COVID-19 RESOURCES
Resources for community support during COVID-19 gathered from community emails and school websites. Page updated February 9, 2021. Tips, info, or things to add? Email cragmontweb@gmail.com.
BUSD Information
Food Access During COVID-19 Containment Period:
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Meal Pick Up Schedule: Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 7:45 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Meal bundles include breakfast and lunch, fresh fruit and milk to cover the number of school days until the next scheduled Grab and Go pick up. For example, on Monday you will receive meals for Monday and Tuesday. Menus are posted here.
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Nutrition Services provides meals for all seven days of the week. On Fridays Grab and Go meals will include breakfast and lunch for Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
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Berkeley Food Network Grocery Bags are available along with your meal pickup on the second and fourth Friday of the month (excepting holidays) starting on January 8th. Dates are as follows: December 18, January 8, January 22, February 10, February 26, March 12, March 26, April 23, May 14, May 28.
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Student meals may be picked up at any of these schools: Berkeley Arts Magnet, Berkeley High School, Longfellow Middle School, Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School, Rosa Parks Elementary, Washington Elementary, Willard Middle School
All BUSD Board meetings are now held via Zoom.
BUSD YouTube Channel
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiV_rTw5lVpiPErXusD_KjQ
Contact information and office hours for School Board Directors
School board meeting agendas/materials are posted at least 72 hours before meetings on the School Board Meeting Information page of our website.
Ed Hub Winter Hours Tuesday and Thursday, 3:00-5:00 pm.
The Ed Hub, which is located at the Berkeley Adult School on Curtis St., between Virginia and Francisco Street, is a one-stop distribution site for all things teaching and learning while school campuses are closed for in-person instruction. During the winter, the Ed Hub is open on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:00 - 5:00 pm.
Free Sonic Internet until July 1, 2021
BUSD and the Berkeley Public Schools Fund are excited to announce a partnership with local internet provider, Sonic, to offer free fiber internet to all qualifying Berkeley Unified School District student households. Check with your current internet provider about your contract terms before cancelling your current service to avoid any unwanted cancellation fees. For signup assistance, families can call Sonic at 510-858-7848.
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Berkeley Federation of Teachers Union Updates
Ways to help schools
The COVID-19 Emergency Assistance Campaign
The COVID-19 Emergency Assistance Campaign was established to assist in the growing needs that Berkeley students and families were experiencing with the complications of the pandemic.
BUSD's Office of Family Engagement & Equity (OFEE) receives requests from families in the schools, and your contributions to the Berkeley Public Schools Fund provides assistance to them.
With your help, we can reach all of our students and families in need. Your donation will ensure that students can access distance learning and families are connected with resources. Help us meet the needs of our community during this crisis.
Please click here to make a donation. Thank you!
Get Involved in the Cragmont PTA. We need you.
There are lots of ways to help our school directly! Volunteer for events, to manage swag, to monitor the school Facebook page and more!
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Be part of a group of people who can help with short discrete tasks such as helping distribute material at Longfellow Middle School. Email cragmontweb@gmail.com to be added to this list.
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Be the social media lead for Cragmont and monitor and moderate the community Facebook page. Email ptapresident@cragmont.org to volunteer.
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Be responsible for maintaining the Cragmont swag store, checking inventory and helping to order more when we run low. Email ptapresident@cragmont.org to volunteer.
Berkeley Schools Volunteers
Berkeley Schools Volunteers has pivoted to become BUSD’s central clearinghouse for COVID-19 community response. Our projects respond to immediate family needs and support the evolution of our district in myriad ways. Learn how you can become a Berkeley Schools Volunteer.
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https://www.berkeleypublicschoolsfund.org/volunteer-5/become-a-volunteer/
Advocacy and support groups
Support for Families
Special Family Events and activities provide opportunities for families of children with special health care needs and disabilities to experience new activities in a stress-free, accepting space. Check out our special events below for more information and dates.
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DREDF
DREDF’s Education Advocates serve parents, youth, and professionals in these Central and Northern California counties. Call us at 1-800-348-4232 or email iephelp@dredf.org
We also conduct regular training in English and Spanish. Check out the Calendar for upcoming trainings.
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More info at https://dredf.org/covid-19-advocacy-and-resources/
La Familia Counseling Service (up to 8 years old, MediCal)
Our Early Childhood and Parenting Teens Mental Health program has Bicultural and Bilingual Spanish speaking Mental Health Clinicians and our Family Partner trained in working specifically with infant and child issues, to support parents with behavioral and relational family issues. We accept child clients from infants up to 7 1/2 years old, as our services for children stop at 8-years old. To be eligible for services the child or teen parent must have full scope MediCal in Alameda County.
Please call us at (510) 300-3574 to discuss eligibility and interest in services. https://www.lafamiliacounseling.org/
East Bay Agency For Children
Building on over 67 years of experience addressing children’s mental health needs, East Bay Agency for Children today invests over $16.5 million annually in over 16,000 East Bay children and families through a comprehensive continuum of services designed to reduce the incidence and impact of childhood trauma and adverse experiences resulting in immediate and long-term life improvement for those children and their families.
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EBAC recognizes these are extraordinary times. Our staff have pivoted our work to support families and meet their immediate needs. View our COVID-19 response overview. EBAC offers these resources to assist you in managing through the uncertainty and challenges.
Open Schools CA
One-hour webinar hosted by the Open Schools Berkeley group on Jan. 15, 2021 featuring medical experts discussing the science of COVID-19 in school settings.
More information:
https://www.busdparents.com/
BANANAS Child Care Referrals
BANANAS mission is to partner with families and child care providers to raise happy, confident children. We offer child care referrals and resources to families with young children and child care professionals in the Northern Alameda County cities of Oakland, Berkeley, Albany, Piedmont, Emeryville, and Alameda. If you need assistance with paying for child care, call us to see if you qualify for a subsidy program. All services are available for families and providers. Staff can be contacted via email or phone. Main: 510-658-7353 / Child Care Referrals: 510-658-0381 / Email: info@bananasbunch.org
BANANAS Workshops and Trainings
BANANAS offers monthly workshops, classes, and support groups in the Northern Alameda County cities of Oakland, Berkeley, Albany, Piedmont, Emeryville, and Alameda. Workshops help parents approach the child care selection process, improve their parenting skills, and learn new coping tactics for a range of issues. https://bananasbunch.org/parents-families/parent-workshops/
City of Berkeley Info and Resources
COVID-19 Data
COVID-19 Vaccine Information
Supplies of COVID-19 vaccine are limited and being offered to different groups in phases, following state and federal frameworks. Berkeley Public Health is currently vaccinating healthcare workers and residents 75 and older. Sign up to be notified when a vaccine is available for you.
The vaccine may be broadly available to everyone over the age of 16 in the summer.
COVID-19 tests in Berkeley
You now have more places to get a COVID-19 test in Berkeley to help more quickly identify whether you or your loved ones should isolate and quarantine to stop the virus' spread. People can make an appointment online.
These tests are performed by Optum, a provider funded by the state and coordinated by the City.
Resources from the Berkeley Public Library
https://www.berkeleypubliclibrary.org/kids
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Use your library card for free tutoring!
BrainFuse HelpNow provides on-demand, expert online tutoring in math, science, social studies, writing, and English for all ages. Tutoring is available every day from 1 p.m. - 10 p.m. BrainFuse is also available as a mobile app (compatible with iOS and Android systems). -
Recommended Reads for Kids
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Highlighted Events for Kids
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Access great research tools for kids: books, magazines and media. The audio option for Explora reads articles aloud. All articles come with citations.
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Check out Kanopy Kids for hundreds of educational and entertaining videos for children. Enjoy unlimited streaming views of movies, TV series, and animated storybooks from the Kanopy Kids collection.
How to reserve books and pick-up holds
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