Education is going to look different this year, whether your child is headed back to a physical school or preparing for virtual learning at home.

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, many mothers across the country are faced with the tough decision to choose.

mater mea, a Black motherhood website focusing on lifestyle and career, is doing something to help.

Starting Monday, it will host a series of panels featuring educators, therapists and service providers that will answer questions about schooling during the pandemic.

“In all the memes and status updates about back-to-school season, there was one common thread: No one knows what is going on,” mater mea’s Founder and Editor-in-Chief Tomi Akitunde told Hey, Black Mom! “Parents are used to having access to information for making the best possible decision for their families. But the lack of guidance and leadership across the board is leaving a lot of parents feeling confused, scared and overwhelmed about these less-than-ideal circumstances.

“mater mea prides itself on being Black Mom Google, and giving our community access to people who are experts in their fields, so I wanted to create judgement-free spaces for parents to get answers that they’re not able to get from their districts.”

The event is free, but Akitunde is asking for $10 donations where possible to support the week-long virtual program.

 

 

 

 

 

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Next week, we’re hosting free events answering all of your back-to-school questions on Zoom at 8 p.m. EST!⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ Mama, AMA* (ask me anything) is an opportunity to ask educators, therapists, service providers, and fellow parents whatever you want about pandemic schooling.⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ Swipe through to see all the topics we’ll be covering and click the link in the bio to RSVP. (All events will be recorded, and shared with people who RSVP’d first.)⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ What are some questions you have about pandemic schooling? Leave them in the comments!

A post shared by mater mea | Black Mom Google (@matermea) on Aug 14, 2020 at 12:15pm PDT

The back-to-school series will kick off Monday with the topic of online learning, and there will be a new subject each day until Friday.

Panelists will be available for questions about first-time homeschooling, special education, balancing work and school demands and children’s mental health.

“Every state is different and so is every circumstance, so I made the topics as broad as possible to hit the most common concerns I was seeing,” Akitunde said. “The questions will also speak to the diverse realities of parenting and education kids through a pandemic: some parents are essential workers, some parents aren’t partnered, some parents have kids of differing abilities and needs.

“I hope everyone leaves feeling a little less stressed, more secure in their choices and better able to support their kids through this school year.”

Register for mater mea’s online back-to-school event HERE.