Pickerington area resources are easing school stress

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, school is different for students today than 10 or 20 years ago. You may have even found yourself thinking, “Since when did they change math?” when helping your kid with their algebra homework.

Luckily, there are a ton of resources in Pickerington for students who need some extra support, and even for adults who are looking to learn something new. Pickerington Magazine has rounded up a few places to go if you and your child need some academic assistance ASAP.

Pickerington Public Library

www.pickeringtonlibrary.org

As Hermione Granger would say, “When in doubt, go to the library.”

“The library has books and online resources that break down concepts in ways students can understand,” says Colleen Bauman, community engagement manager for Pickerington Public Library, “from the common core methods for subtraction through step-by-step instructions for using the quadratic equation.”

The first stop for students looking for school help at PPL is the Homework Help Center. The center offers both virtual and in-person assistance, providing students with support and introducing resources such as databases and reference materials to help them study independently.

This year, the library is also offering grab-and-go STEAM kits to engage kids in math and science with a variety of activities at home such as building a boat and viewing the constellations.

The number of students seeking help at the library has decreased this year due to the pandemic, says Bauman, but that doesn’t mean the library is taking a step back.

“Those who do seek our help have new and unexpected academic challenges: they are learning content through interactive videos and worksheets, they are completing assignments that require learning new computer skills and they are faced with being accountable for their own time management to get work done,” she says. “Our goal at the library is to help bridge the gap between how they are used to learning and how that has changed this year.”

In addition to student resources, adults can find resources for everything from book clubs and crafting classes to career guidance and navigating their taxes.

Grace Fellowship Remote Learning Center

www.gracefellowship.cc/learningcenter

With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, staff at Grace Fellowship recognized a community need and stepped in to fill that role. With many schools switching between hybrid, remote and in-person learning, parents – especially working and single parents – are put in a tough spot trying to find a safe and nurturing place for their kids to do their schoolwork.

So, Grace Fellowship is providing in-person classroom space with volunteers and staff offering support and a structured learning environment to students.

“It felt like the right thing to do,” says Erica Shelton, director of the remote learning center. “We wanted to have a place to have kids come and focus and do their work.”

The remote learning center has been in effect since the beginning of the 2020-2021 school year.

“Back when the pandemic first started and the school year began in the hybrid model, we felt there was a big need to help families who felt stuck with what we do on days their kids were not in school,” says Shelton.

Students from kindergarten through eighth grade are welcome to come as long as parents fill out an application form. The learning center asks for $10 a day per family to help offset the costs of hired classroom attendants and cleaning, although the fee is not mandatory for families who can’t afford it.

Classroom attendants help students stay on task, make sure kids are logging on to scheduled class meetings and also provide students with extra activities to engage in once their work is done. Some volunteers have come in to teach kids how to sew, or have provided baking activities. For Valentine’s Day, one volunteer helped kids make holiday snack mix to bring home to their families. 

PPL coordinated with Grace Fellowship to bring in a rotation of age-appropriate books to fill the temporary classroom space and rotates the book selection on a monthly basis.

To make sure students, staff and volunteers are kept as safe and healthy as possible, Grace Fellowship is following all CDC guidelines for schools. Temperatures are taken every day, students are seated at least six feet apart, everyone wears a mask and rigorous cleaning and sanitization measures are being taken.

MINDscapes Ohio

www.mindscapesohio.com

For students of all ages and abilities, MINDscapes has something to offer.

Staff specialize in helping students who are identified with autism spectrum disorder, as well as other learning challenges like dyslexia. From behavior counseling to speech and language therapy, social pragmatics training to occupational therapy, no student is left behind.

“Primarily, the students who are going to benefit the most are students who have difficulties with learning. There are a lot of different ways that learning is impacted,” says Donnie Sears, head of marketing and lead brain trainer in the NeurOptimal department. “It could be a physical health issue, a mental health issue, learning disability, that doesn’t really matter to us. Our goal is just to take students from where they’re at and get them into a better place.”

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, MINDscapes has seen an increase in students seeking extra help. With students switching between in-person, hybrid and remote learning, school might seem a lot more difficult than before.

“I think (the pandemic) didn’t necessarily create new problems for people,” says Sears, “but it definitely increased the difficulty of the problems that were already there.”

MINDscapes primarily addresses the needs of students from preschool through high school, but it’s not limited to just those age groups.

“It’s any time somebody is facing a challenge to learning,” says Sears. “If they face an obstacle, then we can help them. So, we do an unlimited capacity.”

---

Sarah Robinson is an editor. Feedback welcome at srobinson@cityscenemediagroup.com.