This spring, when the coronavirus led to an influx of patients in hospitals across the country and the closure of schools to curb the pandemic’s spread, Lacey Harris, a nurse at the Johns Hopkins Hospital, found herself, like many parents across America, unsure of what to do with her 6-year-old son. In the absence of a classroom, she turned to her Pasadena branch of the Y of Central Maryland, enrolling Johnathan in the nonprofit’s first responder’s emergency program, which offered childcare for essential workers, and later its academic support center, which provided assistance with online learning.
“It was a big relief not having to worry about calling family members and shuffling to find childcare last minute,” says Harris. “It was a smooth transition from one program to the next.”
In the face of COVID-19, the Y of Central Maryland has continued its mission of…