Virtual Learning Support Program

During School and After School Virtual Learning Support Program (Guide to Parents)

Synopsis

Districts commonly choose to offer online learning programs to provide opportunities for
credit recovery and to offer courses that are not otherwise available in the district. But as it turns
out currently, learning programs that are virtual have progressively grown into prominence in the
school systems in the face of the Corona Virus pandemic. The outbreak that has, as for now,
lasted for more than five months, one week and two days have hurled general society into an
unfamiliar reality. Across the states, parents and school staff in school districts, have been
working ever so hard and fast to keep in close interrelationship, address the difficulties at hand,
exchange information and feedback and to ensure that student-children move forward in this
crisis period that looks to likely remain so many weeks to come away from their school
environment.

Benefits

Having said the above, utterly online solution plans proffer numerous advantages such as
adaptability and self‐learning tutoring. These may, through face-to-face interactions, benefit
scholars in a compromised education set up more as compared to a conventional setting. Other
positive results of these programs include widening scholars’ predisposition to alternative
syllabus designs and the individualization of scholars’ learning experiences

Project Description

Today, most schools, shopping centers, and places of work and worship are all closed,
with social distancing being the “new reality” that has people avoiding physical contact and
going to public places. In this new norm, kitchen and dining room tables have replaced

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classroom desks and benches. The unexpected transition from in-class to online learning settings
has been challenging undertaking for children and their parents the world over. The shift is
chiefly worse for those depended-upon special-purpose academic services and supports tasked
with the responsibility of supervising learners with disabilities. Studies propose to the best of our
current knowledge that a range of virtual learning models that incorporate person‐to‐person
and training online produce premium outcomes for the scholars learning. Models in existence
presently include cyber schools, hybrid learning, blended learning, e-learning, and fully online
learning.

Guidelines to Parents on the Transition Process

Parenting is all about learning. Parents should know to understand what times call for
them to be harsh or when to be gentle on their kids. In guiding their school-going children
through these uncommon and extraordinary times, this following four guidelines, along with
actions to be taken by parents across the states, have been identified. These include parents to
children with disabilities who are engaged, and embracing online teaching methods should
encourage the tutors inferred to work with their kids to utilize the available best practices that are
particularly useful to the differently-abled learners. It is of extreme importance that the relations
between the special groups of students and their teachers should be based on virtual face-to-face
interaction. In this way, the teacher can evaluate the student’s self-confidence, motivation, and
levels of understanding in due course of the program. This process of assessing understanding
needs to be an on-going one, especially about distance learning where chats, regular surveys, and
online tests, among others, means of gauging learners’ understanding, are of utmost importance.
Parents should invite tutors to incorporate Universal Design for Learning (UDL) into their online
coaching practices. UDL is a teaching and learning outlook that assists in providing all learners

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with an equal chance of achieving success. This can be described as a teaching, and learning
mentality offers adaptability in the means by which scholars access learning material, deal with
it, and display their know-how.
School going children require assistance in how well they organize their time since online
learning programs offer minimal external structure than a normal school setting. As such, many
students with attention and learning concerns require targeted assistance in their organization,
staying committed to tasks given, and in completion of assignments. This is especially so with
children who have performance issues.
Accessibility to reading experts, speech-language analysts, instructional assistants,
emotional support counsel, paramedics, and case handlers are. Still, some of the much-needed
services children have access to, and since most schools are shut down, most of these essential
services aren’t readily available as before the times of this current crisis. Parents should seek
after compensatory services to support their children for the short, medium- and long-term plans.
In figuring out the best individuals to provide such services, parents should also consider
checking out their children’s plan 504 plan or their Individualized Education Program. Learning
institutions and districts are working round the clock to establish how the possible ways in which
essential procedures that back the schooling process might be applied until their day of official
reopening that consists of coming up with ways to conduct IEP and 504 seminars virtually. This
guarantees that these children are progressing in the core curriculum.
Considerations for Parents

Parents on the verge of transitioning to online learning and those considering taking this
step should ponder setting up specific spaces in the home where your child will engage in

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schoolwork as well as creating a calendar and clear expectations for work and play. They should
begin with more as opposed to less structure, making changes as their children integrate into
these new routines.

The Proposal

This is a proposal about the “Virtual Learning Assistance Program.” The Virtual
Learning Assistance Program is a virtual learning support and tutoring program created to assist
single-parents who are adapting to the current, unprecedented, virtual academic climate. The
Program is set to be held at local community centers within the Atlanta Metro Area that can
accommodate at least thirty (30) scholars while adhering to the 6-foot COVID19 social distance
requirement set by local, state, and federal government in addition to any other regulations for
human interaction set by local, state, and the federal government. The primary motivation for
this VLA program is the reality of existing demand for support and assistance by low-income
and single mother urban families within the Atlanta Metro area who are struggling to adjust to
the changes brought upon by the recent COVID19 pandemic. It is also our goal, that if the
current virtual academic climate becomes a permanent one, that The VLA Program will be a
leader and community resource in virtual learning in addition to becoming a licensed virtual
school in itself. The Program is expected to run throughout the entire academic school year.

Implementation

The plan is to conduct the program through
1. Local government and/or community officials will meet with the VLA Team (Lead by
Daniel A. Johnson) to discuss the possibilities of the equipment requested, an agreed
upon financial strategy and financial goal-oriented plan, which facilities are available and
meet the requirements, and all legalities, policy, and procedure henceforth.

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2. Local government and/or community officials will meet with Daniel A. Johnson
(Director of The VLA Program) to discuss chosen facilities and the amount of licensed
personnel needed as well as volunteers.
3. Local government and/or community officials will meet with the VLA Team to construct
a universal and systematic method of deciding how families will apply for the program as
well as how they will be chosen for the program.
4. The VLA Team will meet to create a collaborative advertising and marketing plan for the
program as well as academic institutions in the area.
5. The VLA Team will hold workshops where families will not only be able to experience
the program but will also be able to apply.
6. The VLA Team will decorate the approved chosen facilities to meet Georgia Board of
Education guidelines to produce a conducive and productive academic environment.
7. The VLA Team will host the open house where approved families will register their
scholars, pick up necessary items and information, meet the faculty and staff, and voice
any questions or concerns.
8. The VLA Team begins a successful year of efficient academic support and virtual
learning success.

Estimation of Products and Equipment Required

Some of the things that will be needed in the minute include:
●30 chrome-books at each facility.
●100 pencils at each facility.
●50 composition books at each facility.
●100 face masks at each facility.

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●6 hand-sanitizer stations at each facility.
●50 personal hand sanitizer bottles at each facility.
●30 lockers (or a suitable substitute) at each facility.
●A human temperature checking device at each facility.
●A MacBook for each administrative office at each facility.
●First Aid kit at each facility.
●Healthy and preferably organic “snacks” at each facility.
●Healthy and preferably organic breakfast and dinner at each facility.
Estimated Personnel

For each facility available the following staff members will be required:
●Director of Facility (preferably with an administrative background).
●Assistant Director of Facility (preferably with an administrative background).
●Administrative Assistant of Facility (preferably with 5+ years teaching experience).
●4 Academic Tutors (preferably with 5+ years educational experience).
●Facility Volunteers

Virtual Learning Assistance Program Personnel

These will be:
Board of Directors
○Chair (Daniel A. Johnson)
○Vice Chair (Nicola Johnson)
○Secretary (Shadricka McElroy)
○Treasurer (Emory Collier)
○Member – Educational Specialty (Lujuanna Tipton)

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○Member – Financial Supporter (Open)
○Member – Gov/Comm Official (Open)
Administration
○Executive Director (preferably with principal experience).
○Assistant Director (Kevin Eccles)
○Director of Operations (Kortani Rettig)
○Professional Development Coordinator (Open)
○Child Psychologist/Counselor (Open)
○Parent and Community Liaison (Darquan Owens)
○Administrative Assistant (Open)

*** Upon request, all resumes available. ***
During-school VLA schedule
➔7:00 AM – 8:00 AM
◆Breakfast
➔8:00 AM – 11:00 AM
◆Academics
➔11:00 AM – 1:00 PM
◆Lunch
➔1:00 PM – 3:00 PM
◆Academics
➔3:00 PM – 4:00 PM

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◆Dismissal
After-school VLA schedule
➔4:00 PM – 5:00 PM
◆Dinner
➔6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
◆Tutoring
➔7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
◆Dismissal