Project Goal
No Child Left Offline (NCLO) is an innovative project that brings together public and private partners to help disadvantaged children and their families join the Information Age. The program is the most comprehensive initiative of its kind undertaken by any state as it is intended to help underprivileged individuals overcome the obstacles associated with the digital divide. This is accomplished by placing computers in the hands of disadvantaged populations so that they have access to abundant technological resources and can perform basic computing functions.
In Kentucky, the No Child Left Offline program has successfully facilitated cooperation among private partners, corporate foundations and state government to place computers into the hands of underprivileged and disadvantaged individuals. ConnectKentucky’s No Child Left Offline is meeting the challenge of including these citizens in the digital age through these creative public-private partnerships. No Child Left Offline, as an initiative, is as flexible as today’s technology. The organization has already initiated and executed a successful pilot project of No Child Left Offline and has delivered approximately 1500 Internet-ready computers to disadvantaged individuals and populations across the state.
Project Sponsors
ConnectKentucky has successfully leveraged support for the NCLO from numerous organizations and foundations with cash and in-kind donations exceeding $2.2 million. Organizations that have helped to facilitate No Child Left Offline with cash and in-kind donations include:
Microsoft Corporation
CA, Inc
Commonwealth of Kentucky’s Commonwealth, Office of Technology
Lexmark
AT&T Foundation
AT&T Pioneers
American Electric Power Foundation
The Finance and Administration Cabinet
Duke Energy Corporation
Environmental and Public Protection Cabinet
The Appalachian Regional Commission
University of Louisville
Morehead State University
Project Background
No Child Left Offline began as an important component of Kentucky's Prescription for Innovation. No Child Left Offline was initiated to address the lack of computer hardware in Kentucky's underprivileged households. By leveraging financial and in-kind assistance from its public/private partnerships, ConnectKentucky refurbished and delivered computers to middle school students in some of the state’s poorest counties of Eastern Kentucky.
Initially the program worked with schools to extend applications to students who were identified in a sensitive manner as participants in the Free and Reduced-Priced Lunch Program. Through ConnectKentucky’s No Child Left Offline program, ConnectKentucky provided an opportunity for disadvantaged middle school students to return home to:
- Desktop Computers with Intel Pentium III processors and above.
- Lexmark Inkjet printers complete with replacement ink cartridges.
- Microsoft Software Applications for word processing, spreadsheets and other productivity utilities.
- eTrust Internet Security Suite by Computer Associates containing Antivirus, Firewall, Anti-Spam and PestPatrol Anti-Spyware.
- A suite of additional applications to engage the recipients in educational exercises, healthy lifestyles, problem solving, civics, geography, among others.
Though the project originally focused on refurbishing computers and distributing them to middle school students in rural or low-income areas, ConnectKentucky has expanded the project to include new computers and also targets other disadvantaged populations and organizations, such as community centers and organizations that serve underprivileged and special populations in both rural and urban areas.
Recognizing the benefits of the program, the Southern Growth Policy Board (SGPB) awarded the program with its 2006 Innovator Award. According to the SGPB, “The impact of No Child Left Offline goes beyond the students receiving computers. The program provides entire households with the opportunity to access important technology hardware from their homes. No Child Left Offline is an innovative initiative that is empowering Kentucky families and bridging the digital divide one household at a time.”
Project Rationale
Computer skills and Internet access have become essential to gaining access to the abundant resources in the global economy. As an example, PEW Life and Internet Project recently found that 40 million Americans rely on the Internet as their primary source for science news and information. Additionally, 128 million Americans and 87 percent of all Internet users in the U.S. have gone online for everything from researching a scientific topic to comparing different scientific theories to compiling resources to complete a science assignment for school.
A 2004 report by the U.S Department of Commerce found that of the 40+ percent of Americans not accessing the Internet, 22.5 percent indicated that the lack of a computer at home was the primary reason for not being online. Employing a similar methodology for a Kentucky-specific survey, ConnectKentucky found that 50 percent of disadvantaged families indicated lack of a computer at home as the reason they were not accessing the Internet. This means there are thousands of disadvantaged children and families who are missing the opportunity to participate in the educational, economic and civic opportunities presented by having the Internet available in their homes, quite simply, because there is no computer in the household.
Program Benefits
Through No Child Left Offline, ConnectKentucky is helping underprivileged children and their families overcome the obstacles of the digital divide and reap the rewards of being part of the global economy by providing them with this much-needed resource. No Child Left Offline is bringing hope to disenfranchised individuals as they strive to be a part of the global economy that increasingly requires computer-savvy individuals.
Testimonials from families of NCLO recipients in Kentucky:
“Just the look at these kids’ faces. They were ecstatic about getting these computers. We would have never been able to buy a computer on our own. It was definitely a blessing.”
Rita Morgan
“My children and I are so grateful to have received a computer for our home through the ConnectKentucky program. Having a computer at home has reduced a lot of the homework anxiety. They no longer have to try to complete homework assignments using the school computer labs, which can be hard to get access to during the school day.”
Sheri L. Hensley
“I wish to express my appreciation to ConnectKentucky for the computer my grandson received. It has been a great help allowing him to access information he would not normally have had a chance to see. He is a special needs student and it not only has helped him with studies but also his hand/eye coordination has improved.”
Marlene Broughton |
NCLO Completed Projects
County |
Recipients |
Johnson |
Underprivileged 8th grade students |
Clay |
Underprivileged 8th grade students |
Wolfe |
Underprivileged 8th grade students |
McCreary |
Underprivileged 8th grade students |
Owsley |
Underprivileged 8th grade students |
Carter |
Underprivileged 6th grade students |
Lawrence |
Underprivileged 6th grade students |
Morgan |
Underprivileged 6th grade students |
Boyle |
Kentucky School for the Deaf - dorm computers |
Madison |
Model Laboratory School - Classroom computers for special needs student |
No Child Left Offline is currently developing projects in Jefferson County, Kenton County, and multiple ARC counties to be published at a later date.
