For Parents and Caregivers

Help Children Cope with Changes Resulting from COVID-19

This document provides advice and strategies for parents and caregivers to help students deal with issues related to COVID-19.

Resources for Acquiring Low Cost/No Cost Internet

COMCAST

  • Comcast: Free Public WiFi - Free for 60 days on all Xfinity-branded hotspots located in businesses or provided to the public. Residential modems broadcasting the xfinitywifi network are not included.

  • Comcast: Internet Essentials - Free for 60 days if qualified, Speed increased to 25 Mbps down


CENTURYLINK

  • All data caps are suspended during pandemic


ARMSTRONG

  • Offering unlimited data during pandemic


T-MOBILE

  • ALL current T-Mobile and Metro by T-Mobile customers who have plans with data will have unlimited smartphone data for the next 60 days (excluding roaming).

  • Providing T-Mobile and Metro by T-Mobile customers an additional 20GB of mobile hotspot / tethering service for the next 60 days – coming soon.


AT&T

  • Not terminate the service of any wireless, home phone or broadband residential or small business customer because of their inability to pay their bill due to disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

  • Waive any late payment fees that any wireless, home phone or broadband residential or small business customer may incur because of economic hardship related to the coronavirus pandemic.

  • Keep our public Wi-Fi hotspots open for any American who needs them.


SPRINT

  • Not terminating service if they are unable to pay their Sprint bill because of the coronavirus, and

  • Waiving late fees incurred because of economic circumstances related to the pandemic.

  • Customers with metered data plans will receive unlimited data per month for 60 days (a minimum of two bill cycles) at no extra cost.

  • We will provide customers with an additional 20GB of mobile hotspot data per month for 60 days (a minimum of two bill cycles) at no extra cost.

  • Customers with mobile hotspot-capable handsets who don’t have mobile hotspot today will now get 20GB as well per month for 60 days (a minimum of two bill cycles) at no extra cost.


VERIZON

  • Increasing data cap from 10GB to 30GB for Innovative Learning Customers



Tips for Cleaning Your Devices

Recommendations for Cleaning Your Electronics

We have heard often during this health crisis to wash our hands, but we need to clean the electronics we touch as well. Here are some recommendations to use to keep devices from passing along the virus:


Phones & Tablets

  1. Wash/sanitize your hands before cleaning your devices.

  2. Unplug your phone or tablet before cleaning

  3. Never spray cleaner on your device - the moisture can damage the equipment and go where it was not intended

  4. Use a soft dry cloth - paper products can damage the screen

  5. Never submerge into water or other liquids

  6. Check the instructions for your device: Apple products instructions (https://apple.co/39UGM7V) ,Samsung Site instructions (http://bit.ly/2w3MSEi) both recommend using 70% isopropyl alcohol or Clorox wipes. All recommend spraying onto a soft, non-abrasive cloth, never the device.

Do not use pure alcohol, bleach, or vinegar. They are too harsh and may actually damage the device.


Computers, Mice, Keyboards, etc.

  1. Wash/sanitize your hands before cleaning your devices.

  2. Unplug and remove batteries, if possible

  3. Spray into a soft cloth, never directly onto the device

  4. Don’t use paper products to wipe, they are too abrasive

  5. Never submerge the device into water or other liquids

  6. Use 70% isopropyl or Clorox wipes for best results. Clorox wipes will be damp when they are removed from the container. Be sure to let the wipe dry slightly before cleaning the keyboard or touchpad on a laptop. This will ensure that the keyboard is not damaged by excess solution entering the device.

Again, do not use pure alcohol, bleach, or vinegar. They are too harsh and may actually damage the device.

Tips for Helping Your Learner at Home

  • Identify a learning place. Where will your student work? Make sure that they have pencils, erasers, paper, calculator, or any other tools they may need to learn.

  • Create a study plan together and set small goals. Help your student understand the purpose and objectives of their tasks and learning by discussing what they are expected to complete digitally. Help them create a checklist of due dates and a timeline so that you both understand what needs to be completed. Celebrate when they meet small goals.

  • Guide your student on his/her responsibilities by helping them create a daily schedule for learning, balancing time in front of a screen, exercising, socializing, and etc. Schedule breaks in learning when needed.

  • Try to keep your student on a regular schedule for waking and sleeping. Online learning is often asynchronous which means that students can access their work at any time of the day, allowing them to keep odd hours. Ensure that your student is taking assignments seriously by keeping them to a somewhat ‘normal school day structure.’ Encourage and set aside time for exercise and creative time for making or drawing.

  • Find out when your student’s teachers’ office hours are in case you or your student has questions. When will he or she respond to emails? Is he or she offering synchronous learning opportunities for a class? If this information has not been communicated to you, reach out to the instructor.


Vicki Davis offers this 13 minute overview how to effectively learn in an online classroom.

This overview of how to come prepared to learn online gives you some great trouble-shooting tips to help educators!

Did you know that Google Classroom can be accessed on XBox and Playstation?

Also, see Allison Yang's Guide for a Self-Regulated Online Learner for a great student checklist!

Common Sense Media Newsletter - Keep Kids Learning at Home

How can I keep my kids learning when we're stuck at home? - This is a great article that outlines a schedule that can be used to realistically support students while they learn at home.

Practical Ways to Include Core Subjects at Home

Resources for Special Needs Learners

Resources for Talking To Your Learners about COVID-19

PDE has partnered in recent weeks with the statewide leads for the Public Broadcasting System (PBS) to offer communities with limited internet access use of instructional programming that is being broadcast by all of Pennsylvania’s PBS affiliates. Each PBS affiliate is providing instructional blocks of programming targeted to different grade spans, varying by region, and began March 30: https://www.learningathomepa.org