Computers for Youth (CFY) held Family Learning Workshops for more than 1,700 families in high-poverty middle schools of the Los Angeles Unified School District between October 30 and December 14, 2010. CFY celebrated the launch of the program at William Mulholland Middle School in Los Angeles’ Van Nuys neighborhood. Michelle Hahn, Executive Director of CFY-Los Angeles, joined representatives from the LAUSD Board, the Los Angeles City Council, and the California State Assembly to kick off the program and highlight the goals of the workshops.
During CFY's Los Angeles pilot program in 2009, about 600 families participated in the program with an attendance rate of approximately 70 percent due to limited funding. With BTOP funds, more than 5,000 families will participate this school year, and thus far, workshop attendance has averaged close to 85 percent. The program is able to serve sixth-grade students and their families at El Sereno Middle School, Griffith Middle School, John A. Sutter Middle School, Utah Street School, William Mulholland Middle School, and Monseñor Oscar Romero Charter School. Approximately 20 additional schools are scheduled to run workshops this school year. BTOP funding also allowed CFY to hire 18 full-time staff and several dozen part-time staff to manage school relationships, lead the family trainings, and provide customer service.
CFY's bilingual Family Learning Workshops teach low-income students and their parents about the educational uses of home technology and broadband including how to use this technology to improve learning and motivation. Parents and students are encouraged to work together and commit to an ongoing home learning effort. CFY provides participating families with a broadband-ready Home Learning Center, broadband enrollment guidance, and access to high-quality, online educational software focused on math, English, social studies, and science. CFY also provides training to teachers on leveraging educational software to extend learning into the home and drive student achievement. The program will ultimately reach more than 34,000 low-income individuals and 15,000 households in the school district.
Last Updated: October 14, 2011
