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Old Hand Holding Young Hand

Sharing the NextLight A Little Further

Sometimes parenting is an all-hands-on-deck affair. Old Hand Holding Young Hand

When I was little, my Grandma Elsie was often a third parent. She lived with us until I was 6 and remained an active presence in our lives for long after that. We read stories together. We played games. We witnessed the existential cheesiness of Laurence Welk. And we all knew that if we really needed her, she’d be there. 

A lot of families have someone like that. A grandparent. An aunt or uncle. Someone else who falls into that broad realm of “caregiver,” especially these days when children may be learning remotely while Mom and Dad are expected to be at work.

It’s because of these situations that we’ve expanded Sharing the NextLight.

We introduced Sharing the NextLightlast year – in partnership with the Longmont Community Foundation and Longmont Children, Youth & Families – as a way to make sure students had the fast and reliable internet service they needed for learning, whether at home or at school. The idea was simple: if a Longmont family has kids in the St. Vrain School District who get free or reduced lunch, the parents can apply for a free NextLight cLogo for Sharing The NextLightonnection to their home.

These days, times aren’t simple. And good internet access is more important than ever. So we’re now allowing grandparents and other designated caregivers to apply for the program as well. That way, even if a student’s learning-at-home needs to take place at someone else’s home, they’re still getting that vital connection.

Interested families can apply by going to the Sharing the NextLight website or calling Children, Youth & Families at 303-651-8580. If you’d like to help support the program, you can donate on your monthly NextLight bill by calling NextLight customer service at 303-774-4494, or else give your donation directly to the Longmont Community Foundation.

Together, we can all help our kids.

And that should be readily a-parent.