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MONTPELIER, Vt. – All six New England states placed in the top 10 of homes in which children own a computer with access to the Internet, according to a report that ranked the states.
“Connecting Kids to Technology,” written for the Annie E. Casey Foundation in Baltimore, ranked New Hampshire first in its listing of households with children ages 3 to 17 years that have access to the Internet.
New Hampshire had 69 percent; Alaska was next with 64. Mississippi and the District of Columbia tied for last place on the list with 31 percent.
With about 60 percent of children connected to the Internet at home, Vermont came in third place.
Rhode Island came in fourth with 60 percent, and Connecticut seventh with 58 percent. Maine and Massachusetts, with 57 percent, tied for 10th place.
“We definitely think that’s a good thing,” said Nicole Saginor, associate executive director of Vermont Institutes.
“We live in a technological world,” she said. “We want [children] to be prepared to access whatever the rest of the world can access.”
“Connecting Kids to Technology,” a report written for the Annie E. Casey Foundation in Baltimore ranked New Hampshire first in its listing of households with children ages 3 to 17 years that have access to the Internet.
Most, but not all, of the differences among states can be explained by income and education, said Tony Wilhelm of the Washington-based Benton Foundation. The study is based on figures collected by the U.S. Census Bureau. Southern states, except for Florida, had the lowest ranking.
“Economics is really the heart of the matter,” said Wilhelm, who wrote the report. “Families that have the disposable income to purchase computers and other information technology are going to be way up there.”
The report called on states to do more to make the Internet available to all children. It recommended that policymakers get more discounts on Internet service to community organizations and low-income families; that teachers receive more training in technology, and that all schools establish computer literacy training.
Vermont still has a long way to go, said Sally Anderson, the executive director of the Chester-based Vermont Center for the Book, which promotes family literacy and professional development for teachers.
“We may be third, but there are still 40 percent of the kids who don’t have it,” she said.
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