CYBER Family Program
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The vast majority of kid’s k-12 love computers. The home PC has become the most common tool for entertainment, research for school, and is second to the cell phone as a personal communication devise. Each year more and more entry-level jobs require at least basic computer skills. However, many of today’s k-12 children do not have home access to a working home PC and the Internet. Many families simply do not have the financial means to provide this for their children. This is what the CyberFamily program is about.
Surplus computers donated to Families Are Special are refurbished by volunteers and placed with these families. Over 30 families have received a computer. Our goal for 2006 is to place 50 more.
You can help!! If you know of an Arkansas family that needs a home computer for use by their children and adults, or you have access to surplus computers, which could be made available for this program, email or call Art or Bill at fasas@alltel.com or call 501.758.9184.
CyberFamilies is a new program under development at this agency since October 2003. It is envisioned to be a replica of a very successful program developed by Judge William Byers, a former Juvenile Court Judge in South Carolina, and current Director of the Family Law Center at the University of South Carolina, pioneered the program, Computer Buddies, that places refurbished, donated Internet-accessible PCs in foster homes throughout South Carolina.
Look at our Brochure
Current studies reveal that Foster children are:
·
Highly likely to be one to two years behind in school
·
Less likely to graduate from high school
·
Apt to have a six-month lag in emotional development per move
while in previous care
·
Delayed educationally and successfully by frequent moves to
new school with new friends
·
Are usually on the wrong side of the digital
divide
– computer literacy
Most of these children are from abusive or neglected
backgrounds. Experience has
demonstrated that a child from such backgrounds have higher probability of
attachment fears, and are less likely to be able to reach out to others and/or
accept help offered from others.
The
majority of these children don’t have home based access to today’s most
powerful teaching tool – the Internet. The
key to providing this tool to our Arkansas children lies in a cooperative effort
among Arkansas’ communities. These
assets are a new family, churches, neighborhoods, schools, and local business.
Local business teams can help by providing coaching, leadership, recyclable
assets, and financial support.
CyberFamilies needs
§
Computers
More to Come.