As we enter the Fall season, there is a surge of families rising up to provide education for their children amidst a period of K12 school closures due to the pandemic. At Kids Konnect, we join Gov. Newsom in applauding parents’ resourcefulness, but we must draw on our experience to warn against taking rash action when we are in crisis mode.
Learn about safe Pandemic Pods here
In these unprecedented times, Pandemic Pods or Learning Pods as they’ve been coined, have been an overnight sensation, with thousands of people joining Facebook groups to connect with local families and teachers.
And the concept has many merits that Kids Konnect absolutely stands behind: an in-person solution to continue children’s education, relief for busy working parents in need of childcare, and the pooling of resources between families.
However, there is serious risk to our children on the horizon if families choose to participate in this cottage industry that has sprung up. Facebook is the primary means of communication, teachers are hired via online ads with no official recruitment process, and there is no third party governing body involved to facilitate the program. With few control parameters, we urge parents to acknowledge that they are inviting a stranger into their home to care for their children, and we cannot recommend this as a course of action.
Pod Predators
The term “Pod Predators” has already been used to depict individuals who are abusing the trust of desperate families. Inexperienced at hiring teachers, families may be vulnerable to con artists who can manufacture fake documents to get themselves into your house and into your trust. Even to take a less extreme view, families have no way of checking if teachers have been excused from other school districts in unfavorable circumstances. And I think I can speak for all parents when I say that that is a terrifying prospect.
Health and Safety for Pandemic Pods
Aside from the individual’s being hired, without a third party involved, parents and teachers are left to create a health and safety protocol themselves with no guidance. Schools and other places of education are rigorously tested for the protocols they have in place to cover situations such as fire, allergies, medical emergencies, etc and with COVID restrictions in place there is a greater need for this than ever. It is a huge responsibility for inexperienced individuals to formulate a suitable protocol, particularly with children from different families involved and lessons taking place in individual’s homes where no risk assessment is required.
The Safe Solution to Pandemic Pods
With all this in mind, Kids Konnect has created a service designed to facilitate and coordinate Pandemic Pods in a safe and secure way. Peaz in a Pod has been specifically created to help families access all the benefits of a Pandemic Pod with the security of an experienced childhood education provider ensuring children’s safety.
Benefits of using Peaz in a Pod:
- Fully managed service that coordinates the Pod formation and coordination
- Run by childhood development experts with more than 20 years' experience
- Excellent, experienced teachers dedicated to education led childcare
- All paperwork managed including teacher payment and tax benefits, insurance, health checks and reference checks
- No hassle of recruiting and vetting your own teacher
- Easy payment
- Enjoyable lessons for children in a familiar environment that resembles school schedule
- Teachers subject to regular COVID 19 tests
- Peace of mind that your children are being cared for and continuing their education in a safe and stable environment
- Homeschool location risk assessments
Visit the Peaz in a Pod website to learn more, view the costs and submit an enquiry. It’s easy to get started and we would love to welcome you to the Kids Konnect family.