In mid-March, when the escalating coronavirus pandemic began shuttering schools across the state, Guilford Center for Children (GCC) teachers and staff were faced with the difficult prospect of losing income—and being unable to interact with their young students, missing out on those bonds and relationships that are especially vital for pre-school age children.
Rather than let that happen, GCC staff have spent the last few weeks making sure they remain a presence in the lives of these students, putting together everything from individual lessons to entire websites in order to help maintain educational continuity through the closure.
The parents, for their part, have been finding ways to recognize and support those teachers, who themselves are having to fight through uncertain times.
“We are a very, very close knit community,” said GCC Director Lisa Jones. “My teachers…are going above and beyond. Obviously they’re not getting paid by GCC right now, but they are still in that role—they’re in teacher mode. They miss their kids and their families.”