H2Go Kids Wins Industry Award

The Service Authority Community Outreach Department’s virtual learning hub, H2Go Kids, recently received a Public Information Award from the Virginia Section of the American Water Works Association (VA AWWA) in the Water Awareness & Education category.

The Community Outreach team launched H2Go Kids this spring after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. H2Go Kids features a variety of water- and wastewater-related activities as well as live online and pre-recorded classroom presentations about topics like drinking water and wastewater treatment and how erosion can change a landscape and pollute the environment.

“When schools closed in March due to the impacts of COVID, we knew families, teachers and students were at home and in need of engaging, educational activities,” said Communications Deputy Director Kathy Bentz. “H2Go Kids allows us to reach students wherever and whenever they are learning. Now that a new school year has begun, we are thrilled that the H2Go Kids Virtual Classroom is connecting with about 1,000 Prince William County students a month.”

Community Outreach staff spent approximately 240 hours this spring and summer creating the online platform and producing classroom presentation videos for lesson plans that align with the Virginia Standards of Learning.

“H2Go Kids provided an opportunity for the Community Outreach team to expand our skills in ways that directly benefit the students and teachers we are trying to reach,” said Education & Outreach Coordinator Audrey Arnold. “I’m excited to see how the program develops in the future and can be used as a learning tool even after we return to our new ‘normal.’”

If you and your family want to experiment with some of the H2Go Kids activities, visit www.h2gokids.org.