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Lessons learned in a pandemic year January 6, 2021 on News
MOUNT DESERT ISLAND It started out like any other year, but 2020 took a big turn for what some would consider the worst year in recent history.
While a global pandemic slowed our lives to a mere tick tock of the clock, the killing of a Black man in Minneapolis incited protests, and more people turned out to vote than in any other presidential election.
Many watched the world go by from their living rooms or chose to binge watch whatever their favorite streaming platform offered. Others took up hobbies like baking bread or cooking what could no longer be ordered from their favorite restaurant.
Families rely on local childcare programs during remote-only learning
BAR HARBOR Without the childcare programs at the YMCA and Harbor House Community Service Center, families who can’t work remotely would be forced to choose between paying for housing and food or educating their kids, according to one parent whose child attends the Y for remote learning.
“As a single parent working full time, the YMCA has been vital to my ability to stay employed and provide life’s necessities for my daughter while also knowing she is in a safe, enriching environment where she is able to complete her remote learning work and keep up with her classmates,” said Kala Ward in an email to the Islander. Her daughter went to the YMCA during remote learning last spring, in September for the first three weeks of this school year and for the next two weeks.