CARLSBAD, Calif. — With all San Diego County schools moving to online classes for the foreseeable future, many parents are scrambling to figure out how to best prepare for an unorthodox school year.

School districts, for the most part, are still working out the details of the online curriculum, but some parents are exploring an idea called “micro schooling.” The idea is to take four students who are currently in the same class and have them do their online schooling together at a friend’s house under the supervision of one parent, freeing up the other parents to work or do errands.

“As it stands right now, we have to gear up for homeschooling for the fall, and this seems to us to work, and we hope it will work for other parents as well,” said Joe Zavattero, a firefighter who lives in Carlsbad. 

His wife, Holly Zavattero is a phlebotomist and has done the math. Working fulltime and paying for a tutor and child care could cost more than just supervising her kids at home.

“Really, what we are going to try to facilitate is what the school is going to provide to us online but also create a space for a couple of kids to get together and socialize,” she said.

Taking care of internet problems, keeping the students on task and giving them a big backyard to run around and have some social fun is what Holley Zavattero said she is going to provide.

Choosing four kids to come over to one house could be a way to cut down on hundreds of social interactions and still get some time with friends. If San Diego County remains on the state watch list for COVID-19, in-person school will remain off the table. The Zavattero’s believe “micro schooling” might be a workable compromise for the time being.