COVID-19 Update

The COVID-19 pandemic presents many challenges, especially for PUENTE Learning Center’s students and their families. We hope you are staying healthy and safe during these extraordinary times. However, the coronavirus continues to spread in Los Angeles, and this will affect how we start the upcoming school year.

For the 2020-21 school year, PUENTE classes are continuing with distance learning only, until further notice. With this decision, we are following the guidance from the Los Angeles Unified School District, the Los Angeles Department of Public Health, and other regulatory agencies.

During the last several months, PUENTE has adapted by providing high-quality distance learning, handing out laptops to families in need, and distributing free meals to our community members. You may read more about PUENTE’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic here.

Our challenge is to balance the needs of our students, the impact on our working families, and the health of our community. PUENTE students haven’t had in-person instruction since early March. Although our distance-learning outcomes are better than many of our peers, our students are still experiencing learning loss that will only increase with time, especially for students who are English learners or have special needs. The impact on our working families is also significant, with the vast majority reporting that they either lost their job or have reduced income due to COVID-19. Meanwhile, science tells us that the virus is more contagious than previously thought. In order to re-open our facility while preventing outbreaks, more needs to be done with regards to health protocols, testing and tracing.

The best place for students of all ages to learn is in school. We are working hard to prepare for opening our doors to on-site classes again as soon as it’s safe. Until then, we will not compromise the health of our students, staff, and community members.

As the COVID-19 pandemic develops, we will continue to provide updates that incorporate the best information available at the time. Meanwhile, even though the way we deliver programs has changed, our mission remains the same. We remain People United to Enrich the Neighborhood Through Education. Thank you for your continued support.