SCEA project offers low-income communities on-ramp to Information Super Highway

FOUR SCHOOL AND COMMUNITY Electronic Access (SCEA) Centers at schools serving the East, South Central, South East, and East San Fernando Valley areas of Los Angeles are currently being developed by the Los Angeles Educational Partnership.

Funded by a $203,000 Department of Commerce grant, the Centers aim to provide schools, parents, students, and the community agencies they serve, dial-up access to diverse educational, health and social services information through the vast resources of the Internet. As a result, these under-served populations will have better, more timely, and cost-effective access to school and community information and services.

Based at Elizabeth, Foshay, Vaughn Street, and Maclay schools, the project has already provided Internet trainings for parents and community members and is helping to set up a technology infrastructure the schools can build upon.

"The excitement from parents and the community has been overwhelming," says Michele Parga, LAEP's manager of technology. "Parents can finally see what computers can do for them." Thanks to the Commerce grant, parents and other community members are able to or will be able to access the Internet during the evening and on weekends at the four school sites.

One of the SCEA sites, Foshay Learning Center, was recently visited by Don Druker, a representative from the United States Commerce Department's Telecommunications and Infrastructure Assistance Program-the Commerce Department office that awarded the grant.

During his visit to Foshay, Druker talked with students representing all grade levels and had a chance to see students create their own World Wide Web pages.

"What we like to see is a project that matches up with what the original proposal intended--this project has." Druker said. "I'm impressed with not just student enthusiasm, but how eager they are to share it."