Due to COVID-19’s impact, caregivers and their children have struggled with the logistical and emotional distress of learning from home. LA County Library has always provided essential support services to parents and caregivers, so it was important to create programs designed directly to address the specific needs of caregivers during this unique situation. Since the most common non-English language spoken in the county is Spanish, the library also sought to make this program accessible to Spanish-speaking communities.

To develop the program, staff created and distributed a survey to parents and caregivers to gauge what challenges were most urgent to address. Events and resources covered topics like using library resources to support learning, managing and tracking schoolwork, signs of stress in your student and helping your child stay focused. The structure allowed participants to interact with presenters, addressing questions and concerns in real time, and curriculum was created with partners from educational institutions.

With a short turnaround time between development and launch, Parent-Ade saw increasing interest, particularly from other entities that work with targeted parent and caregiver populations. Over 720 people attended almost 50 live Parent-Ade programs from November 2020-June 2021, with many responses of thanks and appreciation for the information and help they receive through the program. As libraries reopen to the public, and schooling circumstances shift, the program is evolving to meet these changing needs.