Today, IBM is announcing the donation of $2M of Young Explorer computers as part of the company's KidSmart Early Learning program. The 1000 early learning centers are going into preschool and Kindergarten classes serving populations that are 40 percent or more Latino, such as Orlando, Miami, Chicago, LA, New York and other selected regions.
The initiative is focused on supporting education within the Hispanic community, the fastest growing group in the U.S. population. Latinos are more likely to drop out of high school than any other ethnic group, and are significantly underrepresented in technical and engineering professions, according to the National the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering.
The Young Explorer is a computer housed in brightly-colored, kid-friendly Little TikesT furniture and equipped with educational software to help children learn and explore concepts in math, science and language. The computer centers can also help children learn important socialization and collaborative learning skills such as how to work together to solve problems and sharing.
To see video news release on the KidSmart program, visit YouTube here
