Teaming for Technology Goals:

1. To assist community-based organizations (CBOs) in developing, enhancing, and maintaining technological competency in order to maximize effectiveness and manage cost
2. To bridge the organizational digital divide by helping non-profits take advantage of technology to more effectively fulfill their missions
3. To update organizations’ technology to allow them to better serve their communities through increasing capacity or expanding programs offerings
4. To make CBOs more attractive to funders

KidSmart Early Learning Program Goals:

1. To increase the ability of economically disadvantaged children to succeed in elementary school by providing technology to preschoolers in low-income nonprofit childcare centers
2. To provide children from all geographical areas and all economic backgrounds a chance to experience the benefits of technology
3. To assist residents of low-income neighborhoods to develop familiarity and increased comfort level with computer technology
4. To develop and promote new and important methods of stimulating children so that they are excited to learn and are enthused about technology

Criteria for agencies to receive computers and participate in the program must:

1. Be either a Headstart program, or a nonprofit Daycare Center serving children
   3-7 years old within New York City’s five boroughs
2. Be licensed by the City or State and thus have a “certified” teacher present in each of the classrooms. (Being accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children is preferred, but not mandatory)
3. Have a minimum of three classrooms. One Young Explorer computer per classroom (total of three per site is preferable, exceptions can be made depending on circumstances)
4. Be an educational setting, whereby the donated RiverDeep educational software would be integrated into the formal curriculum of the center
5. Agree to send two teachers per donated Young Explorer to one “full day” software training class in mid-town Manhattan. (Teachers can pick any day within a two-month window, although Summer training dates, at this point, have yet to be determined)
6. Allow only UWNYC volunteers to assemble the Young Explorer computer workstation
7. Have involved and motivated administrators and teachers willing to maintain this resource on their own, after initial donation and assembly is completed
8. Be willing to adhere to reporting responsibilities, i.e., send thank you letter to IBM (with copy to UWNYC), if requested. Allow Bank Street College to conduct evaluation and/or fill out and return any program surveys, sent out by UWNYC or IBM
9. Be willing to pick-up donated Young Explorer computers at UWNYC warehouse in Astoria Queens. Based on size of boxes, this could mean having to rent a small U-Haul truck or van

Voices from the Field