Foundation Offers Aid For Lakewood Children Struggling In School
LAKEWOOD, OH — The Healthy Lakewood Foundation (HLF) announced new steps to help Lakewood children with their education during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“These efforts, we hope, demonstrate our commitment to supporting Lakewood students’ academic growth and safety during these challenging times,” says HLF President Jeanine Gergel.
The HLF issued a $25,000 grant to the YMCA of Greater Cleveland to support expansion of its daycare for school-age children. The organization also allocated funds to provide scholarship assistance for care during the school day with Lakewood families, open to families making up to 400 percent of the federal poverty level.
Finally, funds previously awarded to the Lakewood Schools will be used for document cameras to help teachers who are sharing documents, handouts and worksheets digitally.
“We recognize that some families are struggling to ensure their children are supported in the way they need to be while school is offered online. We recognize these needs will continue and evolve with the escalating public health crisis, and we will continue to monitor students’ and families’ needs to identify other ways we can be supportive in the future," Gergel said.
Families interested in accessing scholarship funding for school-day care while learning is remote should call the Division of Early Childhood at 216-529-5018 or email the program manager at jessica.parker@lakewoodoh.net.
Families interested in enrolling their children in the YMCA’s care program for school-age children, called “YCARES,” can contact the YMCA Payment Registrar Office at 216-263-6860 or children@clevelandymca.org for more information. Children ages 5-12 are eligible. The program is currently being offered at Grant Elementary School.
“We are grateful for the ways the City of Lakewood’s Department of Human Services, the YMCA and the Lakewood City Schools have stepped up to respond to the needs of the community,” Gergel said. “We are a community that takes care of each other, and these three organizations have epitomized that spirit in the way they have nimbly adapted to support Lakewood’s families and children.”
This article originally appeared on the Lakewood Patch
