TOPEKA — The Kansas Children’s Cabinet and Trust Fund is allocating $636,000 to improve internet connectivity for families with young children in more than 80 counties in the state.
Expenditure of the federal CARES Act funding was endorsed by Gov. Laura Kelly’s task force and legislators on the State Finance Council, which are involved in determining use of COVID-19 disaster aid.
“We’re very pleased that our first round of selections will increase internet access for families all across Kansas,” said Melissa Rooker, executive director of the Children’s Cabinet.
A total of $1.5 million was made available to Technology for Families Grant Program. In this round, funding was distributed to 40 organizations that identified 1,700 families with internet technology challenges.
Kelly said the initial round of grants would go to Kansans living in 86 of the state’s 105 counties.
“We know that digital infrastructure is a critical need for families not only during a pandemic to access online education and telehealth services, but also for the long-term economic opportunities that technology provides,” she said.
