Tuesday, March 17, 2020

Family Resources during COVID-19 Pandemic

Cable giant Charter Communications will provide free broadband for two months to households with students, as a number of U.S. schools are shutting down because of concerns about the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Starting next Monday (March 16), Charter will offer free Spectrum broadband and Wi-Fi access for 60 days to households with K-12 and/or college students — which do not already have a Spectrum broadband subscription — at any service level up to 100 megabits per second.
The move follows Comcast’s announcement that it would extend free broadband to low-income families, also for a 60-day period, starting next week, and will boost speeds of the service tier (regularly $9.95 per month).

To enroll in Charter’s free-broadband program, eligible consumers must call (844) 488-8395. The company said it will waive installation fees for new student households. Charter said it will partner with school districts “to ensure local communities are aware of these tools to help students learn remotely.” In addition, the operator will open its Wi-Fi hotspots across its footprint for public use, free of charge.

For eligible low-income households without school-age children, Charter continues to offer Spectrum Internet Assist, a low-cost broadband program that provides speeds of up 30 Mbps.

“As the country works collaboratively to contain this pandemic, broadband internet access will be increasingly essential to ensuring that people across the country are able to learn and work remotely, that businesses can continue to serve customers, and that Americans stay connected and engaged with family and friends,” Charter said in a statement.

Charter has about 29 million customers across a 41-state footprint. The cable operator noted that it does not impose data caps or usage surcharges on broadband service.



Join ODJFS Webinar Tomorrow Regarding Emergency Child Care Measures
Today, Ohio Department of Job and Family Services Director Kim Hall announced the department will be implementing emergency measures to provide child care to families where parents work in the health, safety, and essential service fields during the pandemic. 

Tomorrow, Wednesday, March 18th you can join ODJFS at 10 AM to learn more about these emergency measures and how to apply to be a licensed pandemic child care center.

Please click the link below to join the webinar: 
https://zoom.us/j/312024862
Click on below link for additional information and to read complete press release.


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After schools started closing, we opened up our Character Video Library to all our Boosterthon school families across the country so they could make the most of this uncertain time from home.
 
Our K-8 families are really enjoying the videos at home, so we decided to make our platform available to all schools in America, for the rest of the school yearWe’re hoping we can all get through this thing stronger.

  • There’s no cost to register
  • 75+ streaming videos with character topics and fitness exercises (PBIS, SEL, STEAM, etc.)
  • You can easily register at BoosterthonCharacter.com Access Code: AtHome
 
We hope this resource serves not only as a helpful diversion during this time, but also as an opportunity for families to engage in character-building conversations while also staying active at home. 

You are free to share this resource with your PTAs, school communities, family and friends!