Belcamp Md., January 23, 2015 — The Comcast Foundation has provided Harford County Public Library a $10,000 grant in support of its Little Leapers 3.5 Digital Camp, an expansion of the Little Leapers 3.5 program.
Little Leapers 3.5 Digital Camp will support the development of digital literacy skills of preschoolers and provide a model for parents on how to interact with technology and media in a healthy way with a series of six sessions. The grant from the Comcast Foundation will be used to provide digital literacy training to staff, parents and caregivers.
Tanya B. Smith, coordinator for the Fred Rogers Center Early Learning Environment Programs, and Claudia Haines, trainer for Little EL, will kick off the Digital Camp with a symposium on digital literacy for young children on April 7-8. The Digital Camp launches in April, which is designated as the month of the young child.
Amanda Roberson, youth services coordinator at Harford County Public Library, is the project leader.
“We are so grateful to the Comcast Foundation for funding for this project,” said Mary Hastler, CEO of Harford County Public Library. “Many families have access to tablet technology at home but are unsure how to provide healthy digital learning experiences to their children. The training through the Little Leapers 3.5 Digital Camp is another way to narrow the digital divide.”
Little Leapers 3.5 Digital Camp is the next phase in the library’s successful Little Leapers 3.5 program. Unveiled in March 2014, Little Leapers 3.5 is geared to the library’s youngest customers, ages 3 to 5, and makes available 34 iPad minis. The iPad minis come loaded with 25-30 children’s apps chosen by Harford County Public Library’s early literacy librarians to teach STREAM (science, technology, reading, engineering, arts and math) concepts. The program familiarizes children with digital devices before they enter school and develops critical technology handling skills.
This grant from the Comcast Foundation is in recognition of Comcast’s support of programs aimed at expanding digital literacy, promoting community service and building tomorrow’s leaders.
“Comcast is proud to award grants to our partner organizations making a difference in the communities we serve,” said Donna Rattley Washington, regional vice president of government and community affairs for Comcast. “The tireless work of the Harford County Public Library is incredibly important, and we thank them for helping to make Harford County a better place to call home.”
About Harford County Public Library
Harford County Public Library operates 11 branches located throughout the county. The library serves more than 187,000 registered borrowers of all ages and has an annual circulation of more than 4.4 million. Harford County Public Library is committed to connecting people with information and promoting the love of reading within the community. More information may be found at hcplonline.org.
About the Comcast Foundation
The Comcast Foundation was founded by Comcast Corporation in June 1999 to provide charitable support to qualified non-profit organizations. The Foundation primarily invests in programs intended to have a positive, sustainable impact on their communities. The Foundation has three community investment priorities—promoting service, expanding digital literacy and building tomorrow’s leaders. Since its inception, the Comcast Foundation has donated nearly $158 million to organizations in the communities nationwide that Comcast serves. More information about the Foundation and its programs is available at www.comcast.com/community.
