Connected Educational Community Helpline

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ministry of Education of the City of Buenos Aires set up an initiative called Comunidad Educativa Conectada (Connected Educational Community) which serves as a phone helpline for parents seeking information on various educational needs while supporting their children’s learning at home. Guidance provided by the helpline included learning activities, teaching strategies, timetable planning, and technological support (Buenos Aires Ciudad, n.d.). Simultaneously, the ministry appointed volunteers to call families seeking resources for sustaining their child’s educational progress. More than 75,000 of these calls focused on access to technological setup, devices, connectivity, and study support. Additionally, the ministry sent weekly informational emails to families on promoting learning organization and healthy habits (Buenos Aires Ciudad, 2020).

Prior to the pandemic, the government had a direct line to school administrations but not the teachers employed in these administrations or the families. Parents, similarly, never had a direct line to the government; they usually spoke with teachers or principals—or, in secondary school, with intermediaries known as tutors (M. Finoli, personal communication, April 21, 2021). The structure of the Argentinian education system resembles a traditional chain of command. The Ministry of Education contacts principals, who reach out to families. The pandemic proved an ideal opportunity for the government to directly listen to and speak with parents. This direct, real-time communication enabled the ministry to deploy several surveys to gain further insight into parents’ opinions, which helped inform reopening strategies. The ministry hoped this learning experience would help expand parent-government communication channels, ultimately demonstrating to principals, teachers, and families the promise of consistent and open communication (Zinny, 2020).

Buenos Aires Ciudad. (n.d.). Comunidad Educativa Conectada [Connected Educational Community]. https://www.buenosaires.gob.ar/educacion/comunidad-educativa-conectada

Buenos Aires Ciudad. (2020, April 4). La ciudad creó la Comunidad Educativa Conectada (CEC) [The City created the Connected Educational Community]. https://www.buenosaires.gob.ar/educacion/noticias/la-ciudad-creo-la-comunidad-educativa-conectada-cec

Zinny, G. S. (2020, December). Educación post pandemica: El involucramiento familiar como motor de cambio [Post-pandemic education: Family involvement as a driver of change]. Buenos Aires Ciudad. https://www.buenosaires.gob.ar/sites/gcaba/files/2020_el_involucramiento_familiar_como_motor_de_cambio.pdf