One Laptop Per Child Turns Homeward

In past posts about the One Laptop Per Child program to distribute affordable laptops to kids in developing countries, lots of Yahoo! Tech readers angrily questioned why the program doesn't extend to needy kids in the United States.

As one reader wrote: "There are too many kids right here in America who are technology challenged due to lack of resources. They deserve the learning experience as much as any other child."

OLPC hears you. Nicholas Negroponte, CEO of OLPC, says an OLPC America will take shape this year. It will be based in Washington, D.C. and will work through the 50 state governments.

He said the group always planned to extend laptop distribution to the United States but started with the developing world because of the overall stark difference in children's access to technology. The United States spends an average of $10,000 per child on primary education, while developing nations spend far less. Bangladesh, for example, spends an average of $20 per child.

Meanwhile, OLPC's Give One Get One program continues in the United States and Canada, allowing individuals to purchase two XO laptops for $400. One will be donated to a child in a developing country, and the other can be donated to anyone the buyer chooses. OLPC is looking to extend the program to Europe. 

Conceived at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), OLPC is looking to extend its reach by turning homeward—and to compete better with other affordable laptop programs, including Intel's Classmate PC and Asus' Eee PC.

So, do you like OLPC more now?

LINK: One Laptop Per Child Extends to American Students [PC World via Yahoo!]

Related: Donate One Laptop per Child, Get One