The COVID-19 pandemic hit historically underserved communities like ours the hardest. As parents and teachers across the country struggled to figure out how to accommodate remote learning, a problem we’ve known about for a long time was exacerbated — many students and families in our corner of Fresno County lack access to in-home Internet. While high-speed broadband access is available to more than 96% of California households, the reality is nearly 20% of K-12 students lack a functional computing device, at-home Internet and the digital literacy skills needed to participate in class or access online course work.

 

For more than a decade, the Boys & Girls Clubs has partnered with Comcast to bridge the digital divide. It was through this partnership that we were able to increase the capacity of our computer labs and offer a continuum of digital skills through the MyFuture program. Once COVID-19 hit and school districts moved to distance learning, we knew we had to immediately address how to get children connected with computers, Internet access, and the skills needed to operate their devices and engage on virtual platforms like Zoom.

As our staff undertook the monumental task of creating a physically and emotionally safe place for children to do their schoolwork, Comcast once again came through by setting up children for success in their new digital classrooms. Ten of our Boys & Girls Clubs were selected as Comcast Lift Zones — providing free, high-speed Wi-Fi that allowed dozens of students at each site to be on the network at the same time. The company also donated $50,000 to our organization and provided each of our 225 kids with laptops and one year of free internet service at home. This was a huge blessing to the Boys & Girls Club and a testament to the power of community partnerships.

 

Seeing the children’s faces when they opened their new laptops was like watching them open presents on Christmas morning. This generous donation allowed us to provide families with critical resources during a tremendously difficult and unprecedented situation. Children who had nowhere else to go — some who were unhoused, some whose parents were essential workers — had a quiet, safe place to learn where they were surrounded by Club staff who truly cared about their success. And they had adults to teach them how to turn on the computer, set up the video camera, and handle the microphone and chat features.

As more Californians are vaccinated and shelter-in-place restrictions are lifted, it would be easy to forget the fear and stress that families felt during the darkest days of the pandemic. Essential workers were scared they would get sick, or worse get their families sick. They stressed over making their monthly budgets and providing for their children. Recognizing that the needs went beyond a Wi-Fi connection, Comcast provided free Internet at home for a year to our families through their broadband adoption program, Internet Essentials. The company also provided families with six weeks’ worth of food during the holidays. Most recently, the company announced that that they increased speeds for all new and existing Internet Essentials customers at no additional cost — providing students and families the resources they need to stay connected.

 

Making our Clubs “Lift Zones” has resulted in more students being focused on their schoolwork, which has been reflected in their higher grades and improved reading comprehension. It’s also taken a small burden from teachers, who face the enormous task of keeping students engaged over a computer screen. We’re proud to have kept our doors open to students in need of fast, reliable Internet, and welcome our community’s children to join us whenever needed.

The COVID-19 crisis threatened to widen the achievement gap many low-income students already face. We’re proud that the community partnership between the Boys & Girls Clubs of Fresno County and Comcast could provide for our children— preparing them for a successful future.