Corsicana —
Two local agencies are benefiting from a donation by “Big Blue.”
The United Way of Navarro County has received a grant from IBM of two “Young Explorer” learning centers, the centerpiece of IBM’s KidSmart Early Learning grant program. The Young Explorers are being donated to The Mary Peterson Child Care Center for their Preschool Program and Texas Neighborhood Services, Inc. for their Head Start Program targeting children between the ages of four and seven. The grant is part of a $4 million nationwide initiative by IBM to provide 1,500 computers and teaching curricula to schools and nonprofit organizations that provide services to disadvantaged students.
"IBM is excited to partner with The United Way of Navarro County on our KidSmart Early Learning program, providing new opportunities for children to explore concepts in math, science and language,” said Stanley Litow, vice president of Corporate Citizenship & Corporate Affairs, and president of IBM International Foundation. “IBM is dedicated to bridging the digital divide and building the skills that young students need to succeed in their future education and their eventual careers.”
IBM’s KidSmart program includes the Young Explorer, a computer housed in brightly colored, child-friendly Little Tikes furniture and equipped with award-winning educational software to help children learn and explore concepts in math, science and language. The computer centers can also help children learn important socialization skills such as cooperation and sharing, which are essential to classroom success. In addition, teachers participating in the program become more confident about incorporating technology into their classrooms.
“We’re excited to be part of this initiative and deliver high-quality learning resources to all of our children participating in the program,” said Paul Hooper, president of the United Way of Navarro County.
The KidSmart program also includes access to the KidSmart Website, kidsmartearlylearning.org. Available in eight languages, the site helps parents guide their children’s use of technology and preschool teachers use technology more effectively in their classrooms.
IBM developed the KidSmart program in 1998 to help reduce the digital divide, especially in urban areas, where it was becoming apparent that children from less affluent backgrounds needed access to specialized technology tools and educational materials to better prepare them to enter school. IBM is focused on increasing the number of children entering into math, science and engineering, and believes that success in early childhood learning is a critical step. Since the inception of KidSmart, IBM has donated more than 50,000 Young Explorer learning centers to schools and nonprofit organizations in 60 countries, serving more than 10 million students and 100,000 teachers.
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Daily Sun photo/Bob Belcher Recipients of learning tools from IBM are shown at True Value Hardware accepting the donation. From left, Joan Thompson, Mary Peterson Child Care Center; Clarissa Torres and Connie Livingston of Head Start; Paul Hooper and Cathy Kjellsen of United Way; Kirk Thomas of True Value; William Hutchison of Mary Peterson.
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