CHATTANOOGA, TN: October 11, 2024 – In the home of the world’s fastest community-wide internet, HCS EdConnect powered by EBP is helping more families than ever access broadband. HCS EdConnect is a nationally recognized public-private partnership providing EPB internet service at no charge to qualifying students and their families. Already this school year, 1,200 more Hamilton County families have signed up for HCS EdConnect, a nearly three-fold increase from this time last year.
As students get reacquainted with homework this school year, HCS EdConnect serves nearly 28,000 Hamilton County residents, including more than 16,000 local students. To qualify, a household must have a student who qualifies for SNAP benefits, the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), or attend a school where every student receives free or reduced-cost lunch. Eligible families can enroll in HCS EdConnect by contacting their child’s school.
HCS EdConnect is a unique program that is only available to Hamilton County students thanks to funding and support from Hamilton County, Hamilton County Schools, the City of Chattanooga, EPB, The Enterprise Center, the BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee Foundation, and the Smart City Venture Fund, which includes the Benwood Foundation, the Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga, the Footprint Foundation, and the Robert L. and Kathrina H. Maclellan Foundation. The project is also partially funded by the State of Tennessee.
Since it was launched in 2020, HCS EdConnect has already yielded positive academic results, according to the HCS EdConnect Research and Evaluation Study produced by an interdisciplinary team of researchers at Boston College and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Research supports what local teachers have seen in our region: access to technology is a positive force for a student’s reading skills, math skills, and creativity and for improving parent and family engagement with schools.
“Public-private partnerships like HCS EdConnect are what sets Hamilton County apart in terms of our community-wide investment in and commitment to every single student in a Hamilton County School,” said Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp. “This program plays a critical role in ensuring our county’s students enter the workforce equipped to succeed, and I’m grateful to these local partners for stepping in where the federal government stepped away.”
“HCS EdConnect is a great example of a homegrown initiative that embodies our One Chattanooga vision where every Chattanoogan has the opportunity to benefit from our city’s continued growth and success,” said Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly. “Thank you to Hamilton County Schools, EPB, and The Enterprise Center for working together for the good of young Chattanoogans.”
“Hamilton County Schools believes that access to the internet is an essential part of our students’ ability to learn beyond the classroom and of their families’ ability to stay connected with us,” said Justin Robertson, Superintendent of Hamilton County Schools. “It is our collective responsibility to remove barriers to learning and long-term success for kids. HCS EdConnect is a great example of local institutions stepping up with the ultimate goal of equipping students with the tools they need.”
“Access to the internet today, particularly for families and K-12 students, is as essential as electrification was a century ago,” said The Enterprise Center President and CEO Monique Kuykendoll Quarterman. “I applaud our partners for making long-term investments in HCS EdConnect so that we can continue to ensure people in Hamilton County are informed, connected, educated, and employed.”
“HCS EdConnect helps bridge the digital divide for families, helping children have access to the same needed learning resources as their peers,” said David Wade, CEO of EPB. “Thanks to the generous local support from across Hamilton County, we’re proud to continue offering HCS EdConnect.”
“HCS EdConnect connects not only students to the internet but connects parents virtually to their children’s schools, and parent involvement is a vital component of student achievement,” said Dr. Damian Bebell, Assistant Research Professor at Boston College's Lynch School of Education. “With this technology and access in place, parents are more engaged with their child’s school, checking grades and assignments online and communicating virtually with teachers and other school personnel.”
To find out more about HCS EdConnect or enroll in the program today, visit www.edconnect.org/.
About EPB
EPB is a customer-focused technology company that delivers innovative power and telecommunications solutions to the Chattanooga area in pursuit of its mission to enhance the quality of life for the community it serves. In 2010, EPB completed a 100% fiber optic network accessible to all its customers as the basis for launching America’s first community-wide Gig speed internet. The company still operates the world’s fastest community-wide internet service today at speeds up to 25 Gig. EPB also utilizes Chattanooga’s fiber optic network as the communications backbone for the most advanced and highly automated power distribution system in the United States. In 2022, EPB continued its commitment to keeping Chattanooga on the cutting edge by establishing our nation’s first commercially available quantum network — EPB Quantum Network℠ powered by Qubitekk. This effort aligns local job creation efforts with the national priority to accelerate the commercialization of quantum technology.
Since switching the lights on for its first electric customer in 1939, EPB has grown to serve nearly a half a million people across a 600-square-mile service area with cutting-edge infrastructure that integrates power distribution and telecommunications. At the same time, EPB keeps customer benefit at the center of all its efforts, earning recognition from J.D. Power as the #1 Mid-Sized Utility in the South for the last eight consecutive years based on customer satisfaction ratings. Learn more at epb.com.
About HCS
Hamilton County Schools serves more than 45,000 students in more than 78 schools throughout the Chattanooga and Hamilton County area. We are a diverse school district by all accounts, and are dedicated to creating an educational environment in which all students have the opportunity to thrive and experience a future without limits.
In addition to HCS EdConnect, we encourage families to utilize a wide array of additional resources at their disposal to help support their student’s success. HCS Parent University provides access to a wide variety of tools all in one location to help empower families to be full partners in their child’s education. Through the HCS Family Resource Center, families can get connected to internal and external resources related to transportation, child care, academic support, mental and physical health, finances, and more! Follow along with us on our HCS Facebook page to stay up to date on school district news, additional resources and events, and bright spots.
To learn more about Hamilton County Schools and supports available to families, visit hcde.org.
About The Enterprise Center
The Enterprise Center is a nonprofit economic development partner to the city, county, region and state dedicated to uniting people, organizations and technology to build an advanced and inclusive future rooted in community connection.
With a focus on equity, collaboration and workforce development, TEC partners to provide access to technology, skills training and information through programming like Tech Goes Home, EMPACT, Chattamatters, The Innovation District and more.
To learn more about The Enterprise Center’s work and resources, visit theenterprisectr.org.
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