Report details high speed Internet opportunities for children

The Children's Partnership has released a new issue brief describing the many ways high speed Internet can benefit children and urging our leaders to enact more effective programs to encourage children's use of technology.

The brief, called Information Technology Making a Difference in Children's Lives, is the latest in The Children's Partnership's series of reports on digital opportunities fork youth. It gives examples of how information technology -- and high speed Internet in particular -- can expand opportunities in every aspect of children's lives, from education to health care to job training to civic engagement.

One program described in the issue brief, Take IT Home (an initiative of Computers for Youth) provides refurbished home computers, high speed Internet access, and tech support and training to middle school students in Atlanta, New York City, and Philadelphia. The positive results were obvious:

Seventy percent of students in CFY programs reported feeling more curious and confident because they had a computer in the home. Furthermore, those who reported working harder because they had a home computer showed signs of corresponding academic improvement.  Additionally, over 90 percent of parents who participated in CFY’s parent training program reported feeling more confident in helping their children learn as a result of the program.

The report identifies many more such programs -- including those that focus on assisting at-risk youth and children with disabilities -- building on previousreports released by The Children's Partnership dealing with these issues.

Of course, for these programs to work, the children taking part must have access to high speed Internet connections. As the issue brief argues,

Much like the postal service and electricity were necessary for opportunity in the past, broadband (high speed Internet) has become a prerequisite for digital opportunity. While broadband deployment, speed, and affordability are issues that once seemed unrelated to the world of child advocacy, it is now clear that leaders for children could substantially improve the lives of children by working to make broadband available to every home.

As part of this effort, The Children's Partnership has also assembled detailed state-by-state data on information technology opportunities for children. This data is invaluable in determining how and where to direct high speed Internet expansion efforts to maximize the benefit for children.

High speed Internet has virtually endless potential improve the lives of American children. Now it's just a matter of providing them with the access they need:

As the gap between rich and poor in the United States continues to grow, the ability to benefit from the opportunities delivered through computers and the Internet can help a generation of young people move out of poverty. Digital opportunity for kids is the equity issue of the 21st century.

Information Technology Making a Difference in Children's Lives: An Issue Brief for Leaders for Children (The Children's Partnership)

Digital Opportunity for America's Youth (The Children's Partnership)

Children with Disabilities: Logging on to Learn (Speed Matters)

High Speed Internet Access: Not Child's Play (Speed Matters)

State Fact Sheets (Tech Policy Bank)