Parents turn to "pods" as a schooling solution
Source: Axios
Neighbors are banding together to hire private instructors as a way to secure child care and make up for some of the gaps online-only classes will leave in their kids' educations.
Why it matters: Parents just want to be sure their children don't fall too far behind, but this trend could deepen the educational divide along racial and class lines.
Driving the news: Pandemic "pods" — a group of families agreeing to limit their interactions outside that circle — have thrived as a safe way to help kids interact with their friends and give parents some time to work.
* Now, enterprising parents are offering teachers who don't want to return to the classroom a competitive salary to instead teach a handful of students in a home environment.
* “I think parents have been doing some version of this pod thing with young children anyway, but not on this kind of scale and not for this reason,” said Steve Barnett, senior co-director of the National Institute for Early Education Research.
How it works: The idea is homegrown, meaning that pods can really look however their creators want them to.
* One way it works is that several families with kids in the same grade agree to form a “pod” and hire a tutor or teacher at home during the workweek. Costs vary, but can top $1,000 per month, according to The Washington Post.
* For families with preschoolers, often it’s a babysitter, like a nanny share, but with several families pooled together.
Read more: https://www.axios.com/parents-schools-coronavirus-pods-a18f0916-7dcc-43ff-bffe-5c33c753a23a.html
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