How we’re pivoting to respond to COVID-19
We are all facing extraordinary circumstances as we navigate the ever-changing situation with COVID-19.
In the face of such significant challenge, VOCEL has leaned on our core values – namely our value to put people first. The health, safety and wellness of our staff, children, families, partners, and stakeholders is of the utmost importance to us, and as of March 2020, VOCEL canceled in-person programming and moved our team to remote work. We will continue to monitor the situation and make timely decisions that put people first, both in our VOCEL network and among our broader Chicago community.
And yet we know that perhaps now more than ever, we must continue to ensure that our city’s youngest learners have the foundation they need to learn, grow, and lead. We are grateful that it is in our organization’s DNA to continually adapt and grow to meet the evolving needs of our families and their communities. Following are ways we’ve moved to adjust our programming:
Adapted Programming
VOCEL’s core program, the Child Parent Academy, has shifted to a virtual model utilizing Zoom & Facebook Live meetings and pre-recorded YouTube videos from our teachers. We have continued our Ready4K text messages and individualized family counseling. Starting in May, we began to distribute monthly Brain Bags that include the supplies for our live virtual Child-Parent classes.
New Work
Emergency Response: Brighter Today Family Fund
When shelter-at-home was put in place, VOCEL mobilized a rapid response to support our families. Through the Brighter Today Family Fund, VOCEL is focused on meeting the most basic needs of families, including essentials like diapers, food, and medicine. Our team is delivering these critical items through no-contact drop-offs. Also, in partnership with the Lavin Family Foundation’s #FeedItForward initiative, we established partnerships with community-owned restaurants to provide free weekly meals for our VOCEL families. Meeting the critical needs of the 135 families enrolled in the Child Parent Academy has been essential. To date, VOCEL has:
Provided 5,654 free meals through partnerships with 8 locally-owned Chicago restaurants
Delivered 11,400 diapers
Made 171 supply-drop offs (including cleaning supplies, hand sanitizer, toiletries, medicine, toys)
Micro-Grants for VOCEL families facing economic hardship
Given the economic implications of the COVID-19 crisis, and the impact stress can have on families with young children, VOCEL is committed to helping enrolled VOCEL families deal with financial burdens caused by job loss, reduced hours, or increased expenses. In the wake of this crisis, we know that families enrolled in VOCEL’s programs are facing extreme financial hardship. We have established a fund to provide micro-grants in the form of emergency cash funds to help families with expenses like rent, groceries, and unexpected medical costs.
VOCEL At Home / VOCEL En Casa
VOCEL at Home / VOCEL en Casa is a virtual platform to provide VOCEL families and the broader parent/caregiver community with simple, at-home activities, guidance, and tools to build children’s brains while strengthening relationships. This initiative provides daily activities for families with young children posted on our social media channels and in weekly highlight emails.
We started creating remote resources because we know that most families are feeling the pressures of mounting stress. Our goals is to leverage our expertise and core competencies equip us to help make all families’ days a little easier, a little more joyful, and to help their children learn as much as possible.
Looking long-term
VOCEL will continually evolve our offerings to meet families’ needs as well as the rules and regulations from the City and State. Our leadership and board are planning for the various scenarios that may exist for the start of the 2020/2021 school year with school, gatherings, and distancing. We are harnessing our intrinsic ability to be nimble and responsive. We are listening and learning from our fellow social service partners about how to best collaborate to serve our VOCEL families. We remain committed to our work and we feel an even greater sense of urgency and hope in the support and opportunity that we can provide young children and families during this difficult time and in the future.