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"IBM's goal with our KidSmart Early Learning program is to give pre-K programs all over the world the tools they need to enrich teaching and learning, so that children arrive at elementary school prepared and excited to learn."
Stanley S. Litow
Vice President, Corporate Citizenship & Corporate Affairs
President, IBM International Foundation
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The IBM KidSmart Early Learning Program integrates new interactive teaching and learning activities using the latest technology into the pre-kindergarten curricula. The program is now being implemented in 60 countries internationally, serving more than 2 million children from remote geographic areas to underprivileged areas of town and cities.
The centerpiece of KidSmart is the Young Explorer, a colorful "kid-proof" play station manufactured by Little Tikes and IBM and loaded with award-winning educational software from Riverdeep - The Learning Company.
To expand the benefits of the program beyond its grant sites, IBM launched a new website for early learning and technology at www.kidsmartearlylearning.org. Created in collaboration with the Center for Children and Technology, Bank Street College of Education and United Way, the site is in nine languages and includes a guide for parents to encourage early learning at home and a section for preschool teachers that details how they can best use technology to support learning in their classrooms.
An evaluation conducted by the Bank Street College of Education found that teachers who had been participating in KidSmart grew significantly more adept at integrating technology into their instruction. The evaluation also found that children's comfort levels using computers increased significantly, with 99 percent of the children either comfortable or very comfortable with computers.
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More than 30,000 units installed worldwide: 7,500 child-care centers, serving more than 2.6 million children in 60 countries. |
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A key finding by the Australia National Schools Network (ANSN) indicates that KidSmart is acting as a catalyst and support for "significant" reforms in early-childhood education. |
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Portugal: The number of teachers who said they were "very comfortable" with computers increased from 18 percent to 70 percent after just six months in the program. |
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"[IBM] is a great company that does good work for children and schools." - A villager's comment after IBM donated and installed KidSmart units in a remote village in Andhra Pradesh, India |
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