At Flex Academies, we’re always growing and adapting to what families, PTAs and school administrators need. This year, though, has challenged us to stretch even beyond what anyone thought we could.
In March, when schools were forced to shut their doors due to the pandemic, we heard from families who were at wit’s end. Schools did a great job to implement remote learning, but telecommuting parents were in a panic. How could their kids stay busy and productive each day after remote learning was done? In the past, kids would be at after school enrichment, learning yoga, or chess, or cooking. But what were parents supposed to do in this new situation?
Our Operations Team, led by COO Michael Fay and Directors of Operations Rhondalyne Reed and Carmen Senter, devised a great solution: Online enrichment, offered by Flex ONE. The new offspring of Flex Academies provided safe, scheduled and social online enrichment for those hours after remote learning. We heard from parents around the country, and the world, who were thrilled that their kids were having productive fun while interacting with other kids on their computer screens, and their kids were loving it.
As summer approached, our team was at it again. They created “Camp Reimagined,” an online, interactive approach to summer fun and learning. Sure, we all would rather our kids had the traditional outdoor camp experience, but since that wasn’t possible, Flex ONE offered the next best thing: A virtual camp where each week had an exciting theme, like “Space Week,” “Superheroes Week” and “Animals Week.” Kids got to meet guest speakers like an environmental educator who works with exotic animals, an engineer who played a key role on the recent SpaceX rocket launch, and an author who writes about kindness. And we met some wonderful families and kids who can teach us adults a thing or two about video conference etiquette! Their Zoom skills are awesome!
As many parents were concerned about the loss of academic skills through what experts are calling the “COVID Slide,” we launched Flex Academies Super Tutors, whose “superpowers” include not only being experts in their subjects, but being able to connect with kids and engage them online. Our super Directors of Tutoring Seth Tendler and Jill Ashley are doing an incredible job of matching students with tutors who will connect with them and boost their confidence. We look forward to continuing throughout the remainder of the summer and into the new school year.
Now, we’re going to stop and take a deep breath for a few weeks. There will be no programming next week, as we’re in the final stages of building our new website. And the following two weeks, we’ll be offering free enrichment to all of our families who have stood by us as our worlds suddenly shifted. Stay tuned for information on that.
Beginning in early September, Flex Academies will offer “drop-in” enrichment for families to try, as well as 4-week enrichment sessions that will begin around 3 p.m. each weekday. And of course, tutoring will continue as well.
You’ll notice that “Flex ONE” will become a one-stop-shop website for all Flex Academies programs. We’re excited about it, and we’ll be rolling out information in the coming weeks.
And we continue to move forward, adapting and innovating, as we marvel at and learn from the past, ever changing and adapting to our families’ needs. We’re FLEXible that way…
Thank you for putting your trust in Flex Academies.
Sincerely,
Joshua Chernikoff
Founder/CEO
