As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to create major challenges for K-12 educators, students, and families, the Clinton-Essex-Franklin Library System would like to share some information about a new project intended to provide additional academic support.
A Lake Placid Education Foundation grant from the Adirondack Foundation enabled our Library System to purchase 12 months unlimited use of Brainfuse HelpNow, which provides state-aligned live tutoring and homework help in all core academic subjects. The online tutoring service is available Monday through Sunday from 2 p.m. – 11 p.m. HelpNow also includes other resources that can be accessed 24/7, such as eLearning tools, writing labs, foreign language labs, standardized test prep, and more. A few important points about Brainfuse HelpNow:
- Brainfuse tutors are experienced professionals who hold a bachelor’s degree and complete an intensive onboarding process prior to assisting Brainfuse users.
- Brainfuse tutors collaborate with students to help them work out problems, rather than offer solutions.
- Brainfuse tutors go through background checks.
Families in Clinton, Essex, and Franklin Counties are invited to visit cefls.org/helpnow and use their library card to get started. Anyone in need of a library card should contact a local library to get one free of charge. If you have students who are in need of this support, but are unable to access their local library, please contact Anja Bouchard at abouchard@cefls.org regarding another option. Some promotional materials and instructions are attached to help you spread the word and get started. You are also welcome to share the information that we posted about the project on Facebook and Instagram.
The grant funding also supports some additional resources that are available free of charge with a library card:
- A portion of the funds will be used to increase the collection of nonfiction eBooks to support middle school and high school academic work. These materials are available at cefls.overdrive.com.
- Since some families in the CEFLS service area do not have reliable internet access, the award was also used to purchase 11 hotspots to make these online resources more readily available. They can be requested through our online catalog and our van delivery service will deliver them to the patron’s local library. The hotspots have a loan period of four weeks. It should be noted that while the hotspot provided does include basic filtering to protect the user from some inappropriate content and malicious websites, it cannot be ensured that it will block all said content.
- Additional support will be provided to elementary students by expanding our selection of nonfiction Wonderbooks. These print books with ready-to-play audiobooks inside include a literacy learning mode and do not require an internet connection. A current list of titles is available at cefls.org/wonderbooks.
The Clinton-Essex-Franklin Library System would like to extend our appreciation to all school personnel who have been working diligently to educate students and keep them safe during these challenging times. We hope that you find these resources helpful. For more information about the project visit cefls.org/helpnow or email abouchard@cefls.org.
Brainfuse User Guide
