Hi Anne,<br />
I assume your main concern is around safety on the internet. there are few companies who specialized in this area. Here are two products that will do the job:<br />
<br />
http://kidrocket.org/<br />
<br />
http://www.kidzui.com/adw/kos2f?gclid=CMHr1d7KupACFReQGgodiRb9KQ<br />
<br />
I'll also recommend you to create a login that doesn't have administrator privileges for your kids. It will help to prevent them from doing damage to the operation system.<br />
<br />
I hope this stuff doesn't sound like foreign language to you, most of it is pretty easy tasks.<br />
Let me know how did it work out or if you have more questions.<br />

Anne, &nbsp;Are we talking about kids of a specific age, or for one child in general, or for a class?One point of my experience, having four children all with their own computers (not necessarily a good idea) is that the space for the computer should not take away from desk space for other types of homework. &nbsp;The child needs to have a workspace that is not monopolized by the computer, especially the keyboard and monitor. &nbsp;So use a keyboard drawer or slide-out shelf and use a flat panel monitor (not an old CRT).Are there other aspects of this topic you're fishing for discussion about?<br />

I would really recommend Magic Desktop as a software solution for kids 2-10 y/o. It installs over Windows and creates a safe and kid-friendly environment. Includes a simple internet browser, email client, some educational programs and a large collection of games. What is more, it offers parental control features, that many parents would like to have.