HSGD > August 2007 eSpirit Newsletter > Parents Keeping Up With Their Kids   Ask any three or four year-old Head Start preschooler to show you how the Young Explorer computers work, and you will get a lesson.    For many parents, however, computers are a mystery, as low-income families have no funds to buy them or, if they own them, connect to the internet.   Thanks to computers from IBM, grants from Microsoft and the George and Fay Young Foundation, Head Start is entering its third year of offering family computer literacy classes to parents.   A bilingual instructor taught students basic skills including Word, using the internet and e-mail.  Classes are held at Head Start centers throughout the county to facilitate student child care and work schedules.   Parents say they attend to sharpen their employment skills, find a job and keep up with their kids.   Graduation ceremonies and a reception are held at the close of each semester when graduates receive a diploma, the adulation of their families and, for those completing the program, an opportunity to win a home computer, software and additional classes offered by Microsoft.   Last May’s graduation resulted in happy graduates taking home six PCs and a laptop.   Community donations and refurbished Head Start computers are used in the giveaway program.     The agency is seeking an additional $10,000 to fund the program next year, as well as computers in good condition.  For more information or to donate, please call 972-283-6465.   >>>  Return to Cover >>