02 Jul 2020 |
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Good afternoon Launch families—
We hope that you and your family are well as summer has officially begun!
Public schools across the nation are considering what Fall 2020 looks like, and Seattle is no exception. The short-term and long-term impact of COVID-19 on children and families continues to be at the forefront of our minds as we create plans for the upcoming school year.
At this time, Launch’s programs are primarily located within Seattle Public School buildings, which ties any re-opening plans directly to how they plan to move forward. Additionally, how students receive their education in the fall will impact how Launch is able to operate.
We are exploring all options to ensure we can continue providing the high-quality, mission driven programs that have served our community for 43 years. We are leveraging our partnerships, advocating at the local and state level, and using our voice to highlight how integral childcare and preschool programs are in not only supporting public schools, but our economic and social infrastructure as a whole.
At this time, we are still gathering information from Seattle Public Schools and the Seattle Preschool Program about how schools will look in the Fall and what that means for Launch’s before & afterschool and preschool programs. As much as we hope to be able to serve each and every Launch student this Fall, the reality is that our programs are dependent upon decisions by Seattle Public Schools regarding access to space. We hope to get more clarity from the district about their plans in the coming weeks and what that means for our programs, structures, and health and safety protocols as they intersect with the K-12 system.
We ask that you are patient as we work through these various plans, and hope that you will work with us to inform our practice, advocate to the school district regarding our programs, and lend your personal voice and story to ensure that our students are on their way to brilliant futures.
Please stay tuned in the coming weeks as we learn more, and share our plans.
Best,
Laura Nicholson, Director of Operations
