With remote learning, Belmont Child Care Association 'double down' on its mission to support the children of backstretch workers

by Jim Reisler

It has been a full day for school-age children headed home on a recent afternoon from Anna House, the childcare and early-childhood education facility at Belmont Park designed for the families of backstretch workers.

In normal times, these students would be attending class at their local grade schools. But with the help of several grants secured by the Belmont Child Care Association, Inc. (BCCA), which oversees the operation at Anna House, they're part of a new virtual learning program in which grade-school children of backstretch workers are attending school at Anna House by using a combination of remote learning and in-person teaching.

Welcome to one of the feel-good stories of early education in the pandemic era. At a time when many educational institutions continue to face a range of coronavirus-related challenges, Anna House has actually expanded its offerings for the children of backstretch workers like the remote learning class, since its June reopening.

"During this time of education and internet inequality, our virtual learning program allows us to 'double down' on our mission to give these children a great head start and to do so safely," says Joanne K. Adams, BCCA Executive Director. "BCCA built out its toolkits to offer a state-of-the-art virtual learning program, balanced by in-person teaching, which allows us to support our students who are disproportionately impacted by remote learning."

The BCCA program places Kindergarten through fifth graders into learning pods of up to 10 students each. Sitting at least six feet apart around the classroom, students use iPads and earphones for the virtual lessons for their core subjects. They receive a hot lunch, as well as in-person one-on-one, after-school tutoring.

The remote learning program was set up in coordination with local school districts. As with all the classes at Anna House, it also utilizes the most up-to-date health guidance and safety protocols established by the New York State Department of Health, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (C.D.C.) and BCCA's educational consultant, Bright Horizons, to combat the spread of COVID-19.

Anna House has expanded its offerings in other ways as well since reopening on June 22 after being closed for more than three months. Through another grant, pre-school children in daycare are now enrolled in a remote-learning music and arts program. BCCA's Women's Literacy English classes for the mothers of the children attending Anna House, formerly held in-person, are now featured via Zoom.

Since reopening, Anna House has been operating with safety top of mind. To combat the spread of COVID-19, all teachers and staff wear masks. There is strict adherence to social distancing, and rules for dropping off and picking up the children, who are walked in and out of the building each morning and afternoon by a staffer. Lunches come pre-packaged and the children sit apart while eating. The playground is disinfected after each use.

If a lot is different at the building just inside Gate 6 on the spacious grounds at Belmont Park, the look and atmosphere at Anna Hose endures. It remains a bright, airy place, where the children's artwork decorate the walls of the atrium. The school garden, where the children plant flowers, is again flourishing, while the classrooms, as always, offer a warm, welcoming feel.

"The families of these children, the backstretch workers, are the unsung heroes of this pandemic, people who kept working when COVID-19 was at its most extreme in New York," says BCCA President Libby Imperio. "By innovating to give our best to their children, we're giving to a population that have really dealt with a lot this year. We owe them so much."

While Anna House was closed because of the pandemic, BCCA staff remained active in helping families on the backstretch. They mounted a drive to collect supplies for the children. Adams also worked with United Way of Long Island through its United Together Response Fund for COVID-19 to distribute donated gift cards, totaling more than $30,000 in value, to all backstretch workers at Belmont Park.

Also, the BCCA hosted its annual fundraiser online during the week-long "Racing for the Children" virtual party in early August during the Saratoga summer meet. The virtual format, which served as a temporary substitute for BCCA's annual dinner, featured video messages from racing personalities, a premium auction and recipes from Saratoga Springs restaurants, among other interactive elements.

All proceeds from the "Racing for the Children" party support the BCCA's mission to care for the children and families of the backstretch as well as the forthcoming Saratoga Child Care Center, now under construction on the Saratoga backstretch near the Rec Center, which is set to debut in 2021.

Adams says the resumption of classes, the continued community programs, and particularly the remote learning program at Anna House, have served to strengthen the bonds with backstretch families during this challenging time.

BCCA Board Chairman and co-founder Michael Dubb said the reopening of Anna House along with its expanded educational offerings are important steps forward for backstretch workers, who kept fulfilling their duties, often at considerable personal risk, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We can't ever repay the backstretch workers for their contributions to our sport, especially during the pandemic," says Dubb. "What we can continue to do is find new ways of attending to the well-being of their children. Helping their kids makes our industry and sport stronger."

About the Belmont Child Care Association

The Belmont Child Care Association's mission is to provide a safe, supportive, and academically inspiring environment for the children of parents working in the thoroughbred racing backstretch areas of New York's Belmont Park, Aqueduct Racetrack, and Saratoga Race Course. It is committed to promoting early childhood education, molding young minds, and encouraging the fulfillment of dreams.

For information, visit www.belmontchildcare.org.