Emily Hays Photo
2020: It was the best of times and the worst of times. If there had to be a rewrite of the Charles Dickens classic, it could revolve around our current times. COVID-19 struck like an unexpected tsunami. As devastating as the virus still is, during its early stages, it — for just a moment — made us all take a moratorium and stop and be still. Maybe we had to realize just how vulnerable we are and, like dust in the wind, can be gone at any given moment. That we should appreciate the sand in our hourglass and love more and not value the things that are value-less. Perhaps this lesson is far from over.
As the world was cloistered in our homes, trying to avoid exposure to the invisible threat called the Novel Coronavirus, no one knew what to do, and no one wanted to admit it. While all this was going on, we overlooked our most precious investment — our children.
We initially did not think about the impact this would have on them as they sat next to us watching the death rate rise like the National Debt Clock in Times Square. We took for granted their lack of social interaction and we did not think about their education
Understandably so, we were numb ourselves — but something had to be done.
New Haven Learning Hubs from Travis Carbonella on Vimeo.
Though we were forced to be socially separated, we found a way to communicate. Zoom became the popular meeting place, and we all learned how to interface using a new platform of technology. Forced into Brady-Bunch boxes, we adapted. New Haven adapted.
This was where we began to meet people, co-workers and peers. For nonprofits and churches, it was boots on the ground. We are built for this. We are used to difficult times. We are not strangers to being innovative. We knew the children in our community faced insurmountable odds when it came down to their education and we looked for answers and possibilities. We knew we could only find them by doing it together and trusting. We did not have the time to be political or competitive or siloed. We had to act as one.
We began to strategize next steps and relied on our friends and angels who believed in us and supported us with resources. Organizations galvanized without hidden agendas. We were real with each other. We met for months without a name because the cause was greater than us. But we soon started to call ourselves the New Haven Learning Hubs Collective.
This collective of nonprofit leaders, clergy, city staff, and families decided to focus on alleviating the challenges of remote learning for New Haven’s most vulnerable children, while the New Haven Public Schools were closed or partially closed from March 2020 through June 2021. While wealthy families hired teachers for exclusive “pandemic pods,” we made our own. We made them available to New Haven’s children at no cost. Parents and guardians were able to return to work, knowing their children were safe and supported.
We established safe spaces in youth centers, church halls, and daycare centers. But it was not as simple as just opening our doors. We had to create safety protocols that adhered to ever-shifting guidance, ensure licensing and permissions, and secure funding. We navigated miles and miles of red tape. But by the time the school year was out, we had served 454 children from Dixwell, Dwight, Fair Haven, the Hill, Newhallville, and West Rock neighborhoods.
While virtual learning was hard, in Learning Hubs children experienced other things they needed: small groups, one-on-one attention, and feelings of security and engagement every day. And despite the pandemic swirling around us, we saw them come out of their shells. Their grades improved.
Just as importantly, amidst the crisis, organizations accustomed to competition discovered the necessity and the power of collaboration. New partnerships emerged. We discovered shared values for what we believe young people need to succeed and thrive. Our collaboration continues within our ongoing programs — camp, before and after school, vacation and weekend programs — and through the relationships we built. Whether or not you were directly part of the Learning Hubs Collective, we need you going forward. Our children need a holistic, grassroots system of support. And now we know that it is possible.
The New Haven Learning Hubs Collective invites your ideas for how to support New Haven’s children and youth together via [email protected].
Learning Hub Operators
All Our Children
Boys and Girls Club of New Haven
Central Connecticut Coast YMCA
City of New Haven Youth and Recreation
ConnCAT
First Calvary Baptist Church
H.O.P.E., Inc.
Solar Youth
Upon This Rock Ministries
Collective Partner Organizations
Clifford Beers
Concepts for Adaptive Learning (CfAL)
Greater New Haven Clergy Association
Music Haven
National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference
New HYTEs
S.P.O.R.T. Academy
Squash Haven
Workforce Alliance
United Way of Greater New Haven
Barbara Chesler is Interim Executive Director of the Boys and Girls Club of New Haven.
Steve Driffin is Director of Youth Programs and Co-Director of Operations at ConnCAT.
Pastor Valerie Washington leads Upon This Rock Ministries.
Thank you to the people and organizations that stepped up to fill the need for young students all around the city. The New Haven Learning Hubs Collective can continue to provide tutors, before and after school care, quarantine for covid exposure care, and other social emotional and educational support programs to help our young people heal and thrive and grow. It takes a village to raise a child, and the New Haven Learning Hubs Collective can be a major part of that village to help our young people succeed.