Cast A Wide Net
Kids are Web-savvy. What about teachers and parents?
Parents looking to bridge the generation gap with their kids can
sum up the biggest obstacle they face today in two words: the
Internet. Sure, moms and dads think it's important that kids
get online, but how can they learn to keep things kid-safe?
That's where Ken LaVan and Kaila Colbin come in with
ParentsConnected, a nationwide seminar tour helping parents get
connected to and learn about the Internet.
"We want to help narrow the digital divide by educating
parents and teachers," says LaVan.
Funded by sponsors and private investors, the tour began in
September 2000 at the Technology 2000 Conference in Miami and runs
through May 2001. In their first year, LaVan, 32, and Colbin, 27,
expect to educate more than 200,000 parents in such cities as
Atlanta, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York City and Philadelphia. By
their third year? Seven million parents.
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LaVan and Colbin founded their company, ParentsConnected.com, in
January 2000. The Fort Lauderdale, Florida-based company got its
start by making computer and Internet training books and videos for
teachers and parents. To test their touring idea, the partners
called school districts to gauge their interest in marketing the
free seminars to parents and teachers. The response was
overwhelming: Nineteen school districts immediately signed up for
the 75-minute seminars.
"We try to make the seminars really enjoyable so people
don't come and feel like they have to sit through a
lecture," Colbin says. "We have a lot of interaction with
the audience."
In the end, it's all about helping parents and their
children connect. Says LaVan, "It's really educating
parents to work with their kids."