By Kandace Bethea
Supporting Early Learners During the Pandemic: Lessons from Marion County School District
The pandemic created unprecedented challenges for schools, especially for early learners. At Marion County School District, our focus on the youngest students guided our response throughout this crisis. We adapted quickly, made strategic investments, and strengthened home-to-school partnerships to support learning, recovery, and long-term growth for our children.
Putting CARES Act Funding to Work
One of the first steps we took was to use CARES Act funding to ensure students had devices and Internet access. Moving to a 1:1 computing environment became essential once instruction shifted to remote or hybrid models. Previously, competing budget priorities delayed this transition, but the pandemic made access to devices and connectivity a necessity for equitable instruction.
Providing each student with a device allowed teachers to deliver consistent lessons, enabled families to participate in learning, and laid the groundwork for expanding digital curriculum and learning tools. To make the most of federal relief funds, we also consulted available guidance from nonprofit partners and education organizations to prioritize high-impact investments in devices, connectivity, and instructional resources.
Strengthening the Home-to-School Connection
Our teachers demonstrated creativity and dedication in keeping instruction engaging and hands-on. Many early childhood classrooms in our district include a Montessori component, which relies on tactile materials and guided exploration. When classrooms shifted online, teachers assembled kits with disposable or affordable manipulatives—beans for counting, paper shapes for sorting, and simple materials families could use at home without concern for their return.
These lesson kits and virtual demonstrations opened a new channel for family engagement. Parents who had not previously used manipulatives or specific instructional strategies began learning alongside their children by observing remote lessons and practicing techniques at home. This practical involvement helped parents adopt approaches such as strategic questioning and purposeful wait time, extending learning beyond the virtual lesson and reinforcing skills throughout the day.
One teacher shared a telling example: a four-year-old made rapid progress after his mother began using the same questioning strategies and pauses she observed in virtual lessons. This kind of collaboration—teachers modeling effective techniques and parents applying them in the home—created a richer learning environment for the child and strengthened the partnership between school and family.
Refocusing on Growth and Individual Needs
As we look toward learning recovery, the central question is, “Where is each student now?” Many learners experienced interrupted or inconsistent instruction over the past year, so we rely on multiple assessment sources—F&P (Fountas & Pinnell), NWEA MAP, and data from individual digital learning tools—to form a complete picture of each student’s strengths and gaps.
Our priority is growth rather than static achievement. Growth-oriented goals acknowledge where students currently are and set realistic, measurable steps to move them forward. For example, a fifth grader reading at a third-grade level likely requires targeted instruction on a handful of specific skills rather than wholesale grade-level content. Identifying those precise skills allows teachers to design focused interventions that yield meaningful gains.
To accelerate growth, we emphasize targeted small-group instruction. Teachers and specialists pull students for brief, intensive sessions that address specific skills. Given the widespread nature of learning gaps, this targeted approach helps multiply instructional impact, but it also requires more staff capacity and coordinated use of data to identify priority skills.
Investing in People and Curriculum
With additional CARES Act resources, our district is investing in both personnel and proven instructional tools. We are hiring experienced retired teachers and onboarding recent graduates to provide one-on-one tutoring and lead small-group interventions. Increasing staff capacity enables more frequent, targeted support for students who need strategic help to regain momentum.
Simultaneously, we are expanding effective digital curriculum that demonstrably supports student growth. When a program shows measurable positive results, scaling it allows more students to benefit. Investments focus on resources that integrate with classroom instruction, provide adaptive practice, and offer actionable data teachers can use to personalize instruction.
Combining human support with evidence-based digital tools creates a blended approach that leverages teachers’ expertise and technology’s capacity to deliver individualized practice and real-time progress monitoring.
Conclusion
COVID-19 presented significant obstacles, but it also accelerated changes that will benefit students in the long run. By ensuring device access, strengthening family engagement, centering on individual student growth, and investing in both people and curriculum, Marion County School District aims to turn pandemic challenges into lasting improvements. With the support of our teachers, staff, families, and community partners, we are focused on helping every child move forward.
About the author
Dr. Kandace Bethea is the superintendent at the Marion County School District in South Carolina. She can be reached via email at [email protected] or on Twitter at @bethea_kandace.
This article was originally published by The Learning Counsel, a research institute and news media hub focused on providing context for the shift in education to digital curriculum.