1

Supporting Our Scholars During the Coronavirus Pandemic

Dear Higher Achievement Family,

Our hearts and minds are full as we prepare to serve scholars amid this prolonged pandemic. First and foremost, we hope that you and your loved ones are healthy and safe. While COVID-19 has been difficult for everyone, we realize that many of you have suffered personal losses in your own families and communities. This is why we work hard to offer a loving afterschool environment to support learning with our scholars.

Our first priority is safely serving scholars in person, and thus our safety plans are based on requirements of each of our school districts and CDC guidance.

Accordingly, we are:

  • Requiring all of our program staff and volunteers to be vaccinated;
  • Requiring that scholars, staff, and volunteers wear masks at all times, and maintain 3 feet between scholars and 6 feet distance from adults during all aspects of programming;
  • Ensuring that scholars, staff, and volunteers wash their hands frequently, and use hand sanitizer regularly;
  • Working closely with our school partners to ensure there is continuous cleaning of classrooms, restrooms, and other shared spaces;
  • Implementing a contract tracing process and Center operational procedures to reduce possible exposure to COVID-19 and ensure prompt notification to all Center participants;
  • Monitoring school district guidance and safety best practices as conditions change.

A strong partnership among Higher Achievement staff, scholars, families, volunteers, and school partners is an essential component of a safe and positive learning environment. We pledge to communicate to you any updates on COVID policies and procedures across our organization, keep you informed of any COVID cases that occur among our scholars, staff, or volunteers at your Center, and share with you our safety protocols related to those cases. If you have any questions, please reach out to the Learning Director (previously called Center Director) at your scholar’s school. We look forward to working closely with you to offer a safe, supportive learning environment for our scholars.

In gratitude and partnership,

Lynsey Wood Jeffries, CEO
Carla Watson, CPO
Jessica Walbridge Richardson, COO