Transitioning to a New School Year During COVID-19
This blog post is part of a series tracking the Refugee Education Center’s response and efforts to support the refugee community in West Michigan amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
Previously, the Refugee Education Center shared how we adapted our programming in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in our post, Navigating COVID-19 with Refugees, and then later in Responding to COVID-19 for Refugees in West Michigan. If you have yet to read those posts, we encourage you to read them along with this update.
Refugee Navigation Services
Our Navigation Services team has also grown due to community demand. Navigators are busy helping refugee families enroll or re-enroll in local schools for the new school year. So far, over 700 individuals have been guided through the process of re-enrollment, signing paperwork, troubleshooting tech and internet issues, and more.
Education is an essential pillar for success, and our team is dedicated to supporting our K-12 refugee students in this new virtual education landscape. Along with helping refugees currently in the community, our Navigators continue to walk alongside new families just arriving in the country. Despite lower refugee arrivals nationwide in recent months, our team has helped seven new American families get established in the West Michigan area since September.
Project Faulu (K-12 Support)
Through the Project Faulu program and with the help of our Refugee Navigators, over 200 families were enrolled and prepared for the new school year. Additionally, our team continues to provide virtual tutoring and mentoring opportunities for students and has provided students with supplies and enrichment materials in their homes to supplement their virtual classroom learning.
The switch to virtual learning has also created a higher demand for K-12 virtual tutors. Close to 100 community volunteers are trained and equipped to provide virtual tutoring, reading and language support, and community connections to over 100 refugee students in the community. There is an ongoing opportunity to volunteer with students.
High School Transitions
Our High School Transitions program is working alongside school counselors and 22 refugee students to ensure they’re enrolled and on track to graduate and successfully transition to their next endeavor. This team actively works with different schools in the district to make sure credit hours are on target, translation services are provided as needed, and the success of refugee students is actively advocated for.
Along with support for high school completion, our team is helping students apply for college and plan out their post-secondary goals. Read a recent interview from our High School Transitions program director, Hannah Werth, about the difficulties of transitioning to virtual learning for refugees.
Hands Connected (Early Childhood Education)
In coordination with our partner organization, the Early Learning Neighborhood Collaborative, the Hands Connected Center has opened classrooms to virtual and in-person learning. Currently, 67 students are enrolled in one of our two locations—a growth of 43 students from the previous school year!
We’ve expanded our Hands Connected team of educators and administrators to accommodate the addition of a second Hands Connected location in southeast Grand Rapids. Additionally, five new Hands Connected Network members underwent training and support to open their respective home businesses to join the 15 existing network members — growing the network's capacity to serve 170 children in the community! The affiliated network members also received training in the High Scope curriculum (the same curriculum used at the Center) to add to their in-home learning services.
How You Can Help
Financially support the Refugee Education Center’s efforts to serve the refugee community with emergency needs and provide long-term support.
Create a positive impact in the lives of local K-12 refugee students by virtually tutoring them in their distance learning programs! Support students with core subjects, support their literacy and language skills, and be a friend in a time of isolation!