Families in Need Could Get Free Computers, Training and Internet Service

Students who don’t have access to computers and the Internet at home often find themselves at a disadvantage in school. Concepts for Adaptive Learning (CfAL), a nonprofit organization based in New Haven, is trying to change the odds in their favor. CfAL provides refurbished computers, training, Internet service and tech support to disadvantaged urban families—all at no cost. Currently operating in New Haven, Hartford, Bridgeport and Waterbury, CfAL plans to expand its services to Meriden on September 12, if the board of education approves the proposal on Tuesday. 

“The organization is ready to go as soon as we get the approval,” says Tom Bruenn, Meriden school board member.

In addition to being located in the middle of CfAL’s  other areas of service, Meriden was chosen because “it’s a district that could use additional assistance in terms of raising academic achievement,” according to CfAL Executive Director Curtis Hill.

Working in conjunction with Children First, a social service organization that supports the health and development of Meriden’s children, CfAL would offer the program to 40 families in the Meriden Family Zone—an area of high poverty in downtown Meriden. (See map at right.) David Radcliffe, Director of Children First, says of the program, “I think it’s extraordinarily well thought out. It targets families on the short side of the digital divide.”

Karen Roesler, Director of the Meriden Public Library, adds, “I can just say, from the public library, which is just the tip of the iceberg, there is tremendous need for this.”

Initially, the program will be available to families affiliated with Roger Sherman Elementary School, the primary school associated with Children First. Computers and training will be provided on a first come, first served basis. To be eligible, families must:

• Reside in the Family Zone
• Have a child attending the Meriden public schools
• Not have a working computer in the home.

Funding for the first 40 families has been secured through grants from People’s United Bank and Liberty Bank. ”Nothing short of an earthquake is going to stop this from happening,” Hill insists. Future expansion in Meriden is a definite possibility, he adds, “depending on how funding goes.”

Before the computers are installed in the homes, parents attend six free evening training sessions that cover how to maneuver the computer mouse, word processing, email, Internet navigation and research, and computer maintenance. Classes will be held twice a week in both English and Spanish. Class size is limited to 10 per session. A training site has not been chosen, but Roger Sherman School has been mentioned as a possibility.

Once the computers are in place, families will receive free tech support for a year to help them solve any problems with their computers. Up until now, free Internet service has also been provided. Meriden families, however, may have to pay about $10 per month. Hill will be negotiating a discount with Cox Communications for Internet access, he says.

Since it began in 2003, the CfAL program has brought computers into the homes of nearly 1,900 families. More than 80% of those parents are now more involved in their children’s education, and 77% have seen an improvement in their children’s grades, according to surveys of participating parents.

“It’s been quite a joy” to be involved in this program, Hill shares.

One of the greatest rewards is seeing how CfAL benefits real people, like Alfreda Smith of New Haven. Smith, a traveling nurse, is also a wife and mother of two boys aged 5 and 10. The family got a computer through CfAL last spring. They use it for all sorts of things, from keeping track of her work schedule to connecting to the kids’ school websites to staying in touch with family members through the web.

Smith, who works with elderly patients, often wondered what it was like to recall life before major technological advances like refrigerators and televisions. She says she now knows how they feel because she remembers what life was like before having a computer.

“I’m a part of that now,” she laughs.