Families across Minnesota continue to find what works best for them during a COVID-19 impacted school year. Whether it's hybrid, distance, or in-person learning each situation presents its own unique set of challenges.
Heather Paciotti and her husband Bob Johnson live in Minneapolis are parents of two boys, a first grader and a fifth grader. Before the school year began, Heather and Bob decided to make a change.
"We moved my fifth grader to Groves Academy in St. Louis Park before the new school year began," Paciotti said. "That was a necessity otherwise he would have been home, distance learning with his younger brother."
Their son Alex is a first grader at Kenny Elementary School in Minneapolis and is distance learning under guidelines set by Minneapolis Public Schools.
As is the case for a lot of working parents, work schedules don't always fit in line with school schedules during a normal year. Adding distance learning into the mix made things a lot more difficult at the beginning.
One solution for Paciotti and Johnson was to send Alex to Distance Learning Support Camps three days a week at Life Time in St. Louis Park.
"I go into the office two days a week and my husband works full-time," Paciotti said. "These camps allow my husband to continue working full time and Alex goes to Life Time for schooling while I am at work."
The Distance Learning Camps are open to Life Time members and non-members. Students bring their classwork and materials needed to attend virtual meetings with their teachers and classmates.
"They assist them through the day with their live meetings and independent school work. Everything goes with Alex," Paciotti said. "With the little kids, they need more attention and reminders to get on their meetings."
Campers are also given an opportunity to interact safely with other students. The social interaction between students is something often missed in distance learning situations.
"My husband and I were really worried about Alex's mental health. We feel this is better for him because he feels more well-rounded, gets to be with friends, and gets that social aspect," Paciotti said. "We might eventually have to all go home again, we just never know. We're going to do this while we can."
Students attending the camps go through daily COVID-19 screenings and follow CDC guidelines. That's even the case when taking part in a number of different activities including youth fitness, arts, and music.
