Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh offers program for children during remote learning

Heather and Paul Cunningham have 6-year-old twins, Jackson and Julie, going into first grade. The couple work full time and their children’s school, Minadeo in the Pittsburgh Public Schools, will be online for at least the first nine weeks of the school year.

They spent the final months of kindergarten learning at the family’s Squirrel Hill dining room table, like thousands of other children because of the pandemic.

Courtesy of Heather Cunningham

Julie Cunningham, 6, of Squirrel Hill does a lesson at home from last school year. She and her twin brother Jackson will attend the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh’s “All Day at the J." It’s a full-day program that will accommodate online learning for students in kindergarten to 6th grade.

Courtesy of Heather Cunningham

Jackson Cunningham, 6, of Squirrel Hill does a lesson at home from last school year. She and his twin sister Julie will attend the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh’s “All Day at the J." It’s a full-day program that will accommodate online learning for students in kindergarten to 6th grade.

“I was really anxious about what I was going to do for my kids with school coming up,” said Heather Cunningham. “It gave me a lot of anxiety.”

Her stress was relieved when she heard about the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh’s “All Day at the J,” designed to support working families.

It’s a full-day program that will accommodate students in kindergarten to sixth grade. It also will provide activities to address children’s mental, emotional and physical health needs. It runs from Aug. 31 to Oct. 30 to coincide with Pittsburgh Public Schools’ schedule of online learning.

“I signed up within minutes … got two spots confirmed,” she said. “It was the best night of sleep I had had in a long time. It was such a feeling of relief. I hadn’t realized how much I was juggling in my life, and I could breathe easier.”

Heather Cunningham is an assistant professor of education at Chatham University. Her husband works full time as a software developer.

The twins attended the Jewish Community Center’s day camp. She said her children are looking forward to some of the activities they are familiar with from camp as well as the socialization they need.

“They did such a great job keeping my children safe all summer,” Heather Cunningham said. “The JCC’s after-school and early childhood education programs have been successful for decades. They’ve shown they have the ability to shift gears. I put my trust in them.”

The JCC has been working on this program for a few months, said Rachael Speck, director of children, youth and family. It’s been an easy transition because the Jewish Community Center has experience with similar programs, such as after-school childcare opportunities, early childhood development and summer camps.

The challenging part is accommodating schools’ varying schedules, Speck said.

Days will include assistance with technology, submitting assignments and small group instruction. Students will participate in art and STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) curriculum. And they will be fed.

“It is hard for adults to stay connected to a computer screen all day,” Speck said. “They need breaks and they also need time to socialize with one another. The online learning at the end of last school year had children at home and isolated.”

Speck said they are prepared to extend the program. The JCC has the space to do this program safely because some of its other services aren’t happening. They can accommodate 84 students. The program open to members is almost full. The cost is $2,095 for nine weeks, with scholarship opportunities. Parents are responsible for transportation.

Pittsburgh-based infectious disease and critical care physician Dr. Amesh Adalja said what the Jewish Community Center is doing is a good way to approach this situation.

“We know that having schools closed for nine weeks will be extremely disruptive and tough to cope with for parents and an adverse learning environment for children,” said Adalja, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security who works on pandemic preparedness. “So having some structure of a normal school day is going to be helpful.”

He said that if the Jewish Community Center can provide a physical and safe layout to do this that, Pittsburgh Public Schools should be able to do something similar.

“My worry is that nine weeks will turn into 18,” he said. “Pennsylvania has fared pretty well is opening schools in some fashion in suburban areas. This is the new normal or at least until enough of the population can be vaccinated. Schools need to figure this out. The children are suffering from not going to school.”