The Omaha Kroc Center Helps Meet Educational Needs While COVID-19 Keeps Kids Out of School
With public and private schools closed indefinitely and rigid social distancing restrictions in place, many parents and caregivers are struggling to keep their kids occupied during the long hours at home. The Salvation Army’s Kroc Center in Omaha is helping to fill this temporary educational gap by offering free age-appropriate activity kits for kids in pre-K through sixth grade.
Kroc Center youth and education staff members have distributed more than 700 activity kits via curbside pickup at the Kroc Center over the past two weeks. They anticipate handing out another 800 kits on Wednesday, April 1, from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Kroc Center. Activity kits are free and available to the public (Kroc Center membership is not required in order to receive a free activity kit).
“These educational kits are especially useful for families and kids who don’t have Internet at home and are therefore not able to access the remote learning opportunities being offered by their schools,” said Kroc Center Arts and Education Director Kevin Boesiger. “In some cases, the activity kits are all these kids are getting educationally right now.”
Each kit includes an educational activity, a hands-on game with an educational focus, a book in English or Spanish (donated by Scholastic and Half Price Books), all materials needed for the activity and, for the younger grade levels, a coloring book. The packets also include resources for parents and caregivers, including information about how to talk to kids about stress, daily devotions and information about how parents can connect with the Kroc Center for additional resources and support.
Along with accessibility, another benefit of the activity kits is that they give kids something active to do during a time when much of their entertainment is coming from television, YouTube or video games. “Some of the games we’ve included in the packets engage the whole family, so it’s something parents and kids can do together,” said Boesiger. “Parents have told us that picking up each week’s activity kit is the highlight not just of their kids’ week but of their week too.”
Visit the Kroc Center Omaha’s Facebook page for more information and updates.