Essential supports for essential employees
New program addresses local educational inequities
Laura López’s 14-year-old daughter came home from school puzzled. “You must have talked with my math teacher,” she probed.
López had not contacted the teacher, but her daughter’s tutor had. Lexie Van Voorhees, a secondary education student in the School of Education, told the teacher about the teenager’s capabilities in mathematics and the anxieties limiting the dynamics between a teacher and student from different backgrounds.
That simple but compassionate heart-to-heart afforded perspective to the teacher and resulted in a complete turnaround in López’s daughter’s relationship with her teacher and mathematics.
López is a member of the maintenance team, and she has seven kids, ages 2–17, participating in the School of Education’s new Buffs for Front Line Service Employees (Buffs4FLSE) program.
Buffs4FLSE offers in-person sessions, online academic support and a 5-week summer camp for the school-age children of the university’s essential employees at no cost. The program grew out of the need to provide immediate educational support to families disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, but its equity mission and multigenerational educational support aims to endure beyond the pandemic.
A troubling trend
At the start of the 2020–21 school year, news spread nationwide that many parents planned to pool their resources to hire private teachers and create “learning pods” for their children because of shifts to remote learning settings. This was a troubling trend for many educational researchers, including Wagma Mommandi, a doctoral candidate who now co-directs Buffs4FLSE with recent doctoral graduate Ángeles Osorio Cooper.
“I will not criticize what parents do individually, but it became clear that this was becoming a situation where the collective action of privileged parents was exacerbating long-standing equity gaps,” Mommandi said.
She took her frustrations to Twitter, where she synced up with School of Education Dean Kathy Schultz and Assistant Professor Melissa Braaten, who were also concerned about deepening inequities as wealthy families formed learning pods.
The heartbeat of the university
Together, they agreed on creating programs that immediately support the families of the university’s front line service employees, essential workers who have been working throughout the pandemic to keep campus safe and clean, serve nourishing foods, and attend to the grounds that help earn accolades as one of most beautiful campuses in the nation.
The team worked with Craig Cook, human resources program manager for ’s 550-plus front line service employees, to gauge interest in and spread the word about the developing program.
“My first initial reaction was: ‘wow,’ and to be honest, it was one of those: ‘wow, it’s about time,’” said Cook. “We have all these departments—including the School of Education, language support, the business school—that can benefit every individual on campus who has a desire to better themselves.”
Cook has spent 16 years on campus, including time as a cook, chef and manager, and he is an advocate for supporting the university’s large contingent of diverse service employees.
“Front line service employees are the heartbeat of the university. Without them, the university doesn't exist,” he said.
An idea into action
Mommandi and Osorio Cooper credit community support and Dean Schultz’s leadership for helping turn an idea into a reality. The program continues to this day thanks to financial support from the chancellor’s office and donors like alumna Chris Willis.
It was clear that this program was a great fit for what I wanted to be able to do as a donor. It feels so good to know that our initial gift is likely to make a difference both during the pandemic and in the long term.”
“It was clear that this program was a great fit for what I wanted to be able to do as a donor,” said Willis (PhDEdu’02).
“My personal involvement in education is driven primarily by a desire to make a difference in the lives of the underserved and disenfranchised, along with a commitment to the importance of that goal in pursuit of a healthier and more stable democracy in this country.
“It feels so good to know that our initial gift is likely to make a difference both during the pandemic and in the long term.”
Keeping it up
López and the other parents in the program also hope the program will continue for years to come. They see their children flourishing, and at school, teachers are taking note, too. One teacher told López: “Whatever you are doing, keep it up.”
Parents go to great lengths to integrate Buffs4FLSE into their busy work and family schedules, but they enjoy sharing and a window into higher education with their children.
“They feel a part of the community now,” López said.