🌟 Big News for Digital Equity in Massachusetts!

MCOA is excited to announce that we have secured a Senior Planet license with the ability to serve every county in Massachusetts!

This is a big deal for our network and an incredible opportunity to expand high-quality digital literacy programming through Councils on Aging and senior centers across the Commonwealth.

We’ll be starting small and building thoughtfully. Our first phase will begin with a few pilot communities. From there, our goal is to gradually expand, building the instructor network, volunteer capacity, partnerships, and administrative support needed to ultimately serve COAs throughout the state.

💻 So, What Is Senior Planet?

Senior Planet from AARP, the flagship program of Older Adults Technology Services (OATS), helps older adults build the skills and confidence they need to thrive in an increasingly digital world.

And this goes far beyond "how to use a computer."

Senior Planet offers lectures, hands-on workshops, program series, and multi-week courses on topics including:

📱 Smartphones, tablets, and apps

🌐 Internet and email basics

🔐 Cybersecurity, privacy, scams, and fraud

🩺 Telehealth and health technology

💰 Online banking and financial tools

💬 Social media and staying connected

📸 Digital creativity and photography

🤖 Artificial intelligence and emerging technology

And much more!

Explore the Senior Planet Program Directory

🏠 Why Does Digital Literacy Belong in a COA?

Think about how often technology already comes up in your center.

An older adult needs help accessing a patient portal. Someone received a suspicious text and wants to know if it's a scam. A participant has a new smartphone they don't understand. Someone needs to join a Zoom appointment, apply for a benefit online, download an app, or understand what everyone suddenly means by "AI."

Digital literacy is no longer a separate technology issue.

It is connected to:

Healthy aging and independence

Financial security

Healthcare access

Social connection

Lifelong learning

Employment

Access to benefits and services

Staying informed and engaged in the community

COAs are uniquely positioned to help because you're already the trusted place where older adults bring these questions.

🎓 Here's the Really Good Part: Training & Curriculum Are FREE!

COA staff members and community volunteers can become trained Senior Planet instructors.

Senior Planet provides the curriculum, instructor training, and program resources, so your COA doesn't have to develop digital literacy programming from scratch.

And you don't have to figure out the logistics alone, either.

As the initiative grows, MCOA will provide administrative and logistical support to participating COAs, including help with:

Instructor training and program coordination

Developing staff and volunteer instructors

Implementation and troubleshooting

Identifying potential volunteers and community partners

Identifying resources and potential funding for technology and classroom improvements

We also see Senior Planet training as a terrific professional development opportunity for COA staff, particularly Program Coordinators, Volunteer Coordinators, Outreach and Engagement staff, and others who regularly help older adults navigate technology.

And don't forget the volunteer possibilities! Younger retirees, retired teachers and IT professionals, college students, civic organizations, and community members could all become part of a local digital literacy network.

📋 Before We Expand, We Need to Hear From YOU!

We're launching the MCOA Digital Equity & Senior Planet Readiness Survey, and we're asking every COA Director to take a few minutes to complete it.

Even if you aren't interested in offering Senior Planet right now, we need your response!

This survey is bigger than Senior Planet.

We want to understand the technology landscape within Massachusetts COAs:

Do you have reliable Wi-Fi?

Do you have laptops, tablets, or computers?

Do you have a Smart Screen or projector?

Is there a computer lab or appropriate classroom space?

Are staff interested in instructor training?

Do you have potential volunteers?

What technology questions are older adults bringing to your staff?

What equipment, training, or funding would help?

Your responses will help us identify technology gaps, training needs, potential pilot communities and regional resources.

They will also help MCOA advocate for future resources and funding to advance digital literacy and digital equity across the Commonwealth.

👉 [TAKE THE MCOA DIGITAL EQUITY & SENIOR PLANET READINESS SURVEY]

The survey should take approximately 10 to 15 minutes, and your response will help shape what comes next.

💬 Curious? Join a Senior Planet Information Session!

Want to learn more before deciding whether Senior Planet might be a good fit for your COA?

Join MCOA for one of our virtual Senior Planet Information Sessions. We'll introduce the program, explore the curriculum, explain the free instructor training and resources, talk about MCOA's support, and answer your questions.

We'll also explain our phased east-to-west rollout and what your COA can do now to prepare for future participation.

Choose the Zoom session that works best for you:

📅 October 7

11:00 AM

2:00 PM

📅 November 4

10:00 AM

1:00 PM

Directors are encouraged to invite Program Coordinators, Volunteer Coordinators, Outreach staff, or other team members who may be interested in digital literacy programming.

👉 [REGISTER FOR A SENIOR PLANET INFORMATION SESSION]

There's no commitment to participate. Come learn, ask questions, and see what Senior Planet could look like in your community.

🚀 We're Starting This Fall!

Our first pilot Senior Planet lectures are being scheduled in Barnstable this November and December.

COA Participating staff members and volunteers will then have the opportunity to enroll in free Senior Planet instructor training in January.

We'll use what we learn from these initial programs to strengthen our model and begin expanding to additional communities and regions.

Our vision is a phased rollout gradually expanding throughout Massachusetts.

We're intentionally not trying to launch everywhere at once. Building the program thoughtfully will allow us to develop a strong instructor and volunteer network while making sure participating COAs have the support they need to succeed.

🌐 This Is Bigger Than Technology Classes

Our goal is to help COAs build the people, skills, partnerships, equipment, and local capacity needed to make digital inclusion part of how we support older adults in Massachusetts.

Having a Senior Planet license with the ability to eventually reach every county gives us an incredible foundation. Now we can begin building the infrastructure needed to bring that opportunity to more communities over time.

Please take the survey, even if Senior Planet isn't on your COA's immediate to-do list. Your information matters and will help us understand digital equity needs across our entire network.

And please reach out to me directly with questions about Senior Planet, the survey, instructor training, the information sessions, or the rollout. I'm happy to talk through the program and what future participation could look like for your community.

We're incredibly excited to get started and to build this together with our COAs!

Thank you,
Paula