Mom on a mission: Crossroads Mission client schooling kids in the shelter

Students in need of school supplies for distance learning

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - Distance learning has become the new norm for most students in Yuma and around the country.

Students are able to connect with their teachers online from the comfort of their homes.

But, what about the children who don’t have a home, like the little ones at the Crossroads Mission?

Currently, there are about 130 people staying at the Mission; 16 of them are children who can not attend school right now due to COVID-19 school closures statewide.

One mother has stepped up to ensure all of the kids continue learning and are prepared to return to school next year.

The kids call her Mrs. Whitney.

Whitney Druilhet, her husband, and their five children moved from Iowa and have been staying at the Mission for about a month.

Druilhet has homeschooled her children for the last three years.

Now she’s doing the same for the little ones at the shelter following school closures due to COVID-19.

Druilhet said, “I [spoke] with one of the directors here because we didn’t want the children to fall behind in school.”

Cesar Acosta, one of the directors at the Crossroads Mission, said schooling is one of the things the shelter has been working to figure out.

Just as a normal school day, every day from 8 am to 2 pm, Druilhet and her students gather around their table, pull out their folders, books, and pencils, then get to learning.

She explained, “It's been a challenge, to say the least, because you have so many little children and their different ages. But they really enjoy it and they’re catching on quickly.”

Students are also able to connect to the wifi at the Mission, sharing a few tablets to complete online assignments from their school teachers.

“I found that a lot of students were behind and they didn’t understand a lot of things they were learning in school. So, we started from the beginning and teaching them how to move forward,” said Druilhet.

She starts every session off with a bible lesson, then continues to math, science, and reading.

“We’re getting a lot of feedback from the parents that the children are not wanting to leave.”

The Mission is asking the community to please donate school supplies to help Druilhet continue teaching the children.

They're also always in need of bottled water, hygiene products, and materials to make face masks.