Tech club program for kids and youth

We partner with school districts and youth development agencies in low-income communities to provides hands- on, project based learning projects for kids ages 7-14. Kids who report interest STEM at this age are most likely to pursue advanced education and careers in STEM fields; early skill attainment is key.

Kids in Tech helps prepare children in underserved midsize cities for technology jobs. Existing local programs focus on high school children. And offerings in midsize cities, like Kids in Tech’s Lowell home base, are sparse despite the rapid expansion of the innovation economy outside of the nation’s largest cities, a trend detailed in research by the Progressive Policy Institute and TechNet, a network of technology executives committed to promoting the innovation economy.

We strive to inspire children to pursue interests in STEM fields so they are ready to embrace the STEM career opportunities that will arise as they enter the workforce. We accomplish this through our after-school Tech Clubs in which students how technology is used in a professional setting. We promote a positive learning environment and offering a vision of success. We strive to ensure that all children are able to develop the skills and aptitudes to participate in the 21st century economy.

We partner with schools and youth development organizations to provide technology education to children ages 8-14. We recruit qualified instructors and train them in our project-based computer technology curriculum. Instructors are then matched with staff liaisons with local schools or community organizations where they conduct semester-long course that culminates in a final project presentation in which students showcase the skills they have learned.

While larger cities have made investments in building that infrastructure,small and mid-sized cities lack the educational infrastructure to guarantee that companies have access to a pool of skilled workers.

Our tech club program will be a model for midsize cities  and smaller communities to build pipelines for students to develop the skills and interests necessary to seize the many opportunities that awaits them. These communities are becoming centers for economic growth and tech innovation.1

1 - https://www.forbes.com/sites/j

STEM jobs are expected to grow 55% faster than non-STEM jobs and the demand for computer science skills, in particular, will see remarkable growth.1 In Massachusetts, in particular, for a college graduate with a bachelor’s degree, that number rises to 17 open jobs.2

Large cities have been proactive in increasing their investment in computer technology education, smaller and mid-sized cities are falling behind in building the infrastructure and community support needed to bridge that skills gap. Data shows shows that small towns are significantly less likely than large cities to offer computer science courses.3

1.   https://www.bls.gov/careeroutlook/2014/spring/art01.pdf

2.http://www.mass.edu/visionproject/degreesofurgency.asp

3.http://hangetheequation.org/stemtistics

While we were developing our program model,  we consulted with  different community stakeholders which informed how we created our model. We also tailored our education methods to a regional context in addition to making our programming hands-on, real world and practical. We also we make sure to recruit instructors from the communities in which we serve and connect students with tech professionals from their own respective communities. Children need early and ongoing education and mentorship to succeed in STEM fields.

Impact of our solution:

• To provide early and ongoing STEM education opportunities for children

• To better equip children to seize opportunities in higher education and in emerging industries and career fields.

• To provide local schools and organizations with a way to ensure access to  STEM education for all children.

• To build a model for other mid-sized cities to develop better STEM education and employment pipelines.

Program instructors serve as mentors to show students pathways to successful careers. Tech club program is deployed to kids through our partnerships with school districts and youth development agencies.

Pre and post assessment of participants; and assessment skills survey tool - 95 % Program participants report improvement their technology skills

Pre and post assessment of participants - 95% Program participants can identify tech-related careers they want to pursue/train for

Survey of teachers and students about overall program experience pre, mid, and post tech club program experience and visit tech clubs on site. - Measuring and Evaluating instructor quality

We are the only US based nonprofit that is working on building a tech talent in midsize cities and smaller communities. These communities are the second wave tech innovation. We are also focused on ages 8-14 as we believe we must excite, educate, and engage in this age group about tech to help solve the digital divide gap long-term. Early engagement, skill attainment, and creating creators of tech are key. We also have STEM professionals led our club program with educators giving students access to high quality instruction and mentors.

Our program is in agreement with Solve's view of human-centered technology. Our programs are focused on using  existing and creating technologies that enrich the communities we serve through understanding people and their needs which is always at the forefront of how we design and implement our programs. This is only way to ensure our beneficiaries are becoming creators and builders of technological innovations and ultimately of their own futures.

Our solution will is deployed at the local level, in-person, in youth development organizations and schools , led by trained and highly skilled STEM professionals and educators. We use a sliding scale which makes our work sustainable but also greatly lessens the barriers for entry with communities seeking to partner with us.

Our program will be funded via earned income, corporate, foundation, and individual and will continue to rely on kind-support from skilled volunteers. To scale our program and ensure long-term success, we partner with corporations , AmeriCorps and/or similar type of entities, higher education institutions, and other education- related professional organizations to be ensure we have access to high quality instructors for our tech club program.  At SOLVE MIT , we would like to work out our earned income strategies.  We also need to build a larger team of talented people to ensure our short-term and long-term success as an organization. 

Funding has and continues to prove the most limiting factor.  In addition, our ability to serve more kids is contingent on building long-term relationships with individuals, corporate/ foundations, and government/federal agencies. It is also critical to build a good relationships with the leaders of school districts and  youth development agencies so we can form long-term partnerships to ensure are working together to create tomorrow's STEM leaders today. STEM companies and  local universities also will help supply the high quality  instructors for our clubs. 

https://www.facebook.com/KidsinTech1/

https://twitter.com/kids_in_tech1

https://www.instagram.com/kids_in_tech1/

The challenges mid-sized cities and smaller communities in STEM education in the United States are shared by many other mid-sized and smaller communities in the world. Becoming a Solver will allow for an opportunity to connect with with like-minded peers from around the world who are working on  similar projects. Furthermore, the greater Solve community is an international network where sharing best practices and making connections with other cross sector leaders to create impact is of utmost importance. I desire to be part of such community and contribute to it as well.  

• Current program partners are  youth development agencies and school districts

• STEM educators and  STEM professionals, education researchers, policy officials, youth development agencies, Catchafire.org also has provided us which makes skill-based connections between professional volunteers and other non-profits, and local institutions  

• Individual, corporate, and foundation support

STEM organizations focused on young children.