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COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - Summer break is quickly approaching, and the South Carolina Department of Education is offering FREE resources to families. This week on Awareness, Billie Jean Shaw sits down with officials from the department as they break down how families can sign up for free tutoring services and the summer meals program.

Watch Awareness on WIS News 10 on Sundays from 11 a.m. to noon.

This summer the department will utilize federal funds to provide a wide variety of resources available to students, parents, and educators at the end of the school year and while school is out for the summer. One of those resources includes free one-on-one virtual tutoring. Tutor.com is the provider of the service and can be accessed through Discus at the state library website. Information and directions on how to connect with this service can be found here. Please note, the directions linked at the end of the information page will take you to step-by-step instructions of accessing Tutor.com through Discus.

Watch Awareness on WIS News 10 on Sundays from 11 a.m. to noon.

Summertime could be one of the hungriest times for students because many students depend solely on school meals for food and the pandemic worsened the food shortage. To give you an idea of what we’re talking about here. Back in 2020, When the School Nutrition Association surveyed school nutrition directors representing nearly 2,000 districts across the US, 80% said they were serving fewer meals than when schools were open. A majority of districts said the number of meals dropped by 50% or more. Research also shows that during the start of the pandemic, a third of US families were experiencing food insecurity, and 1 in 5 say their children don’t have sufficient food, and families don’t have the funds to buy more. The South Carolina State Department of Education is making sure no child goes hungry when school is out for the summer. Donna Davis, the Director of the SCDE Office of Health and Nutrition joins Awareness to discuss the state’s Summer Break Café which provides free meals to students and their young siblings over the summer. To find a location near you, click here.

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