Mothers and Daughters in Harlem Celebrate Women's History Month by Gaining Computer Smarts

March 13, 2009

The Children's Aid Society and Per Scholas Team Up to Provide Computers and Tech Education to Women and Girls

Contact:
Ellen Lubell, The Children’s Aid Society, (o) 212-949-4938, (c) 917-854-6864
Emily Crossan, The Children’s Aid Society, (o) 917-286-1548, (c) 201-344-5742

When:
Saturday, March 14, 2009
10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
** Presentation of computers – 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. **

Where:
The Children’s Aid Society’s Frederick Douglass Center
885 Columbus Avenue at 104th Street, New York

What:
Twenty-five mothers and their daughters will attend a day-long workshop at The Children's Aid Society in Harlem about computers and technology, and every mother/daughter team will receive a refurbished computer and software to take home. The program and computers are presented by Per Scholas’ Comp2Kids initiative. Per Scholas is a nonprofit organization that provides education, technology and economic opportunities to individuals, families and communities.

Specially chosen participants from the Frederick Douglass Center will learn the basics of computer systems, including the most commonly used Microsoft programs, and an introduction to the internet and e-mail. The participants were selected based on the fact that they have no computer in the home.

The training will take place in the center’s Intel Computer Clubhouse, where computers and training are provided on-site as a way that The Children’s Aid Society helps to bridge the digital divide. On Saturday, a specially developed slide presentation will help the instructors teach lessons about computer use as well as Internet safety for the family.

The Children’s Aid Society (www.childrensaidsociety.org) was founded in 1853. It is one of the nation’s largest and most innovative non-sectarian agencies, serving 150,000 of New York’s neediest children and their families with a network of services that includes community schools, neighborhood centers, camps, adoption and foster care services, arts programming, teen pregnancy prevention, education, health and recreation. The Children's Aid Society is a founding member of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America and the vast majority of Children’s Aid sites are Boys & Girls Clubs. For more information, please call 212-949-4938 or email ellenl@childrensaidsociety.org.

Per Scholas is an environmentally responsible nonprofit organization committed to breaking the cycle of poverty by providing education, technology and economic opportunities to individuals, families and communities. Comp2Kids empowers low-income middle school students and enriches their educational experiences through technology. The addition of a home computer to a student’s routine puts the world at their fingertips, paving the way for achievement in school and their future careers. For more information, please visit www.perscholas.org or www.comp2kids.org.

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