It’s left parents and other caregivers looking for ways to keep their kids occupied and continuing their education while stuck at home.
Centerville student Jade Eilers is used to reading to young kids and sharing important life lessons, but since the outbreak of the coronavirus it’s now impossible to have face-to-face gatherings. But now she will connect with students via social media to keep the learning going.
Eilers, a junior who was recently crowned Miss Ohio High School America, will read live on Instagram and Facebook from 3 to 4 p.m on Thursday, April 2 a book called "When I Wear My Invisible Crown: Shayla Jackson's Story." Parents can connect their childrens by going to www.jadeeilers.com.
After she reads the book, Eilers will spend some time talking with kids about BOLD & BRAVE (Building Our Lives Drug-free and Building Respect And Values for Everyone).
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“I will illustrate how people can be different and experience bullying but ultimately how to be accepting and loving of others with differences,” she said. “The book illustrates the trials of someone with a hearing disability. She will then go through the messaging of BRAVE and guide the kids watching through a coloring exercise while reinforcing the message.”
A Centerville school initiative designed to increase engagement between residents and immigrant families called Connect Centerville is headed towards celebrating its second- year of operation.
The initiative also launched the Host Family Program in which newly arrived immigrant families were matched with Centerville families that were more established in the community.
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Centerville school district spokeswoman, Sarah Swan, said there are currently 215 students who have been identified as English Language Learners in the school district, and their families speak more than 30 different languages.
The school district has reached out immediately to help those immigrant families in need while they are staying-in-place at home.
Jeannette Horwitz, who is the director of the LEAP program (ESL) at Wright State, has been a host to Sophie Wen who brought her family to Centerville from China and the coronavirus outbreak has been a trying time for Wen.
“Sophie Wen and I are keeping in touch and talk about how things are going on in these trying times,” Horwitz told the Dayton Daily News. “She has a son (Eric) who is a senior in high school and she also has a younger son, Ivan, who is in Kindergarten. She feels the kids are fine for now and don’t have as many worries as the adults do. But, her younger son is a bit worried his classmates and teachers will forget about him now that there is no school.”
Wen’s husband works for Fuyao Glass America and is now working from home but he sometimes has to go in to help engineers solve problems with the machines at the factory.
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Horwitz has discussed with the Wen family about stocking up on daily necessities. The family lives in an apartment and does not have an adequate freezer so it’s hard to have enough food on hand.
“Like many others, Sophie has been standing in line at Costco and Kroger to stock up,” Horwitz explained. “She mentioned that it’s hard to find hand sanitizer and face masks these days. Another worry is money, and not having enough to pay rent and other living expenses as both Sophie and her husband have to stay at home right now.”
The Wen family is here on a work visa and worry that they may not qualify to receive any money from the U.S. government provided to help families.
Another issue that Horwitz has been discussing with the family revolves around discrimination.
“Sophie said that although a lot of people, like neighbors and friends, have been really kind to the family so far, as immigrants they worry about future discrimination since President Trump has referred to COVID-19 as the ‘Chinese virus,’” Horwitz said. “Sophie and I keep in touch via What’s App and send each other messages that way. Last night, we talked about the Stay At Home order that is now in effect and what it means.”
Through the trying times the Wen family and Horwitz also try to keep things light when possible.
“We also had some good laughs at some of the new English vocabulary we’re learning from this situation like ‘social distancing’,” Horwitz said. “We joked that we can have a What’s App ‘Stay at Home’ English lessons every night as we talk about what’s going on.”
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Staying at home for students in the Centerville school district:
Families that do not have access to a device and/or the Internet should contact their building principal. The district is loaning WiFi hotspots to families that do not have Internet access to remote learning assignments during the extended school closure.
Centerville’s Student Nutrition Services staff is preparing breakfasts and lunches for students who qualify for the Ohio’s free and reduced-price meal program. Monday-Friday from March 16-26, school buses and school transportation vehicles are delivering food to 14 locations across the Centerville-Washington Township community. Students can meet the school vehicles at the location closest to where they live to pick up their food.
Tell us how you are coping at home
Email Reporter Wayne Baker at wayne.baker@coxinc.com
Stay-at-home order now in effect
The Ohio Department of Health has issued a stay-at-home order for all Ohioans, going into effect starting midnight Monday night and staying in effect until April 6. That means all Ohioans should stay home at all times, except for essential businesses and a list of common-sense exceptions for things like getting necessary supplies, outdoor activities like walking or hiking, certain kinds of work, and taking care of others (which includes attending weddings and funerals).
Police can cite you if you break the stay-at-home order:
However, the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office said that you will likely be warned, first. But if police find that you are repeatedly violating the order or flagrantly ignoring it, you could face criminal charges or arrest.
On a related note, do not call 911 to see if you should go in to work. That number is for emergencies, and it is a crime to call it for non-emergency reasons.
Stay-at-home order: what are essential businesses?:
One of the exemptions to the stay-at-home order is for “essential businesses,” so what does that mean? That includes things like stores that sell groceries or medicine, businesses that manufacture food and drinks or those that grow medical marijuana, charities or social services, religious organizations, news media, gas stations, and a long list of other exceptions.
Who to call for coronavirus information:
The Public Health - Dayton & Montgomery County call center has extended its hours to answer questions about the coronavirus. The new hours are 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Friday, and 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The phone number is 937-225-6217.
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