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p/homeroom-f1ebed43-4f5b-4292-bbea-eb4f806e1f91Give parents a seat in the classroom
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Nick Abouzeid

Pod Matchmaker by Homeroom - Find or create family pods in your community

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We can't wait for schools to safely open, but in the meantime, families need some extra support. Homeroom is proud to introduce free and low cost pod tools, so all families can benefit from setting up a safe, supportive community of care for their children.

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Casandra Espinoza
Maker
Hi everyone 👋 ! We are excited to introduce Pod Matchmaker by Homeroom. Our team is constantly creating new ways to help support families in our community. This specific experience came out of a recent hackathon project. We noticed families posting on Facebook about their desire to keep their children connected to their peers by partnering with other families this fall. With Pod Matchmaker, families can now discover pods in their communities or create new ones too. Whether you’re interested in a shared family childcare co-op or looking to host a pod focused on art, you can list it on Homeroom and share it with your community. We had a lot of fun building this and hope other families find it to be a valuable resource. If you have feedback or suggestions, add them to the comments or email us at hello@homeroom.com and we’ll respond!
Chris Messina
Top Hunter
@homeroom @cnespinoza what's your take on the challenge of equity in learning pods?
Casandra Espinoza
Maker
@chrismessina Thanks for the great question. It's an important one. While the bulk of the discussion around pods has centered on families hiring teachers for an in-person experience, affluent families are not the only ones thinking about forming pods . Working parents across the socioeconomic spectrum need to find childcare solutions this fall. COVID-19 has dramatically impacted them and as this piece notes , working mothers are disproportionately impacted. Homeroom is designed to offer free and low cost options, so all families can benefit from setting up a "community of care" solution for their children. For example, some families are setting up family co-ops where they switch days to help children get setup through distance learning. Our focus is to ensure more families, not just wealthy families, have access to the support they need this fall by expanding the solutions available to them.
Mike T
As someone helping pods match with teachers, we have so many families coming to us looking for pod mates, so this is so great!
Casandra Espinoza
Maker
@miket88 Thanks, Mike! We look forward to continuing to find ways to partner together to help families through this difficult time
Cindy E
So needed for families throughout the country as they navigate this uncertainty.
Casandra Espinoza
Maker
@cindy_e Thank you! If you want to let other families know about our solution, we encourage you to share this with families in your community via Nextdoor or Facebook.
Jason Robinson
Cool product! Great for parents in today's environment.
Casandra Espinoza
Maker
@jason_robinson3 Thanks, Jason!
Joseph Simme
It gives families an opportunity to build a better future for their kids, themselves and their communities.
Casandra Espinoza
Maker
@joseph_simme Thanks! We appreciate the support
Claire Muscat
This is a much needed product for our current situation. Great work!
Casandra Espinoza
Maker
@clairemuscat1 Thank you for the kind words!
Mridhula Venkat
This is a great product for families and their children to come together and keep connected, especially during this time.
Casandra Espinoza
Maker
@mvenkat Thanks for the support, Mridhula!
Zeynep Urgun
Congrats! I am in :-)
Casandra Espinoza
Maker
@zurgun Thank you! We appreciate it
Sarah McDonald
This is such a great idea and so very timely. Thank you for creating a way to support parents and their children.
Casandra Espinoza
Maker
@sarah_mcdonald Thank you! We hope to be an important resource for families during this difficult time
Amilcar Perez
I heard it’s a great tool, Kids receive some maths and English along with an hour of mindfulness and an afternoon of enrichment activities ranging from science experiments to karate and cooking. Gracias HOMEROOM for your community concerns
Casandra Espinoza
Maker
@amilcar_perez1 Thanks for the support and kind words!
Leslie B
I am an elementary teacher and my students' parents/guardians constantly ask for resources like this. With social interactions being minimal during this time, this is an incredible opportunity to connect outside of the "classroom." Families are looking for the social connections as well as educational/enrichment opportunities. Bravo!
Amelia Lin
Much needed right now - thank you for making this @cnespinoza and team!
Casandra Espinoza
Maker
@linamelia Thank you for the support. We had a lot of fun making it!
Jennifer Wehrmaker
Way better than random posts in a Facebook group!
Casandra Espinoza
Maker
@jennifer_wehrmaker Thank you! We encourage you to share with your Facebook community
Joslin Lee
Amazing! Such a great way to keep students and families connected during this time.
Richie Serna
Parents at our company have shared how critical it is to find ways to support them during distance learning. It's exciting to see a company trying to solve a need for the millions of families with children at home.
Tony Chen
Wow, as a parent with 2 young kids and having the distant learning challenge, I'd love to find a local pod to join!
Genine Lobo
This is awesome, Casandra!
Rachael Fulk
What a great idea! This will support students and families. Which communities are most popular right now? @cnespinoza congratulations on the launch 🚀!!
Jonathan Yaffe
This is awesome - future of education is Pods!
Alex Papageorge
Nice work! đź‘Ź Not for me. But I've shared with a few friends
Casandra Espinoza
Maker
@alex_papageorge Thanks for sharing, Alex!