United Way of Greater Nashua receives $146K grant to support remote learning
United Way of Greater Nashua receives grant to support remote learning
The United Way of Greater Nashua has received a $146K grant to support English Language Learner (ELL) students during the COVID Pandemic with remote learning. The grant was approved by the NH Department of Education, using CARES Act funding, and being administered by the GOFERR committee. The funding will support a number of key initiatives in the Gate City, including: development of learning modules for key technologies such as Zoom, Google Classroom, etc., translated into a variety of languages including Swahili, Spanish, Portuguese, and Rohingya. The funding will also support the development of an ELL Technology Classroom, purchase of additional WIFI hot spots to connect young learners to the internet, and the acquisition of new technology including document readers and headsets to support teachers and students. According to United Way President Mike Apfelberg, “We are grateful to the Department of Education for this additional funding for our community. Nashua is the most diverse city in the state and with dozens of languages spoken within our schools it has been a big challenge to effectively implement remote learning. In fact, every day we have students and their families reaching out to us for basic assistance including simply connecting to the internet, as well as additional needs like how to utilize technologies like Google Classroom. We view it as absolutely critical that these students don’t get left behind in the pandemic.”
During the COVID Pandemic, United Way of Greater Nashua has assisted families to access food, PPE supplies, and technology. They are currently implementing a program called LEARN UNITED, which is a broad based tutoring program for remote learning support, and have put in place a School Supply and Technology Pantry to bring resources for learning to the community. United Way has already distributed over 275 WIFI hotspots connecting almost 600 students to the internet. More information about United Way’s COVID Response can be found at www.unitedwaynashua.org.
