How can the country take a national approach to the pandemic?
I believe the country needs to take this pandemic seriously in a multi-phased approach including the following actions:
Childcare stipend for every family making $200,000 or less with children 12 and under
I believe that every family should get a hefty childcare stipend to support their childcare needs if they make under $200,000 and have children under 12. They can use this money in any way they want to support their childcare needs from November until March when schools reopen.
Virtual school for all America's children
As a nation, we should pivot to full virtual school from now until March. To support this, all children will be given a tech device and WIFI. States and systems will determine best practices with the goal of elevating the nation's virtual learning/teaching skills--this will be valuable for the entire country as we look to the future.
The country can make better use of television to share common lessons with all students across the nation. The country can also lean upon wealthy companies to support nation-wide education. For example, there could be a USA All-Read--a book for the entire country to read and discuss, a book supported by Amazon who sends every family a free copy since they are profiting so much from this pandemic and people's will to order/buy online.
There is great opportunity here to find silver linings and elevate the educations of all children across the nation.
Improve educational institutions and environments
While all children are learning at home, school systems should work to improve school buildings/environments, leadership structures, professional learning, and vision for the future. It's critical that we analyze and learn from the great changes that have hapened in education over the pandemic months culling the good that has happened and revising education as we know it in ways that uplift children's and families' lives today and into the future.
Foster national holidays, special events during this time
The nation can foster USA cultural events during this time to elevate who we are and the ways we know and understand one another. For example, every Wednesay night at 8 p.m. there could be a USA cultural event that celebrates who we are with some of the best artists in our country. This could be awesome.
The pandemic limitations prompt us to think differently. We can cower in the corner and ignore this challenge and opportunity, or we can face the pandemic with intelligence heeding the precautions, making sure we are safe, and finding/sharing the silver linings possible to continue to build our strong and wonderful USA.