IBM Gives Computers to Robin’s Nest

A new computer system at The Robin’s Nest Child Enrichment Center at Gifford has preschoolers, well, speechless.

Asked how they liked the computer system that was designed especially for their age group and generously donated by IBM, the youngsters were too engrossed in learning reading, math and science in programs like Baley’s Book House, Millie’s Math House and Sammy’s Science to respond.

Their teachers, however, had plenty to say.

"The beauty of this is I lock out everything but what I want them to be learning," Robin’s Nest preschool teacher Terrie Ashford said.

Free of the flashing pop-up ads and inappropriate material lurking on the Internet, the computer system supplies kids with simple, educational software and a computer desk, keyboard and mouse made just for little hands.

Allowed 30 minutes a day on the computer, the Robin’s Nest preschoolers are already recognizing letters, sounding out words, counting higher, sharing, taking turns and picking up fine motor skills as well as computer skills they will surely need later in life. 

"I think it’s definitely an advantage for our program," Robin’s Nest Director Susan Mascola said. "Computers are used in the elementary schools, so it’s appropriate that they are developing computer skills in preschool."

For a generation for which computers in the elementary school classroom are a reality, this gift from IBM also helps bridge the digital divide, or level what is increasingly an electronic playing field.

"All children deserve equal access to resources that are part of the world," Jan Walker, director of workforce development and quality enhancement for the state’s Child Development Division, said.

It is through Walker’s division that the computers were awarded this year. Gifford’s Robin’s Nest was among 32 child-care sites statewide to receive the computer—a Young Explorer Early Learning Center for children ages 3 to 7—during the 2007 awards last month. Other local recipients include child-care providers Pam White of West Braintree and Vicki Palmer of Randolph Center.

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