ASHFIELD — A local kindergarten teacher has been awarded a COVID-19 Relief Grant from the Association of American Educators Foundation (AAEF) for her efforts to improve access to remote education.

“(Remote learning) is very different than in-person learning,” said Sanderson Academy teacher Sarah Forbes. “But with some careful planning you can still give kids an engaging school experience.”

According to a statement from AAEF, this special cycle of COVID-19 relief scholarships and grants is open to all educators, inviting them to submit concepts, projects and activities that will expand learning opportunities for their students. Forbes intends to use the $175 grant to cover the cost of software, or apps, she purchased to download the video lessons she records for her students. Once the videos are downloaded, she can burn them to a DVD and have them sent to families.

“It can be really time-consuming to download the lesson videos, so by sending them to the families on a DVD, it makes it possible to watch the videos without having to download them,” Forbes said.

For the families who rely on internet hotspots because they lack internet at home, it’s especially helpful, she said.

“Using these apps has made it possible to … ensure that all of my students have access to academic content, not just the ones with internet access,” she said.

Mary Byrne can be reached at mbyrne@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 263. Twitter: @ MaryEByrne