
It
was
the
middle
of
the
summer
of
2020.
School
buildings
had
been
closed
for
months
and
teachers
were
preparing
for
the
back-to-school
season,
still
a
little
unsure
of
what
the
start
of
the
new
school
year
would
look
like
during
a
global
pandemic.
During
a
professional
development
Zoom
meeting,
Joanne
Ortiz,
English
to
speakers
of
other
languages
(ESOL)
teacher
at
Marumsco
Hills
Elementary
School,
raised
the
question
of
how
to
meet
the
needs
of
students
who
had
little
or
no
internet
access,
or
who
would
be
sharing
Prince
William
County
Public
School
(PWCS)
devices
under
the
digital
equity
plan.
Her
question
was
sparked
by
a
conversation
with
a
family
last
spring
in
preparation
for
the
initial
round
of
distance
learning.
"When
I
was
speaking
with
the
family,
the
mother
relayed
to
me
that
while
she
and
her
husband
both
had
iPhones,
they
did
not
own
any
internet
devices
or
Wi-Fi,"
said
Ortiz.
"The
father
would
need
to
take
his
phone
to
work,
leaving
both
the
elementary-aged
children
sharing
one
iPhone
to
stay
connected
to
teachers
and
schoolwork."
During
the
phone
conversation,
Ortiz
noticed
the
family's
television
was
on
in
the
background.
Aware
that
this
could
not
be
the
only
family
trying
to
figure
out
how
this
virtual
platform
was
going
to
work,
Ortiz
wondered
if
the
PWCS
television
channel
could
be
utilized
as
another
resource
for
the
Division
to
reach
students
and
families
with
educational
content.
Amie
Weinberg,
professional
development
specialist
in
the
Office
of
Professional
Learning,
led
the
Zoom
meeting
and
recognized
an
opportunity
for
cross-collaboration
among
departments
to
make
this
idea
come
to
fruition
with
the
ultimate
goal
being
to
help
meet
the
needs
of
students
during
this
unprecedented
time.
Weinberg
connected
with
the
team
in
Media
Production
Services
and
after
a
variety
of
brainstorming
sessions
and
partnerships
with
teachers
across
the
School
Division,
the
Young
Learner
Programming
was
launched
on
October
12,
2020,
on
PWCSTV.
The
programming
features
original
content
created
by
PWCS
teachers
that
is
a
mixture
of
material
that
is
supplemented
from
Canvas
lessons
as
well
as
new
material.
"When
developing
content
for
the
Young
Learners
Program,
I
think
back
to
when
I
was
a
child
watching
some
of
my
favorite
shows
and
I
ask
myself
'What
made
learning
fun?'
explains
Delijah
Walton,
preschool
teacher
at
Swans
Creek
Elementary
School.
"I
think
it
all
boils
down
to
engagement.
All
the
characters
in
my
favorite
shows
had
eye
contact,
they
smiled
a
lot,
asked
me
questions,
and
gave
me
time
to
respond,
and
they
overall
made
me
feel
like
they
were
present.
That's
what
I
want
for
the
children
who
watch
the
Young
Learner
Programming.
I
want
them
to
be
engaged
and
feel
present
with
me
at
that
moment."
Teachers
and
staff
are
going
the
extra
mile
during
this
unparalleled
school
year
and
the
launch
of
the
Young
Learner
Programming
is
just
one
example
of
how
efforts
of
collaboration
and
innovation
are
transformed
to
meet
the
ever-changing
needs
of
students
and
their
families.
Young
Learner
Programming
airs
Monday
through
Friday
at
6
a.m,
noon,
and
6
p.m,
on
Comcast
Channel
18,
Verizon
FiOS
Channel
36,
or
at
PWCSTV
website.