Broadband internet is no longer a luxury; meet a group bringing access to KC’s most underserved children, families

Editor’s note: The following is the second in a series of stories focused on digital inclusion efforts in Kansas City, and is presented by Google Fiber.

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Those seeking change and equity in a rapidly evolving world of tech access must go directly to the people in need if they wish to truly eradicate the digital divide, said Terri English-Yancy.

Terri English-Yancy, BA, MA, MA
Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Essential Families

“Find a centralized location for the community you’re serving. We’re at community events, talking to the people before they even come into our program and get the training. It’s important to establish those relationships; I’ve been doing it for years,” said English-Yancy, the founder and CEO of Kansas City-based nonprofit Essential Families. 

Click here to learn more about Essential Families.

Essential Families’ vision is to reach, inform and inspire the lives of children and families; its leaders believe that change begins at home, English-Yancy said. 

“I started this organization to fill in gaps in providing mental health services and other services,” she noted. “All of our services are virtual, but that means it starts with providing families with a laptop [or] computer. We do a basic computer training program and then get them enrolled in an Affordable Connectivity Program where they can receive $30 off their internet service bill.”

In November 2022, Essential Families took its mission further by launching the Essential Broadband Pilot program, which provided 69 families — living between 9th and Prospect; Gregory and Prospect; east to Indiana and west to Paseo — with broadband internet, in-person training and access to Essential Families’ virtual programs.

“The City of Kansas City Economic Development Tax Board, Health Department and U.S. Census Bureau have identified this area as the most unserved and underserved population in the greater Kansas City area,” English-Yancy said, noting that the household median income is approximately $23,812. “Essential Families Office is headquartered in the heart of these unserved and underserved neighborhoods.”

Broadband internet is no longer a luxury, English-Yancy continued, it is a necessity.

“All Essential Families programs [were] layered on Essential Families-provided broadband internet — enabling access to our essential programs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for children and families,” she explained. “ … The pandemic just highlighted how much access [to internet] is crucial for school, work and everyday life.”

Essential Families virtual programs include: child care payment assistance, mental telehealth, digital workforce development and more. 

“We will also refer some families to programs like the Goodwill [Digital Skills Training program] for additional computer training services,” English-Yancy said. 

RELATED: ‘More than a thrift store’: Goodwill’s efforts to close digital divide sell an expanded mission — upskilling workers 

Essential Families partnered with PCs for People to provide the families with laptops and with the Lucile H. Bluford Branch of the Kansas City Public Library to host the trainings.

“We chose the Lucile Bluford library because it is centrally located for most of the families in the pilot, as well as it is on the bus line,” English-Yancy said. “The library is a safe, neutral place for people to meet and many of our families were already going to the library to use their computers. It is a great resource, but now they also have their own computers so that they can work from home.”

RELATED: 10 years later: Google Fiber boosted city’s ‘capacity for collaboration,’ former mayor says

Wendy Pearson, strategic initiatives manager at Kansas City Public Library, has been working with the library since 2016 when she was part of the Digital Inclusion Fellowship supported by Google Fiber. 

Wendy Pearson, Kansas City Public Library

“Branch staff did not have a lot of time to sit down and devote the time needed to provide the level of technology assistance that the community needed, so I built up a volunteer program for those who want to help with tech access,” Pearson shared. “We’ve been able to expand the library’s capacity through volunteership.”

The digital divide has been around since the dawn of technology, Pearson said, which is why organizations such as Essential Families are imperative in closing the gap.

“[Kansas City Public Library] has a very intentional approach to providing digital literacy assistance in our community,” Pearson said. “We have one of our full-time staff members, who coordinates the tech coach volunteers. … Our other full-time person is exclusively focused on reaching out to the community and providing programs and resources through community partnerships. We’re able to expand our impact through these partnerships. The partnership with Essential Families just seems like an organic connection.”

In March 2023, The City of Kansas City passed Resolution No. 230229 — recognizing Essential Families for its efforts to provide crucial broadband and other services to below and slightly above poverty families in and around the greater Kansas City area.

“The Mayor and Council hereby recognize Essential Families and support team, for their dedications to closing the digital divide in Kansas City and beyond; and for their fundamental approach believing ‘everything starts at home,’” the resolution states.

“It validates what we are doing here,” English-Yancy said of the city resolution. “This is a program for the people. We are in the trenches doing the direct service, so it means a lot for Essential Families.”

Stephanie McFarlane (left) and Charlies Campbell (right) smile with Terri Yancy-English (center) as they hold up their certifications of completion; photo courtesy of Essential Families

Kansas City’s Digital Equity office is also partnering with Essential Families after receiving the Missouri Office of Broadband Development’s Digital Demonstration Project Grant for $25,000. Kansas City’s Digital Equity Office is set to utilize this grant money to promote participation in Essential Families’ Affordable Connectivity Program, according to a press release.

For those who are interested in getting involved with Essential Families, English-Yancy recruits digital navigators to help with trainings, she said. 

Click here to register to become a digital navigator.

The waitlist for the Essential Broadband Pilot program currently has 131 families, but English-Yancy encouraged families to sign up as they ramp up to enroll more families.

“I tell people to be patient because we are going to be delivering laptops and doing our Affordable Connectivity Program soon,” English-Yancy said. “We are here to serve the people in the best way we can, and we believe strengthening families is essential to our community.”

Click here to sign up for Essential Families’ Essential Broadband Pilot.

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This series is possible thanks to Google Fiber.