TORONTO – The Ontario government has launched an online learning portal to help students while schools are closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Premier Doug Ford and education minister Stephen Lecce announced the launch of “Learn at Home” at a press conference on March 20.
Officials say the portal will offer online math and literacy resources in both French and English, for students from kindergarten to grade 12.
“As a father myself, I know parents always want the best for their children, and I also know from speaking to parents that many are concerned that their child is going to fall behind while schools are closed during this difficult period,” said Ford.
“To support families and students, our government has developed a one-stop spot for at-home learning. It doesn’t replace school, but offers a great alternative as we approach the end of March Break.”
Officials say the Learn at Home resources, created by Ontario educators, will offer “interactive activities that encourage participation through entertaining and stimulating digital content.”
High school content was designed with a focus on STEM courses and to ensure core competencies and skills are reinforced, officials say.
“The Learn at Home initiative will help mitigate ‘learning loss’ during this period of uncertainty,” stated Lecce. “Our plan will provide interactive teacher-led math supports to keep students learning and empower all students to learn key skills with an emphasis on STEM education, while also arming parents with resources to support them as their kids learn at home.”
The province has announced that TVO will play a large role in the government’s plans to help students stuck at home.
“TVO is proud to be part of this important initiative by the Ministry of Education,” said Jennifer Hinshelwood, TVO’s acting COO.
“TVO’s suite of digital learning products are designed to engage young minds in learning – a mission that seems doubly important at times like this when many of our traditional learning environments are not accessible.”
For more information on the Learn at Home initiative, click here.
