LAKEWOOD, Calif. — After more than three months, mom of two Laura Ramirez has gotten the hang of life at home, but it hasn’t all been easy.

“First was panic, of course, thinking the world was ending," she said.

As the weeks went on, life under stay-at-home orders did get better. Her kids' virtual schooling became more routine, and Ramirez adapted to working from home online, she said.

However, there was still plenty weighing on her mind.

“Everything kind of fell into place very easily for us, besides financially," Ramirez said.

Her husband, a consultant, lost all of his upcoming jobs for the year and a major worry became how they would afford their children’s education.

Ramirez' oldest, Brooklyn, is an incoming senior at St. Joseph's High School, while her younger brother attends St. John Bosco — both private, parochial, and tuition-based schools.

“It was our first phone call to the schools to see what are we gonna do?" Ramirez said. "My daughter is going to be a senior next year and we would do anything to keep her where she’s at.”

They weren't the only family to call for help. Terri Mendoza, the longtime principal at St. Joseph's said it's been a difficult time for many of their students.

“It was a hard hit because so many families lost their jobs and don’t know if they’re going to get another job," she said.

With the pandemic, even more families were reaching out for help. As it stands, 45 percent of the student population is already on financial aid and more than 70 percent of the incoming freshman class is requesting some sort of aid. 

Because the school relies primarily on tuition to operate, Mendoza and her staff decided to create an emergency fund, reaching out to the surrounding community for donations.

“We launched the challenge and people came through, they really did," Mendoza said.

They were able to raise about $50,000 — money that will help families like the Ramirez's to continue to send their kids to St. Joseph.

But there is still plenty of uncertainty ahead for them and other private schools, who are left wondering how the pandemic will continue to impact them.

“I keep doing novenas and lighting candles and saying take away this virus, because I don’t know how we’ll sustain ourselves, I really don’t,” Mendoza said.

For St. Joseph families though, this was a positive step forward, an important sign of hope. 

"Everything’s gonna come together," Ramirez said. "It’ll all work out."