Chapter 6: Adapting to COVID-19
In late 2019, the first pilot study was conducted to collect feedback from ToyBox community members who tested Letter, Number, and Wellness activities with their children.
Research Assistants began testing these activities with children ages 2-5 at the UWSA Day Care, but testing was cut short due to COVID-19.
In response to the province-wide state of emergency declared in March 2020, the team went virtual. Meetings were held over Zoom and student interns were supervised through online platforms.
Funding from Safe at Home Manitoba and SSHRC Partnership Engage grants were used to support email pilot studies from March 2020 to April 2021, for families seeking learning resources at home. Activity booklets were sent to families with limited or no Internet access throughout rural and northern Manitoba.