Partners in Education’s free Computers for Families program helps students—and their parents—bridge the digital divide
As a child, Chelsea Duffy wanted to be a teacher. As an adult, however, she found another way to make an impact in the classroom when she became involved with Partners in Education, an organization that provides free computers, tech support and career readiness training for children and adults in Santa Barbara County, helping to bridge the digital divide, the gap between those with access to computers and the internet and those without.
Duffy began her journey with Partners in Education 15 years ago, as a part of their internship program, helping high school students with job preparation.
“I thought I had landed the best job in the world,” Duffy says. “I got to spend my time getting paid to help young people figure things out that a lot of us have to figure out on our own. It was a dream situation.”
After working various roles and managing programs for Partners in Education, Duffy eventually became the organization’s executive director, a position she has held for the past 10 years. During that time, she has shepherded the organization’s many community-based programs, including its Computers for Families program.
“There’s all these happy by-products of getting a computer, like they suddenly are able to search for better paying jobs.”
Chelsea Duffy, Executive Director, Partners in Education
Computers for Families targets parents and guardians with school-age children, but is available to anyone in Santa Barbara County who needs a device. The program provides students with computers so they can complete computer-based school assignments, but it also benefits the parents and guardians.
“There are all these happy by-products of getting a computer, like they suddenly are able to search for better paying jobs or maybe even qualify for better paying jobs,” Duffy says. “There are a lot of ripple effects.”
In order to provide computers to the community, Partners in Education receives gently used donated devices and refurbishes them. Once participants complete a one-hour online safety training course, they are eligible to receive a computer. Additionally, Partners in Education provides tech support and instructions for receiving at-home internet access at discounted rates. They also offer workshops that promote healthy online habits and warn about the dangers of social media and online addiction.
Duffy estimates that 60% of the people they serve come from the Lompoc area, where Partners in Education works closely with the Lompoc Adult School and Career Center. Duffy calls the joint effort, which began in 2021, a “true collaboration.”
“Students will come to the staff and say they need a computer and the staff are like an extension of our outreach team,” Duffy says. “They are signing them up for appointments and they are a location where we bring our computers and people can come pick them up.”
Recently, through grant funding, Partners in Education has begun offering a computer basics class—a 24-hour course spread over six weeks—that, once completed, rewards graduates with a brand-new Google Chromebook. The class has produced many success stories, including a mother working two jobs who somehow found the time to take the class in order to qualify for a higher-paying job.
“That just really touched me when I thought about the commitment and what it took for her to come six weeks in a row, two nights a week, just knowing you’re working two jobs to do that,” Duffy said. “What perseverance, but also just love for her family she must have been feeling to show up every week in that way.”
As an added bonus, all of Partners in Education’s classes are taught in both English and Spanish, so they can serve as many people as possible.
“I’m just really proud of our team for the range of support that they’ve been able to offer our community,” Duffy says.
For more information on the Lompoc Adult School and Career Center’s and Computers for Families free computer program, visit https://adulteducation.lusd.org/aboutus/free-computers-for-lompoc-families.
Written by Jimmy Flynn
| Regions | Classes & Topics |
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