtual Summer Program will provide a full range of comprehensive services to the extent possible, with a focus on individualized plans to prepare children for the coming school year. The program targets families that meet income criteria with four-year-old children that will be transitioning to Kindergarten in the fall of 2020, as well as three-year-old children with an individualized educational plan. Throughout the month of July, approximately 105 children in Marion, Barbour, Preston, Taylor, Randolph, Webster, and Pocahontas Counties will participate in the Virtual Summer Program.
“The Head Start Summer Program will provide a social and emotionally supportive learning environment and consistent daily routines to children who are entering Kindergarten in the fall” said Kim Martin, NCWVCAA Head Start / Early Head Start Children Services Director.
Program Participants will have the opportunity to interact with a Head Start Teacher for 2-3 educational activities per week with one of those activities being completed “live” during a virtual one-on-one meeting. The program will also support children’s learning of important social emotional skills such as identifying their feelings, getting along with peers, and using respectful language. Each child will receive a summer activity backpack filled with materials to use during the summer sessions. Children and families will be provided with a thirty-day supply of non-perishable food, supplies for at home activities, and an iPad, if needed, to use for interactive learning sessions. Every family will receive two vegetable plants, gardening tools, planting pots and soil to use for a family activity so children can watch and learn how plants grow.
North Central West Virginia Community Action Association, Inc. is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to helping individuals and families reach their highest levels of social and economic independence, while assisting our nine county service area communities to become stronger partners. Collaborating with local, state, and national agencies, we provide a broad range of direct, anti-poverty services for moderate to low-income customers and their communities. We maintain an on-going commitment to reduce the effects of poverty and to empower individuals, families, and communities to meet the challenges of today and the changes of tomorrow.
