Helping parents support their children with distance learning as a result of schools being physically closed or limiting their capacity as result of the COVID-19 pandemic, will be the focus of two webinars this month hosted by the Watson Literacy Center in the College of Education at Cal State San Bernardino.

“Equipping K-12 Parents to Support Their Children in the Distance Learning Environment” will offer strategies to help parents to help their children who are attending virtual classes, said Chinaka DomNwachukwu, dean of the College of Education. The two webinars will be on Oct. 10 from 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m., and Oct. 24 from 2-4:30 p.m. Both dates are on Saturday.

The Oct. 10 webinar will focus on parents with elementary school children, parents of special needs children, and technology support for parents. The speakers for the Oct. 10 webinar include DomNwachukwu, philanthropists James and Judy Watson, for whom the Watson and Associates Literacy Center is named; and Judy White, superintendent, Riverside County Office of Education.

The Oct. 24 webinar will focus on parents with junior high and high school children, parents of special needs children, and technology support for parents. The speakers for the Oct. 24 webinar include DomNwachukwu, James and Judy Watson, and Ted Alejandre, superintendent, San Bernardino County Office of Education.

“We are inviting all parents who bring their children to the college’s Watson’s Literacy Center, who will be given priority, and we are extending the invitation to other parents in the San Bernardino and Riverside county schools,” DomNwachukwu said.

“Parents have encountered so many challenges in terms of helping their children learn in a virtual environment,” said DomNwachukwu. “Our goal is to help parents by offering approaches they can use to help their children learn more effectively.”

Founded in 2004, the Watson and Associates Literacy Center is a component of the CSUSB College of Education. The Literacy Center provides one-to-one literacy tutoring in all four domains of literacy: listening, speaking, writing and reading to children in grades kindergarten through 12. The Literacy Center is designed to provide tutoring services to students who have not yet achieved grade-level proficiency in literacy, or to any student who would benefit from individual support to advance their skills.