Parent to Parent: Tech goes home

It's called tech goes home and its a computer program aimed at keeping parents plugged into their kids lives.

Hulda Suazo, student
"For my mom it helps her to understand to how it works, the computer works and it helps her know what I am doing."

The class teaches parents, many of whom never used a computer before, basic computer skills like how to use the internet and email, and the Lilla G Frederick Middle School in Dorchester , the class is taught in three languages-English, Spanish and Somali.

Hulda Suazo, student
"Because they already do it in do it in English and Spanish I don't have to translate she can understand."

Teacher Grace Coleman says parents and their kids benefit.

Grace Coleman, instructor
"They start helping each other out and you see a dynamic where the kid knows more than the parent and the parent is like how do you know that? So they both find out assets about each other they might now have otherwise known."

The class is free, parents must commit to 25 hours.

Once they complete the course, they get to take home a laptop so they can stay connected to their kids at school.

Debra Socia, principal
"If you have two jobs and you don't get home till 10 at night you can still be engaged in your child's educational experience because you can check grades, you can email the teacher, you can chat and check emails the next evening and make sure that you are engaged."

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