for The New York Times: When Schools Closed, These Remote Learners Needed Extra Help by José A. Alvarado Jr.

Media News

for The New York Times: When Schools Closed, These Remote Learners Needed Extra Help

josé a. alvarado jr.

Oct 27, 2020

Location: The Bronx

Silvia Chavez, a mother of two who lives in the Bronx, also confronted disruption in March, when her daughter, Allison, began using her cellphone to do schoolwork at home.

Allison, 3, attends the Bronx Early Childhood Center, a preschool operated by Children’s Aid, another of The Fund’s beneficiaries. She had trouble concentrating while working on the iPhone, Ms. Chavez said.

“The process was kind of hard, because she really wanted to go to school every day,” Ms. Chavez, 33, said in Spanish through an interpreter.

In addition, Ms. Chavez was taking classes remotely at City Tech, where she is studying construction management. Juggling her coursework and trying to get by financially was compounded by the additional child care responsibilities.

“It affected me totally,” said Ms. Chavez, who receives $381 in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits. “I did not have sufficient money to buy things for me, food, or to buy anything for the children.”
She ended up four months behind on her electricity bill this summer.
In June, Children’s Aid provided Ms. Chavez with $551.51 for her Con Ed bill and gave her a $63.48 Amazon gift card to buy a tablet for her daughter.

Photographed for The New York Times, with words by Elisha Brown.
When Schools Closed, These Remote Learners Needed Extra Help
As New York City went into lockdown, some families faced additional challenges in helping their children keep up.

When Schools Closed, These Remote Learners Needed Extra Help
As New York City went into lockdown, some families faced additional challenges in helping their children keep up.

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José A. Alvarado Jr.

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