Prompted to address unmet community needs, Community Learning Collaborative — a joint initiative by Black and Latino leaders from local nonprofits — provides free learning pods for Black and Latino children:
“Learning pods have popped all across the country and it was mostly well-to-do families that decided to use their resources,” said Vanessa Calderón-Rosado, executive director of Inquilinos Boricuas en Acción, or IBA. “We came together thinking we need to do something similar for our children.”
The Boston Globe
Pods, also known as learning hubs or study halls, have been slower to arrive in low-income communities. But in the last six months they have increasingly popped up in churches, libraries, and recreational facilities to provide safe spaces for students to do their remote learning. Usually they are funded through a combination of nonprofits, private donations, and discounted family tuition.
And some of their leaders believe that even after the pandemic abates, the increased investment by community organizations in children’s learning will remain.