Education Resources and Supports for Families

• Education
• COVID-19

School Attendance

The Illinois Board of Education has released tighter guidelines on attendance as students are remote learning. School districts are encouraged to make contact with students on a daily basis through video chat, phone, texts, email or packet collection.
Read more about ISBE’s Student Attendance guide here: https://www.isbe.net/Documents/Student-Attendance-Guidance-5-4-20.pdf

Wellness Checks

ISBE also partnered with the Illinois Department of Child and Family Services to release guidance on wellness checks. If a teacher is unable to make contact with a student for over a week, they should attempt to make contact with their parent or guardian. If the wellbeing of a student is still unknown, schools and districts should do everything possible to conduct a wellness check visit. These visits are only intended to ensure the physical and mental wellbeing of the child.

Learn more here: https://www.isbe.net/Documents/DCFS-ISBE-Student-Wellness-Visit.pdf

Affordable Internet Options

Internet Essentials from Comcast

Comcast is offering its Internet Essentials program for $9.95 per month. You may qualify if you are eligible for public assistance programs such as the National School Lunch Program, Housing Assistance, Medicaid, SNAP, SSI, and others. New customers will receive two months of free service.
Learn more and apply here: https://www.internetessentials.com/

Access from AT&T

AT&T is offering its Access service for $10 or $5 per month, depending on service speeds. New customers who order before May 23 will receive the first two months free.

Learn more and apply here: https://m.att.com/shopmobile/internet/access/

Spectrum Internet

Spectrum Internet is offering free internet for two months to new customers with K-12 or college students. Its Wi-fi hotspots will be made available to the public for free.

Learn more here: bit.ly/spectrumcovid19

Free Wi-Fi Hotspots

DCEO has put together a map of free Wi-Fi hotspots that can be used for activities like e-learning.
View the map for drive-up hotspots here: https://bit.ly/2SXJZgl

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Restore. Reinvest. Renew. Virtual Community Meeting

Restore Illinois

• COVID-19

Lightford: IBHE to use $1.3M to improve early childhood education

• Early Childhood

CHICAGO – Governor JB Pritzker has awarded the Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE) $1.3 million in grants geared toward strengthening the early childhood workforce, Senate Majority Leader Kimberly A. Lightford (D-Maywood) announced Tuesday. 

“Educators and their effective skills are central to students’ experiences in the classroom,” Lightford said. “I applaud Governor Pritzker in his efforts to ensure educators receive resources that give them the opportunity to shape our children’s future.”

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