SHELBY COUNTY, Tenn. — As schools gear up for virtual learning in the fall, there is some help available for parents trying to balance working and being at home for their kids.
Lindenwood Christian Church will soon become one of several virtual learning centers for parents who can’t be at home, while their kids are supposed to be learning from home.
“We see a big need to provide a service to our our community,” family life minister Laren McCormack said. “Providing child care and virtual learning support for the families in our area and parents having to return back to school and things like that.”
Lindenwood is providing classroom space it was not using, but it’s the YMCA that is doing the rest. They’re signing up families with schools providing adult teachers and tutors to work with students during their classroom time and after school.
A list of churches and community centers joining in the partnership and providing learning space is now circulating on social media, but you don’t need to call those facilities. We are told they can’t sign your kids up.
Everything will be done through the YMCA’s website, and registration won’t start until mid-August.
“They are coming in and running it,” McCormack said. “We are entering a partnership with them in ministry, so I am going to spend some time as our family life minister over there with the kids building relationships, serving our community, praying for parents as needed and things like that. But they are in charge of running all the services.”
WREG reached out to the YMCA, and we are waiting to hear more details about the virtual learning, but there is going to be a lot of need with so many families trying to balance so much.
That’s why community partners are so critical.
Lindenwood’s educational center hasn’t been in use since the pandemic, and a space that could handle 200 students can now be used to socially distance a smaller group of kids.
“We are just really excited to serve our Midtown community and hope this is a blessing to the families that are out there,” McCormack said.
