Bridging the Pandemic Education Gap
Las Vegas-Clark County Library District
Innovation Synopsis
As the pandemic forced schools to close, the LVCCLD entered into a partnership with the City of Las Vegas to provide distance learning options, technology support and child care for students of working parents. The Vegas Strong Academy was established inside four libraries in key geographic areas.
Challenge/Opportunity
In August 2020, it was announced that the Clark County School District would not open its buildings for in-person instruction. Many parents and students were left without the resources and access computers needed to participate in distanced learning. Partnering with the City of Las Vegas allowed the LVCCLD to fill this need in the community, providing parents with a safe, professional childcare option and access to instruction support and technology, allaying fears that their children would fall behind academically.
Key Elements of Innovation
The Vegas Strong Academy was available from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Friday, August 2020 through March 26, 2021, and was comprised of school day instruction along with extracurricular activities such as storytimes, arts and crafts, STEAM workshops, sports and Engineering for Kids. LVCCLD provided daily meals from our Three Square food pantry partnership for K-12 students and added early hours for K-College at all 13 urban branches plus the rural Mesquite Library from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m., to provide early access to Wi-Fi and computers.
Achieved Outcomes
- Students were provided access to Wi-Fi, technology, and hands-on help to participate in distance learning.
- Working families were able to get safe, convenient, quality childcare.
- Agencies were able to quickly assemble resources and align activities to help families and students during this time.
- LVCCLD and its Foundation funding, plus State Library, Archives and Public Records CARES grant funds were used to purchase laptops, headphones, Wi-Fi hotspots and STEAM programs for academy students.
