Community Learning Hubs in Sacred Places

Community Learning Hubs in Sacred Places

In response to COVID-19, school districts across the country are conducting classes fully or partially on-line during the 2020-2021 school year. Many families with resources have paid instructors to supervise their children in “pods”, while parents with flexible jobs can supervise children themselves. However, children whose parents do not have the resources or flexibility for these options – including disproportionately large numbers of minority students – cannot equally benefit from virtual schooling. Educators believe the different learning outcomes that will result from different access to technology and adult supervision during remote learning will exacerbate existing education gaps.

When it became clear that many districts would require some amount of virtual schooling in the fall, Partners for Sacred Places and project partner LoftySpot, began contacting sacred places to find sites that have the physical capacity to safely host groups of children for remote learning. Both parties realized that the underutilized space in sacred places could be a solution to the problem of providing safe learning environments during social distancing. We call this program Community Learning Hubs in Sacred Places.

All Hubs must adhere to current CDC safety guidelines, including:

  • Social distancing
  • Consistent cohorts
  • Hand hygiene
  • Face coverings for all children and staff except during meal times
  • Disinfection of frequently touched surfaces

Partners for Sacred Places and Loftyspot are currently seeking funds to open additional Hubs. While sacred places have shown themselves to be incredibly generous, opening their sites to the larger community, it will take a coordinated effort between sacred places, philanthropy, government, and the private sector to address this need.  News will be added to this site as Hubs are opened.

COMMUNITY LEARNING HUBS IN THE NEWS

Karen DiLossiFor information about Community Learning Hubs and our space-sharing solutions, please contact Karen DiLossi at 215-567-3234 x. 16 or email kdilossi@sacredplaces.org

About the Author:

Karen DiLossi, Director of Arts in Sacred Places
Director Arts in Sacred Places As Partners’ first director of the Arts in Sacred Places program, Karen has developed a Manual of Best Practices and a series of systems critical to developing long-term, sustainable relationships between faith-based and arts organizations. She has contributed to the Center for the Future of Museums as a guest blogger and was an essayist for MICA’s MFA in Curatorial Practice, as well as the journal for the National Alliance of Preservation Commissions. Karen has worked in professional theater since 2000, both onstage and off. She is the co-artistic director of Madhouse Theater Company and has served as a panelist for the Philadelphia Cultural Fund. As the director of Programs & Services for the Theatre Alliance of Greater Philadelphia, she produced the Barrymore Awards Ceremony many times and directed them herself twice. Karen taught acting at West Chester University and served as a stage management consultant for Villanova Theatre. Karen has a BA in History and Drama from Washington College and an MA in Theatre from Villanova University.
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