Dear friends and colleagues,
Even before COVID-19, youth in New Orleans were vulnerable to many challenges that can affect their ability to thrive both in and out of school. Despite so many people giving it their best effort, the past year will likely exacerbate many of the inequities already affecting New Orleans’ youth and families.
A pre-existing digital divide, where 28% of New Orleans households lacked an Internet connection, affected students in low-income households’ ability to participate in online learning. Finding affordable childcare was a challenge for working parents before the pandemic, but was made more difficult because of COVID class size restrictions and school closures.
Preparation for the upcoming school year needs to consider lost learning due to pandemic-related school closures and learning disruptions as well as the absence of a COVID-19 vaccine for kids under 12. Now is the time to take stock of what children and families have endured over this school year.
As the school year closes, we are releasing the last of our three-part series reflecting on one year with COVID — this time focusing on New Orleans’ youth and families. While a lot is not known about new COVID variants, many lessons can be learned from New Orleans’ response to the COVID pandemic over this past year.
Find One Year with COVID: Schools on our webpage at:
Bringing you the data you need to make informed decisions,
The Data Center Team
Cody Brumfield, Rachel Weinstein, Ellen Kujawa, Katrina Andry, Erica Amrine, Allison Plyer, Thomas Wilson, Dabne Whitemore, Jenna Losh, Don Asay, Robby Habans, and Lamar Gardere
