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The Private Industry Council of Westmoreland/ Fayette, Inc. (PIC) and the Community Foundation of Westmoreland County responds to the ever changing needs of our community.

The Foundation in collaboration with the Henry L. Hillman Foundation, has supported a new program that will provide Wi-Fi units distributed to students enrolled in the afterschool program at Monessen City School District. The ‘Mi-Fi’ or ‘Jet Pack’ devices will connect multiple devices allowing students, and family members, to participate in virtual learning activities. This project will help mitigate the ‘digital divide’ that has become more evident during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Private Industry Council of Westmoreland/ Fayette, Inc. operates before, after school, and summer programs in Monessen City Elementary and High School. The program is funded through the Nita M. Lowery, 21st CCLC grant, and is administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Education. The program provides students with academic enrichment opportunities. The foundation looked for existing programs that could connect communities in need with resources to build a better community now, and for the future.

The Monessen City School District is located in Westmoreland County and is a Tile I school district. When examining the multiple barriers faced by these students, the importance of having equal access to educational and advancement opportunities becomes evident. The “Monessen Mi-Fi” project will assist Monessen families in accessing opportunities for learning and advancement by providing. The ‘Mi-Fi’ hot spot devices will be active for an entire year through the summer of 2021, so that students can participate in PIC’s summer programming, should it be delivered again virtually.

The Private Industry Council’s newly-name President and C.E.O., Shujuane Martin reflects, “Without accessibility and support through the PIC ‘Monessen Mi-Fi’ program, students could fall behind. Much research has been released on how the digital divide impacts American youth. The ‘Digital Divide’ and the ‘COVID Slide’ -which refers to a loss of learning time similar to the ‘Summer Learning Loss’ problem, affects student achievement and academic resiliency.”

Not only will the individual students benefit from this important resource, but the entire household will be able to utilize the device. Up to ten devices (smartphones, laptops, tablets) can be connected, meaning that the whole family will benefit. The device will be activated and a year’s subscription of service paid in advance through this grant’s funds. Households will be able to access services such as: district-provided curriculum, after school and summer S.T.E.M. lessons provided by PIC, job seeker services, higher education opportunities, medical e-wellness appointments, counseling, and therapist virtual visits.

Families who are looking for more information can visit the organization’s web site to register for the afterschool program at www.privateindustrycouncil.com A limited amount of devices are available.

Fayette County and Head Start/Early Head Start of Beaver County. To learn more, please visit the website, www.privateindustrycouncil.com.

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