PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Philadelphia is expanding the program that provides free internet service for students. Now, families of pre-school students may enroll.
The program, called Connect-ED, was created to ensure all students had access to online instruction when the coronavirus pandemic struck and forced the district to keep kids out of school buildings.
More than 15,000 households with students in kindergarten through 12th grade have already enrolled. They are entitled to free internet access with no installation fees through June of 2022.
Now, the city is making the service available to the youngest students that meet eligibility guidelines. That includes families with no internet access, currently, or who meet income qualifications for other public benefits such as Medicaid. It’s also open to students in special education classes and to English learners.
It is not clear how many more families the expansion will covert, but officials say the city will hook up all who qualify.
The program is funded by philanthropies and $2 million in city money from the CARES Act.
Interested families can call 211 to apply.