Remote learning may be more expensive for parents, survey says
WASHINGTON (FOX 5 DC) - Year after year, parents spend a fortune getting their kids ready to go back to school. But how might that change if there’s no in-person learning this fall? Or if there’s less of it?
According to a new survey, remote learning may actually cost families even more.
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“We are actually expecting the coronavirus to help drive back to school and college spending as consumers are anticipating needing to pick up electronics and other items they might not typically buy for the year,” National Retail Federation Senior Director of Industry and Consumer Insights Katherine Cullen explained Thursday.
According to the survey, parents with kids in elementary school through high school said they plan to spend an average of $789.49 per family, topping the previous record of $696.70 they said they’d spend last year. Meanwhile, college students and their families said they expect to spend an average of $1,059.20, which would top the previous record of $976.48, also set last year.
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The survey also found that of parents who expect their students to be at home this fall, 36 percent expect to buy laptops, 22 percent said computer speakers of headphones, 21 percent listed some sort of electronic accessory like a mouse or flash drive, and people also mentioned needing to buy workbooks, desks or chairs, calculators, printers, and tablets.
Cullen made clear that there’s still a lot of uncertainty regarding the upcoming school year, meaning much of what parents said they plan to buy could still change.