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COVID-19 Response

In summer 2020, the Discovery Center converted in to a licensed emergency childcare facility and provided over 200,000 hours of childcare and 50,000 free meals and snacks for 1,500 children. Utilizing a ground breaking pod system, we were able to facilitate small group, in-person learning for the entirety of the pandemic. From this work, we were chosen from 1,000 applicants as the inaugural winner of the $1 million STOP Award from Forbes and the Center for Education Reform.

COVID-19 Education

This is a small sample of the education signs I created for our reopen. I wanted to keep signage bright and fun, drawing parallels to children's books in hopes of keeping the content informational but not frightening as we taught children about COVID-19 in the summer of 2020.

An illustrated sign that reads "Science Safety. Be sure to keep 6ft away from other groups!" With two children carrying a DNA strand over their heads horizontally with a sign attached that reads "6 feet"
An illustrated sign that reads "Mask Safety. Learn how to put on and take off your mask like a scientist!" And includes step-by-step instructions on how to put on and take off a mask.

Emergency Child Care Media Coverage

Below is a small sample of the media coverage of our 2020 emergency childcare. For the "Now This News" video, I drafted the script that's shown on screen that was then edited for pacing by their team once b-roll was finalized. As a note, at the time of filming we did not require childcare staff or children to wear masks. This was a difficult but conscious decision as we were trying to balance physical and psychological health for our students; we wanted to keep things feeling "normal" as long as possible (many of these children had parents in healthcare services). Once more data was released in late spring, we required all staff and children to mask.

Forbes and CER $1 million STOP Award

Out of 1,000 applicants, the Discovery Center was selected as the inaugural winner of the $1 million STOP Award for "Sustainable, Transformational and Outstanding education for students in Permissionless settings" during the COVID-19 pandemic. As a finalist, one of the requirements was to pitch a tech solution to a current educational concern within our community. In one night, I created a slide deck and app high-fidelity mock up for our Executive Director to present in New York City. The video below includes a portion of that presentation.

Meet the finalist Discovery Center Video

A digital mock up of an iPad displaying an app. The top reads "Susie Q" and underneath has different school subjects listed with completion bars filled to varying levels.
A photo of a child in a suit smiling and holding up a giant novelty check for the $1 million STOP Award.
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