Easter Seals Greater Houston’s BridgingApps Program is thrilled to announce that, thanks to a grant from family-empowerment nonprofit CHILDREN AT RISK, we have been accepted as a vendor for Harris County Department of Economic Equity and Opportunity’s Early Learning Quality Network (ELQN) project. ELQN serves children up to 8 years of age, as well as child care providers, within targeted Houston-area neighborhoods.
The project’s goal is to ensure that quality child care and early learning environments will be available to at least 2,500 more Harris County children by June 2026. For our part, we will host small-group “Technology for Households” workshops for families with children between ages 4 and 8. (Easter Seals Greater Houston will also promote ELQN to our clients and followers.)
The Need
Some 5 million people live in Harris County, including over 1 million people under 18 and over 300,000 children under kindergarten age. Working parents need reliable child care, preferably with an early learning component. And as many as 80 percent of families who need high-quality child care on an affordable and consistent basis … can’t find it.
To fill this gap, ELQN was launched in October 2023. Funded by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Local Fiscal Recovery Funds; overseen by the Harris County Department of Economic Equity and Opportunity (DEEO); and supported by CHILDREN AT RISK, ELQN works with community members to identify needs and provide community-driven solutions, thus improving the quality of care available to families in focal communities. Easter Seals Greater Houston’s BridgingApps Program is one of six vendors now implementing the first recommendations, through the “Technology for Households” program which “provides qualifying households with developmentally appropriate technological learning tools and training related to the use of technology with young children.”
About “Technology for Households”
The “Technology for Households” in-person workshops will provide parents and informal caregivers with digital tools, technology kits, and training to ensure children get a healthy start on education. Each workshop will last three hours and will cover:
- Internet safety for young children, and how to use protective settings on digital devices
- Finding the right apps to support cognitive and social development
- Using digital technology to enhance school-related skills (scheduling, self-regulation, etc.)
- The best digital tools to boost learning and support developmental milestones
- How to build reading, writing, and math skills through tech tools
- Other best practices to encourage early learning
The workshops include tech demonstrations and hands-on help, ensuring that each participant leaves with a working knowledge of early-learning-related digital skills. Curricula is in English and Spanish; other languages will become available as need arises.
We expect to host 1–2 workshops per month for 10 months, with about 10 participants each. Every participant will receive a customized Early Education Tech Starter Kit, valued at $500.
Applying for “Technology for Households”
Families may be eligible to participate in this opportunity if they:
- Have, or regularly care for, at least one child between the ages of 4-8 years old.
- Are at or below 85% of the State Median Income.
- Are able to attend a full 3-hour training workshop on digital literacy.
- Reside in one of the focal communities (identified as “child care deserts”) in the following Harris County zip codes: 77009, 77021, 77022, 77032, 77033, 77037, 77039, 77047, 77048, 77051, 77060, 77076, and 77091.
Click here to submit Technology for Households application. For questions about our program, please visit bridgingapps.org or contact us at 832-627-9131.
(For additional information on other ELQN opportunities in your area, please visit CHILDREN AT RISK’s ELQN page.)
