How are PK3-4 parents feeling about distance learning?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Rising PK3-- I'm not feeling good about DL at all- it's basically impossible for that age to keep their attention for longer than 10-20 minutes on a zoom call. If they do anything, it should be 2 days in person 3 days off so we don't have to pretend to log-in to DL 3 days a week.

I also hope they make an accommodation so that families who want to keep their kid home or get some other full-time care (nanny, preschool actually in session etc.) can do that without losing their spot and are guaranteed a spot at that school for PK4 the following year (if we're through this by then, which at this rate...who knows!)

If a family is getting a nanny or a parent at home you should be able to do the 20-45 minutes per day of writing practice, readalouds, art projects, weekly class meetings, etc rather than ask a school to not serve you and possibly lose out on their per pupil funding when they need all the resources they can get.

This. We have no idea how much DL we will do with our PK3 child this fall, but we definitely enrolled and will stay enrolled simply because we don't want to negatively impact the school by withdrawing.

I really don't like the idea that a parent could choose to send their kid to an in-person daycare for this year but retain their spot in a school program because of the pandemic. It would be different if a family opted out of in-person because of concerns about health and safety, but if they are willing to send their kid to in-person care elsewhere (so obviously not that concerned about health/safety), I think they should give up their spot to another family who cannot afford private care. Come on.

I strongly disagree with this. I'm an essential worker. My kid has been going to daycare since April. The daycare is extremely careful (temperature checks, masks, lots of outdoor time). It's been 3 months, and there have been absolutely no issues. So I strongly disagree with your assertion that people who send their kid to places like this and would consider also sending their kid to any in-person days don't care about health and safety. I'd argue that my kid going to this daycare is probably safer than many other arrangements other families will make for distance learning days (hiring a nanny, whose off-hour movements you can't know or control; creating a pod with kids who are in other classes; having older and thus at-risk grandparents step in).

Your opinion comes from a place of privilege and no evidence.

NP. I agree with all of what you said except Nanny piece...you forget to acknowledge that you have no control over the daycare workers outside of hours as well. And in daycare, it’s more than one person.

[Anonymous]

First, the Emergency Child Care Initiative is not available to all essential employees. It is available to health care workers and essential DC government employees. I am an essential DC government employee and I have no reason to think the essential employees covered under this Initiative are disproportionately less able to afford childcare than the average DC resident. We're not talking about grocery store employees and maintenance workers, we're talking about mostly salaried government employees and healthcare workers. That population is either able to afford childcare or already connected to subsidized childcare programs in the District.

Second, that initiative was intended to fill a childcare gap while we were in Phase 1 and daycare centers shut down. It is already being phased out as childcare facilities are re-opening and was not and will not be intended as a substitute for distance learning for school aged kids. It is temporary emergency daycare, not school. If it continues into next school year, school aged students will be expected to participate in distance learning. They cannot "opt out" and not participate in school at all.

Allowing any parent to opt out of distance learning and retain a lottery seat would benefit only those families that are enrolling their child in private school/daycare or have children young enough that they can essentially skip a year of schooling and catch up later.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:First, the Emergency Child Care Initiative is not available to all essential employees. It is available to health care workers and essential DC government employees. I am an essential DC government employee and I have no reason to think the essential employees covered under this Initiative are disproportionately less able to afford childcare than the average DC resident. We're not talking about grocery store employees and maintenance workers, we're talking about mostly salaried government employees and healthcare workers. That population is either able to afford childcare or already connected to subsidized childcare programs in the District.

Second, that initiative was intended to fill a childcare gap while we were in Phase 1 and daycare centers shut down. It is already being phased out as childcare facilities are re-opening and was not and will not be intended as a substitute for distance learning for school aged kids. It is temporary emergency daycare, not school. If it continues into next school year, school aged students will be expected to participate in distance learning. They cannot "opt out" and not participate in school at all.

Allowing any parent to opt out of distance learning and retain a lottery seat would benefit only those families that are enrolling their child in private school/daycare or have children young enough that they can essentially skip a year of schooling and catch up later.

+1

[Anonymous]

Even attempting to do DL PK3 and PK4 is absurd. They should repurpose the PK teachers to do DL for young elementary, or to make smaller elementary class sizes.

[Anonymous]

Our son will be entering prek 4 in the Fall. (school tbd. friendship chamberlain-enrolled, dc prep edgewood -offered seat, Tyler #80, Stokes spanish-east end #52, burroughs #20, langdon #21)

We'll be removing him from his $215 a week daycare and will have him do distance learning or in person 1 or 2 times a week (depending on what the school offers). When covid first hit, and daycares were closed, we got him into a good routine of watching schooling on tv. My job is more flexible so if I have lesson guides from school, my husband and I can follow. I figured if my son can sit and watch Blippi or Paw Patrol, he can sit and watch his lesson. Especially if I negotiate to go outside after he does his lesson. Won't be easy, I know, but what's the alternative? Also, I'm about 6 month pregnant, so saving that money from daycare was high on the 'to do' list. So we'll do what's needed.

[Anonymous]

My child was in PK4 last year. His school (Payne) did a great job with the DL. He had two hours of live instruction with his teacher and specials teachers each day. Not ideal of course, but could have been a lot worse.

[Anonymous]

Ha. Distance learning is a joke, especially for young children.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ha. Distance learning is a joke, especially for young children.

Considering neither you nor anyone else outside of central DCPS offices knows that DL would (will?) look like this year, this seems like a premature conclusion.

[Anonymous]

If my kid were Pk3 this year-- he is not, he is pk4--but if he were pk3, I would either be keeping him home or continuing with day care, esp because he was young for pk3, he was not fully potty trained( if in person) and not at all ready to sit at a screen (if DL).

But he is pk4, and has nearly a year of in-person pk and some DL under his belt, and has grown up so much. He is more ready for screen learning -- this spring, I feel it only worked because he already had established relationships. Now I think he can continue with the concept. I like how his charter is describing how they will handle in-person school for those who choose the 2-day option. I hope to feel comfortable with that by the end of August. I chose 2-day option, but may switch to DL.

[Anonymous]

We've been talking about this. Entering a new school is terrifying for a 4 year old under perfect circumstances. Now imagine your four year old entering a new place with everyone's face covered in masks, so they can't even see a smile. Teachers frightened of your child coughing or sneezing on them, and getting upset when it happens. Lots of stern voices dictating she or he follow strict guidelines.

Add to that the risk of getting Covid, which even if you don't die from it is an awful, terrible sickness that some still feel after more than a month. And for children, doctors are now questioning the impacts of Covid on them, not even immediately when they're suffering through the illness, but several years down the road. Just because children aren't dying doesn't mean they're not severely impacted.

We don't know enough about this thing. It's not worth the risk.

[Anonymous]

Pk4 DL was a joke March – June so I’d just opt out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just curious what folks think about the prospect of some kids falling behind their peers and possibly needing to be red-shirted at some point? A lot of course depends on how much learning they’re doing at home on their own, but I wonder how this would affect students next year to have peers in their class who need a lot more support and foundational education because they missed out on it this year. I worry it will slow down the pace of learning for the class as teachers help kids play catch-up on what they missed. Anyone else wondering about these kinds of longer-term effects?

It’s PreK. It’s not required. Please relax about the academics. These children are 3&4. It’s gonna be all right.

I'm quite relaxed about academics. Please relax about my post. I intentionally didn't mention specific grades because I'm interested to hear others' thoughts on this as a general matter. If you have something useful to add, do share. Otherwise, please unwind yourself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just curious what folks think about the prospect of some kids falling behind their peers and possibly needing to be red-shirted at some point? A lot of course depends on how much learning they’re doing at home on their own, but I wonder how this would affect students next year to have peers in their class who need a lot more support and foundational education because they missed out on it this year. I worry it will slow down the pace of learning for the class as teachers help kids play catch-up on what they missed. Anyone else wondering about these kinds of longer-term effects?

It’s PreK. It’s not required. Please relax about the academics. These children are 3&4. It’s gonna be all right.

Weird response coming from someone who’s 3 pages and about 20 posts into a thread on DL for PK students. “It doesn’t matter,” indeed. (Oh, yes, before you go off: it does matter for lower SES kids; ECE puts them on a more level playing field with their higher SES peers going into primary school.)

PP, to your question: I hadn’t given this much thought but it’s definitely worthy of discussion, especially considering that PK/K seems to be around the grade when kids are most often redshirted. Perhaps we’ll see an increase in the number of kids held back in PK/K once this whole thing is over.

[Anonymous]

My kid is also supposed to start PK3 in the fall. Her charter school has already asked that we decide between mixed (2 days in school, 3 days DL) or all distance learning. We have opted for distance learning. I'm concerned it won't go well but willing to give it a shot. We'll make a decision about whether to un-enroll her in a few months if it's just not working and just set up play and learning times at home, which is what we've been doing the past few months since all her activities are canceled anyway.

My mom lives with us and she will be managing the distance learning part while DH and I work from home. I go on maternity leave in November and don't want to send my daughter to PK in person with a newborn and elderly grandparent at home.

[Anonymous]

Distance learning is a joke for young children. Complete waste of time.