CINCINNATI —

Cincinnati Public Schools will officially move to remote learning Wednesday.

Two years ago, thousands of students didn't have the ability to connect to the internet at home.

There were a lot of issues when CPS originally went remote including lack of internet access for lower-income families.

The district worked with Cincinnati Bell to improve infrastructure and has added more tools so everyone can connect for the seven upcoming days of virtual learning.

CPS staff said the district is more prepared to go remote in 2022.

The 'Connect our Students' partnership program with Cincinnati Bell provides free internet to around 6,200 students who wouldn't have it otherwise.

"The brings us very near to 100% internet access for our student base. They will continuing the program. We offer full-time year-round, including this time. So any student who needs internet access can call and get that free service for them at any time," said a district IT staffer.

Some parents are still skeptical about the move.

Those without internet woes said the technology hasn't been reliable.

"My concern is his laptop. I had issues with his laptop when he was on remote," said Claudia Howell.

Howell's son is a freshman at Taft High School.

She said virtual was touch-and-go in 2020.

"The internet was fine but it was just the connection. Sometimes it was frozen. And sometimes it wasn't him, it was the school end," Howell said.

The district said it has layers of service offering for students to make remote work for a time.

The 1:1 tablets are one tool as well as a fallback to the Cincinnati Bell program.

"So if for any reason they are unable to get the connect our students service. Like for instance their address doesn't have the infrastructure or cable capability, then we also have hot spots that we can issue to those students on demand to cover any needs additional," the staffer said.

The district is moving online due to a severe staff shortage related to COVID-19.

Howell hopes this time at home helps everyone recover and return to a safe learning environment together.

"I hope the teachers get better so they can go back in school," Howell said.

Howell said her son did come home with a new laptop so she's hopeful it works and supports the move to remote while COVID-19 case numbers are so high.

Board members said they hope this time allows staff to recover from illness and for additional cleaning of buildings.

The students are set to return to the classroom Jan. 24.

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HUMID AND WARM, NEAR 80. JENNIFER: WE ARE COMING TO THE END OF THE SCHOOL YEAR HERE IN MARYLAND. AND AS WE APPROACH THE SUMMER, SOME STUDENTS MAY HAVE FALLEN BEHIND IN THEIR STUDIES BECAUSE OF THE VIRTUAL LEARNING, AND SO JOINING US THIS MORNING WITH MORE IS EMILY LOVETT WITH SYLVAN LEARNING CENTERS WITH HOW KIDS CAN CATCH UP OVER THE SUMMER. THANKS FOR JOINING US >> THANKS FOR HAVING ME. JENNIFER: WHAT TYPES OF PROGRAMS DOES SYLVAN OFFER? >> WE OFFER ONE ON ONE IN PRE-K THROUGH 12. WE RUN THE GAMUT IN SUBJECTS AND AGES. >> WHAT ARE YOU HEARING FROM PARENTS? PARENTS ARE CONCERNED. AS A MOM OF TWO ELEMENTARY SCHOOL KIDS, I GET IT. I AM TOO. IT'S A ROUGH YEAR FOR KIDS A TEACHERS AND PARENTS. SO WHEN WE STARTED BACK IN THE FALL, NO ONE KNOWS WHAT TO EXPECT. IS MY CHILD READY? WHAT WILL BE THE TRANSITION BETWEEN REMOTE AND FULL-TIME, EVERY DAY OF THE WEEK. JENNIFER: WHEN YOU DO THE ONE ON ONE OR SMALL GROUP TUTORING, ARE YOU USING THE CURRICULUM IN WHATEVER SCHOOL DISTRICT THE CHILD LIVE IN? >> WE U COMMON CORE BASED. IT ALINES WITH WHAT THE KIDS ARE DOING IN SCHOOL. >> ARE YOU ABLE TO DO TESTING TO SEE HO THE KIDS ARE DOING? >> WE DO. A LOT OF PARENTS ARE COMING OUT OF THE SCHOOL YEAR TO SEE IF THEIR KIDS ARE READY. WE PROVIDE TESTING TO GIVE PARENTS A CLEAR IDEA OF WHETHER THERE IS WORK THAT NEEDS TO BE MADE UP OVER THE SUMMER, ARE THEY READY, OR MAYBE YOU DON'T HAVE TO WORRY. JENNIFER: WOULDN'T THAT BE NICE. YOU SAID YOU ALSO DO COLLEGE PREP. IS THAT PSAT, SAT, ACT? >> YES, WE DO THOSE THINGS AND HAVE FOR A LONG TIME WITH NICE SUCCESS. WE HAVE A COUPLE KIDS EVERY YEAR WHO GET PERFECT SCORES. WE ALSO HELP STUDENTS BE SUCCESSFUL ONCE THEY GET TO COLLEGE, LIKE MORE SOPHISTICATED TYPES OF WRITE IN READING AND STUDY SKILLS. >> WHAT TIPS ARE YOU GIVING PARENTS TO HELP KIDS CATCH UP? MAYBE THEY DON'T WANT TO DO A TUTORING PROGRAM BUT SOMETHING THEY CAN DO AT HOME. >> THIS SUMMER NEEDS TO BE A GOOD BALANCE BETWEEN FUN AND DECOMPRESSING FOR THE PAST YEAR. THERE ARE A LOT OF ACTIVITIES ESPECIALLY FOR YOUNGER STUDENTS YOU CAN FIND WITH HOUSEHOLD ITEMS, PINTERIST. IT'S A NICE RESOURCE FOR EDUCATIONAL GAMES TO DO AT HOME. JENNIFER: I'VE HEARD FROM TEACHERS, READ, READ, READ. IT'S ONE OF THE BEST THINGS THEY ADVICE TO DO TO HELP CATCHUP. >> ABSOLUTELY, YES. JENNIFER: IF SOMEONE IS INTERESTED, WHAT DO THEY DO? >> GO TO SYLVANLEARNING.COM AND PUT IN YOUR ZIP CODE. WE'LL LET

Tips for parents of students who may have fallen behind due to pandemic

Updated: 9:33 PM EDT May 30, 2021

As the end of the school year draws near, some students may have fallen behind in their studies due to struggles with virtual learning. Watch the video above, where Emily Levitt with Sylvan Learning Centers talks with sister station WBAL about how parents can help their students this summer.

As the end of the school year draws near, some students may have fallen behind in their studies due to struggles with virtual learning.

Watch the video above, where Emily Levitt with Sylvan Learning Centers talks with sister station WBAL about how parents can help their students this summer.