Research finds membership in home-schooling groups doubled during Covid

Not surprising.

The last year has been stressful to say the least, especially for parents trying to thread new waters when it comes to schooling their children. I remember feeling completely out of my depth when schools first closed unsure of how I was going to be able to teach my son subjects like math and Irish. During lockdown I was far from the only one with this struggle as a recent study by Facebook found that memberships of home schooling groups doubled over the last few months. According to Facebook Irish joined parenting and home-schooling groups on Facebook in their thousands. Around 60,000 parents joined these groups during lockdown, as they tried to take on the role as teachers to their children. Members of home schooling groups on Facebook almost doubled during lockdown thousands of people coming together to share advice and best practices when it comes to teaching children from home. The research also revealed that as restrictions eased, parents in Ireland talked about 'staycations' in more than 400,000 posts and comments on Facebook. Kellie Kearney, Community Leader of parenting trip advisor Facebook Group called Adventures of Éire said;

“In the last few months there has been a surge in activity in the Group from parents asking for recommendations for family staycations, activities and adventures across Ireland. There are over 10,000 members in the Group so there’s a wealth of advice for people who want to visit family hotels, camping spots, restaurants and hidden gems like playgrounds and local day trips. For me, social media is a safe space to feel connected to a community, even when we have to stay apart. Our community has helped reignite a love for Ireland for many families who chose to holiday here this year.”

With the new government subsidy scheme coming into play next month I'm guessing Facebook is about to see even more staycation posts.