By August 1997, the number increased nearly six fold to 225 centers. One year later, upwards of 390 centers had started up. More than 100 centers opened in 1999. At school, the computers were mostly used by other people. Computers for Youth's focus on the home is against the trend.
Federal programs favor public access points - housing, libraries and schools.
Ms. Stock, however, believes that providing PCs for family households goes most directly to the disparity in Internet access. Ms. Stock got the idea for her program during a stint as a White House fellow in the office of the Vice President, when she developed Computers for Learning, a program that allowed federal agencies to donate computers directly to schools. In February 1999, she accepted a job at Computers for Youth. Funding came from Home Box Office, Citigroup and the U.S. Department of Education and the New York City Board of Education, which is allowing Computers for Youth to use warehouse space in Long Island City to store donated machines before they're distributed to students. The press is invited to attend.