PROVIDENCE – The Rhode Island Family Literacy Initiative, a collaborative effort based at the Providence Public Library, has been honored as one of five winners nationwide in the inaugural Verizon Tech Savvy Awards.
The program, chosen as the Eastern regional winner, will receive $5,000 to continue and expand its operations.
The initiative includes the Cranston, East Providence, Pawtucket and Providence public library systems. Participants learn real-world skills such as how to create brochures, spreadsheets and PowerPoint presentations. Parents and children get free computer time to work together and visit educational Web sites.
The Verizon Tech Savvy Awards are a joint creation of the NCFL, former Iowa First Lady Christie Vilsack and the Verizon Foundation. They are designed to encourage schools and community-based nonprofits to create programs that demystify technology for parents, so they can better guide their children.
