|
Fifteen 5th graders in Falls Church received new computers at a ceremony on January 16th at 6 p.m. at Knox Presbyterian Church, 7416 Arlington Boulevard, Falls Church. The computers are being provided through a $15,000 grant from Kingsley Commons, a privately owned affordable housing community and Kingsley Park, which is owned by Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority. The County’s portion is paid from federal Housing and Urban Development (HUD) funding “We believe that without programs like Laptops for Learning Dollars, our children will be unable to fully benefit from the educational opportunities offered in Fairfax County Public Schools.” said John Freeman, owner of Kingsley Commons.
The students, who were chosen to participate in the Laptops for Learning Dollars program through a competitive interview process, will buy their computers by getting good grades, improving behavior and participating in weekly coaching sessions provided by the Kingsley Computer Learning Centers Partnership. Parents are also involved and are expected to attend 4 evening meetings per year.
“We are excited to partner with the Laptops for Learning Dollars program to give students the opportunity to earn free computers.”, says Paulette Armstrong, Computer Learning Centers Partnership manager for the Fairfax County Office of Partnerships. The Office of Partnerships operates a Computer Learning Center in the Kingsley Community where the weekly coaching sessions will take place.
Laptops for Learning Dollars is a partnership between the George Mason University College of Education and the Hispanic Youth Foundation. Jack Levy, a professor emeritus at George Mason University is the Executive Director of the Laptops for Learning Dollars program.
For more information about the Computer Learning Centers Partnership or the Laptops for Learning program, contact Paulette Armstrong at 703-324-5171, TTY 711 or Sharyn Franck, Kingsley Community Services Coordinator at 703-752-6744.
###
To request this information in an alternate format, call 703-324-5171, TTY 711.
|
