STEMporium to offer hybrid school support for parents

With news that Gov. John Carney is supporting a hybrid school option for the state, it appears parents will be left with yet another challenging educational predicament for their children this fall.

Those who work in a physical setting or from home share the same concerns about how to focus on their own work that provides for their basic family needs while simultaneously helping their children focus on important schoolwork.

“It’s a seemingly impossible situation for so many families,” say Dawn Vabolis, mother of a second grader. She said her work is intense and requires a lot of focus and Zoom calls to collaborate with fellow remote workers, and she feels  guilty that she can’t also help her daughter with her learning needs during the daytime.

Creative solutions to support parents are critically important.

With safety precautions in place, the Great STEMporium owners have decided to offer hybrid school support programs with a limited number of spaces this fall.

The programs will be configurable to the needs of each student. Parents can choose a morning study support program, where staff will help children focus on their Zoom classes, course work and reading requirements. They can choose an afternoon support program where children will experience hands-on STEM enrichment activities. And parents can choose both programs for a full day of engagement for their child.

“Education is paramount to creating a better world, and making it fun and approachable is our primary mission. We simply can’t stand by and do nothing. It’s too important to the social/emotional well-being and the educational needs of our children and their parents.” said Cari Miller, co-founder of the Great STEMporium.

The STEMporium isn’t providing specific session days yet due to the changing nature of the situation. That said, as a woman and small business owner, Miller reports that the STEMporium is prepared to be nimble and meet the needs of the community quickly.  It is looking at partnering with other local businesses to provide an even broader array of solutions for parents. Miller said she also understands that parents will likely have concerns over affordability. No registration fee will be required, and full semester or full marking period commitments will not be required. Discounts will be available for longer commitments as well as for the second and third child.

Like all businesses, the STEMporium is required to follow strict social distancing practices, mask wearing, sanitization and other protocols. As a children’s facility that welcomes grandparents bringing in grandchildren on a regular basis, it has successfully institutionalized procedures to maximize best practices for controlling the spread of the virus. All these practices will continue to be used within each hybrid support program session too.

“To us, it’s not just a state mandate. It’s an ethical and moral obligation to do everything we can to keep kids and staff safe, and we’re fortunate that our facility and programs offer a controlled environment for kids to be distanced while still having interactive fun,” said Miller.

The STEMporium is now accepting first-come, first-served waitlist sign-ups for its hybrid school support programs. With a price of $19 per day, the sessions are likely to fill up quickly. The programs are available to children ages 8 to 11 who are in second to fifth grades.

For more information, go to  greatstem.com.