Resources for Families During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Dear Achieve Family, 

We care about you all so much and we are hoping that everyone is doing the best they can during this difficult time. Here at Achieve, we want to know that we’re thinking of you and are offering everyone a virtual hug. We love you all!

As our country and the world continue to face the challenges presented by the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, Achieve Miami seeks to aggregate information and resources that may be helpful for students and families during this difficult time.

FOOD DISTRIBUTION/DONATION

      • MDCPS Resources: For food access during spring break please refer to Miami-Dade County Service Centers for Families in Need.
      • Feeding South Florida: Feeding South Florida provides direct-service programs to individuals in need of assistance. If you would like to refer a client to Feeding South Florida for benefits assistance, please fill out the Client Referral Form. If you’re in need of food assistance, search the directory to find an agency near you. Please call each agency to find out their hours of operation. No one in need of assistance should ever be charged for food. If you are asked to pay, please contact an Agency Relations team member.
      • Farmshare: Farmshare distributes healthy and nutritious fruits, vegetables, proteins and other non-perishable food to Florida families, children, seniors and individuals in need. To find a food bank, click here. 

If you have the resources to support food distribution efforts in our community, please consider donating to Feeding South Florida or Farmshare.

ONLINE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES

If you’re a student or if you’re home with students, here are some great educational resources that we’d recommend you look into!

If you do not currently have internet service, please know that Xfinity has opened up it’s hotspots and that Comcast is offering two months of free internet service for low-income families.

      • How ‘regular school’ parents can homeschool their kids: Do not know where to start? Tips on how to homeschool in an organized way. 
      • Funbrain.com: If you have a student between kinder and 8th grade, Funbrain.com offers games, videos and books based on grade level. 
      • Khan Academy: Offers lessons covering math K-12 through early college, grammar, science, history, AP®, SAT®, and more. It’s all free for learners and teachers.
      • Newsela.com: Great resource looking for grade-level readings on almost any topic.  
      • OxfordOwl: Ages 3-11 online books, activities and maths skills.
      • Internet Archive: 20 million downloadable books and texts. Free with an account. 
      • Caribu: A mobile/ipad app that allows students to read books with friends and family members. All subscription fees are currently waived. 
      • Virtual Field Trips: Includes opportunities to take virtual field trips to locations like San Diego Zoo, Yellowstone National Park Virtual Field Trip and other awesome sites with your child!
      • Busy Toddler: Educational at-home activities for kids ages 1-5 using many materials that may already be in your home (also offers a paid ebook that contains at-home lesson plans from a former Kindergarten teacher)
      • Other Goose: Daily lessons specifically designed for children age 2-7.  Sign up for three free weeks of educational and learning lessons. 
      • PBS Kids: Daily activities & tips to help kids play and learn at home. PBS Kids includes both free and paid apps.   
      • Music Theory: Build up your child’s musical knowledge with free & paid apps that increase music capabilities with at home lessons.
      • Chrome Music Lab: Chrome Music Lab is a website that makes learning music more accessible through fun, hands-on experiments.

KEEPING YOURSELF, YOUR FAMILY, AND YOUR COMMUNITY HEALTHY

      • If soap and water are not readily available, use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. Cover all surfaces of your hands and rub them together until they feel dry.
      • Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
      • Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds especially after you have been in a public place, or after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.
      • Avoid close contact with people who are sick
      • Put distance between yourself and other people. Even if you feel healthy, practice social distancing to ensure that you do not unknowingly spread the disease to others, especially those people who are at higher risk of getting very sick.
      • Clean and disinfect high-touch surfaces daily in household common areas (e.g. tables, hard-backed chairs, doorknobs, light switches, remotes, handles, desks, toilets, sinks)
      • Launder items including washable plush toys as appropriate in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. If possible, launder items using the warmest appropriate water setting for the items and dry items completely. Dirty laundry from an ill person can be washed with other people’s items.

You can find additional information on preventing COVID-19 at Prevention for 2019 Novel Coronavirus and at Preventing COVID-19 Spread in Communities. Additional information on how COVID-19 is spread is available at How COVID-19 Spreads.

For more information about how Miami-Dade County Public Schools are handling the coronavirus situation, please visit this website. Specific resources include M-DCPS Support Lines, M-DCPS Online Resources, Coronavirus Updates.

If you need anything else from Achieve Miami at this time, please reach out to us at achieve@achievemiami.org.