City of Bend, Better Together partner for free tutoring, services to older students

Also more funding for Boys and Girls Clubs school day programs

REDMOND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- In a second major push to support Central Oregon students and families navigating distance learning during the pandemic, Better Together has partnered with the city of Bend to bring free one-on-one distance tutoring and therapeutic and psychiatric services to middle and high school students.

The city of Bend has directed $100,000 from Federal CARES Act funds toward this effort to expand upon Better Together’s school-age child care initiative, launched in August in partnership with a team of educators, service providers and business and civic leaders.

The initiative is designed to respond to the region’s evolving child care crisis created by the pandemic.

In only four weeks, the partners identified a short-term solution and secured $750,000 to provide five days of full-day school age child care each week for nearly 1,000 children ages 5 to 10 at 26 sites in Deschutes County.

The additional city of Bend funding expands the scope of the effort to include support for students ages 11 and up, brings two new partners to the table and increases funding for Boys and Girls Clubs of Bend to continue their school day programs. 

The new partners are Bloom Tutors, an organization that pairs local tutors with students, and The Child Center Central Oregon a non-profit human services agency that offers psychiatric and therapeutic programs.

Bloom Tutors is now partnering with Bend-La Pine Schools to provide 10 to 20 middle school students with free 1- to 2-hour tutoring sessions per week for up to six weeks. All tutors are experienced educators with subject-area training and background checks. The focus of this partnership is on supporting families who might otherwise not have funds to pay a tutor.

The Child Center Central Oregon, which has moved almost all their services to telehealth during the pandemic, will provide up to 8 middle school students with a safe and supportive, in-person learning environment and social support groups that build upon coping skills, life skills and resiliency. The face-to-face, supportive socio-emotional learning pod will take place in a socially distant office environment, under the restrictions and precautions set forth by the Oregon Health Authority.

“Middle school and high school-aged students will likely be the last to return to school and the communities where they may find support and are engaged with others in ways that encourage their development as young people,” said Stephanie Beamer, executive director of Better Together.

“These are also the students who are more likely to remain at home without the care of an adult, and some of those students could be responsible for their siblings.  Resources allowing students to engage in-person allows them to take part in their education as active learners.” Beamer said.

According to Andrea Vielma, M.A., co-director of Central Oregon programs for The Child Center, a number of parents have been reaching out to share the struggles that their kids are facing as COVID-19 rates surge and the reality of in-person learning for older students remains uncertain.

“We are hearing so many heartbreaking stories,” said Vielma. “Better Together and the city of Bend have been instrumental in helping give some light to the lives of these kids.”

Becca Tatum, who is contracted with Better Together to lead the school-age child care initiative, explained that the partnership between the city of Bend and Better Together came together quickly, with city Economic Development Director Carolyn Eagan stepping up to champion the effort.

“Carolyn and the City of Bend team have been working since long before the pandemic to understand and address the child care needs of employers and employees, particularly for women in the local workforce,” Tatum said.

“Like Better Together, the city plays a critical role in gathering community input and pulling the right people together to make things happen.  As soon as we recognized the opportunity to combine our efforts and wrap around local families, we had their support and leadership,” she added.

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About Better Together

Better Together actively works to improve the educational outcomes and well-being of young people through regional, cross-sector partnership and alignment. To learn more, visit their website at bettertogethercentraloregon.org.

About High Desert Education Service District

HDESD is a regional support system that links school districts in Central Oregon to state and national education resources.