Virtual Learning Support Information
Last updated: September 11, 2026
The Boys & Girls Club of Waynesboro, Staunton & Augusta County is working with the Waynesboro Family YMCA, Waynesboro Public Schools, the Waynesboro Police Department, and other community partners to explore a temporary, supervised virtual learning support option for WPS families.
This response grew from conversations with families who may need more time before their children are ready to return to a school building following the events at Westwood Hills Elementary School.
Priority will be given to Westwood families, but we also recognize that families with children attending other WPS schools may be navigating similar concerns.
Our first step is understanding how many families may need this option, what ages and grade levels would be served, how long families may need support, and what transportation, staffing, space, and other resources will be necessary.
What this program would be
The community virtual learning support option would provide supervised locations where WPS students participating in the division's virtual learning program through Edmentum could complete their school day.
Who this is for: WPS students in Kindergarten through 12th grade who participate in Waynesboro Public Schools virtual learning through Edmentum.
Waynesboro Public Schools would remain the educational provider.
Students would continue to receive their educational programming, curriculum, teachers, instruction, and academic requirements through WPS and Edmentum.
BGCWSA, the YMCA, and participating community partners would provide the environment and support around that learning.
That would include:
• child supervision;
• structure and routine during the day;
• assistance accessing and navigating technology;
• encouragement and help staying engaged with the virtual school day;
• practical support;
• social emotional support; and
• coordination with families, WPS, and participating community partners.
Community partners would not provide direct educational instruction, replace WPS teachers, create a separate curriculum, or operate as the student's school.
WPS virtual learning participation
Students in Kindergarten through 12th grade using a community virtual learning support site would need to be officially participating in the Waynesboro Public Schools virtual learning option through Edmentum.
Families would still need to complete any registration, approval, enrollment, or other requirements established by WPS for virtual learning.
This requirement helps provide consistency and continuity for students and ensures that the educational component of their day is being provided through qualified programming and instruction approved by WPS.
Participation in a community support site would be separate from WPS virtual learning enrollment.
Families would need to complete both the WPS process and a separate community support participation process before their child could begin attending a virtual learning support site.
Proposed hours and cost
The current plan is to provide virtual learning support approximately 7:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
There would be no cost to families for the daytime virtual learning support program.
The anticipated supervision ratio is approximately 1 adult for every 18 students.
Exact hours, locations, staffing, and capacity will be finalized as we determine community need and complete the operational plan.
Locations
Depending on the number and ages of students who need support, children may be served across the Boys & Girls Club, Waynesboro Family YMCA, and additional partner locations in Waynesboro.
Additional locations may be added based on community need and partner capacity.
Final locations will be determined after the initial interest survey closes and the operational plan is further developed.
Meals
We are planning for breakfast, lunch, and snacks to be available for participating students in coordination with Waynesboro Public Schools.
Additional details will be shared with participating families as the plan is finalized.
School Schedule, Closures and Full Day Care
The virtual learning support program is being designed to support students during their WPS virtual school day and would generally follow the Waynesboro Public Schools calendar and operating schedule.
If WPS is closed and students are not expected to participate in virtual instruction, the virtual learning support sites would also be closed unless BGCWSA or another partner separately announces an available care option.
Any full day care offered on teacher workdays, scheduled school closures, or other noninstructional days would be a separate service, subject to staffing, capacity, site availability, and any applicable enrollment or fee requirements.
Transportation
Transportation remains one of the areas still being developed.
At this time, families should plan to be able to drop their child off and pick their child up from a virtual learning support site.
BGCWSA and community partners will continue working with Waynesboro Public Schools to explore what transportation options may be possible.
Families should understand that transportation options may be limited while WPS continues transporting students who are physically attending school and operating its regular bus routes.
Transportation to and from a virtual learning support site is not guaranteed.
Boys & Girls Club membership and afterschool care
The daytime virtual learning support program would operate as a BGCWSA outreach and community partnership program in support of Waynesboro Public Schools.
Children participating in daytime virtual learning support would not automatically become Boys & Girls Club members.
Families would not need to complete the Club's full membership enrollment process simply for their child to participate in the daytime virtual learning support program.
A separate participation process specific to virtual learning support would be completed once the program is finalized. That process will include the information and permissions needed for WPS, BGCWSA, the YMCA, and participating partners to safely support the student and coordinate services.
Families who want their child to remain at BGCWSA after approximately 2:00 p.m. for the Club's regular afterschool program, including dinner, additional programming, recreation, academic support, and care through 7:00 p.m., would need to separately enroll their child as a Boys & Girls Club member and complete the Club's regular membership enrollment process.
Participating in daytime virtual learning support alone does not make a child a Boys & Girls Club member.
Supporting the whole child
This response is being developed with attention not only to supervision and academics, but also to the emotional and developmental needs of children during a difficult time for our community.
Since Spring 2026, BGCWSA has been working in partnership with the University of Virginia School of Education and Human Development as we strengthen our approach to youth wellness, behavioral support, and trauma informed practices.
We have also been working with licensed behavioral health professionals and other community partners.
Those relationships and resources are being incorporated into this planning.
We are continuing to determine what onsite and connected supports may be available while coordinating with WPS so that community based services complement, rather than compete with or duplicate, the supports being provided through the schools.
Leadership and staffing
This effort is being led by BGCWSA CEO Debra Freeman in collaboration with BGCWSA staff and board leadership, YMCA leadership, Waynesboro Public Schools, and other community partners. A separate volunteer/staffing interest process is being established and will be shared in the coming days. If you would like to assist with leadership or staffing, please email Debra Freeman directly at director@bgcwsa.org. Your patience is appreciated in advance for any delayed email response times. Please continue checking this page for any updates prior to emailing. If needed, program and planning emails should be directed to support@bgcwsa.org.
The broader planning team includes community and youth serving leaders, retired teachers, former educators, volunteers, and professionals with experience supporting children and families.
If the level of need requires it, BGCWSA plans to designate a program coordinator to help manage the daily operation of the virtual learning support effort under the direction of the BGCWSA CEO and leadership team.
We also anticipate engaging additional retired educators, community professionals, and trained volunteers.
Information about volunteer opportunities will be shared as plans develop.
Community Partners and Local Support
This effort is being developed as a community response, with support from organizations and individuals across Waynesboro.
Current and developing partners include the Waynesboro Family YMCA, Waynesboro Public Schools, the Waynesboro Police Department, local behavioral health professionals, youth serving organizations, potential host sites, funding partners, and community volunteers.
Local civic and service organizations are also stepping forward to help, as they are able, with additional partners expected as needs become clearer.
As the interest survey helps define the number of students, ages, duration, transportation needs, and site capacity required, we will continue matching community resources to the areas of greatest need.
Boys & Girls Club Network Support
BGCWSA is also drawing on support from the broader Boys & Girls Club network.
Our regional director with Boys & Girls Clubs of America previously helped lead return to school planning in King County, Washington during the COVID pandemic and is available as a resource to our team as we develop this response.
BGCWSA also has access to support, guidance, and resources from the Virginia Alliance of Boys & Girls Clubs and Boys & Girls Clubs of America, as needed and available.
Safety planning
The Waynesboro Police Department will lead safety planning with BGCWSA and participating partners as part of the operational planning process.
Safety procedures, site considerations, emergency protocols, and other operational details will be developed before students are served.
Additional safety information will be shared with participating families as the operational plan is finalized.
Building from past community experience
While this response is being developed for the current needs of families, our community is not starting from zero.
During the COVID pandemic, local organizations worked together through the C4 childcare collaborative to respond to a community wide childcare and youth support crisis.
BGCWSA is drawing on the experience, relationships, resources, and lessons developed through that collaborative and reconnecting with people who helped build that response.
The current effort will not simply recreate the COVID model. We will use what worked then while adapting the response to today's circumstances, current family needs, and available community resources.
In some ways, we will be building this while we are doing it. That is why family feedback and ongoing communication will be important throughout the process.
Timeline
The community interest survey will remain open through Friday, September 18, 2026.
While the survey is open, BGCWSA and its partners will continue developing the operational plan, including:
• staffing;
• supervision;
• site capacity;
• safety planning;
• meals;
• transportation options;
• behavioral and social emotional supports;
• family participation requirements;
• volunteer recruitment;
• funding; and
• coordination with WPS.
Our goal is to have the virtual learning support program operational no later than October 5, 2026, if there is sufficient community need and the necessary staffing, sites, safety measures, and other resources can be put in place responsibly.
What the interest survey does and does not mean
Completing the survey:
• helps us understand community need;
• helps determine how many locations and staff may be necessary;
• helps us understand grade levels, anticipated duration, transportation needs, and family preferences;
• does not enroll a child;
• does not guarantee a space;
• does not commit a family to participating;
• does not enroll a child in WPS virtual learning;
• does not make a child a Boys & Girls Club member; and
• does not guarantee transportation.
Families who express interest will receive additional information before being asked to make a final participation decision.
We understand that many families are still trying to determine what feels right for their children. Some may need this option briefly. Others may need it longer. Some may ultimately decide they do not need it at all.
The purpose of the survey is not to force those decisions now. It is to make sure our community is prepared to respond if families need another option.
Updates and questions
This page will be updated as planning develops, including after the initial community interest survey closes.
Families, community members, potential volunteers, and partners may send questions, ideas, or feedback to: