KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — Students in the Kalamazoo Public School district are getting a little more help as they take on this new form of learning amidst the coronavirus pandemic.
During their virtual meeting Monday evening the Kalamazoo City Commission approved allocating $125,000 dollars from the Youth Development resources to the Kalamazoo Youth Development Network in order to support the Learning Hubs partnership.
That money is usually set aside for summer youth programs, but it was not used this year due to COVID-19 restricting many of the usual activities.
Steve Brown with the Foundation for Excellence says this new Learning Hubs program is designed to help support KPS students who are struggling with their education during this time of virtual learning.
According to the city documents, Learning Hubs are modeled from successful programs in Cleveland and San Francisco and seek to help ensure a positive and
supportive learning environment for students.
Meg Blinkiewicz, Executive Director for the KYD Network, says they will set up Learning Hubs at four or five locations, mainly at KPS facilities, to provide a place for at-risk kids to focus on their online studies, get meals, and receive tutoring or other supports.
The program is anticipated to serve 160 students per trimester. According to the recommendation document, participants will be identified by KYD Network and KPS as a subset of students from within the Equity Corhorts.
The city’s money will be combined with resources from other groups to create the hubs, and they hope to open them in a few weeks.
