KID Museum and Hispanic Heritage Foundation celebrate Computer Science Education Week with interactive, coding workshops

Students and families will also learn how to access free internet and devices through the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP).

BETHESDA, MD – The KID Museum and Hispanic Heritage Foundation (HHF) will celebrate Computer Science Education Week at KID Museum in Washington, DC, Sunday, December 10, 10 AM – 4 PM through interactive coding workshops to introduce, engage, and educate Latino youth through computer science.  Computer science is infused in all aspects of today’s world, and the future, and is a basic building block for creative problem solving. Children will explore how to use coding and computer science to create and make their ideas come to life.  Activities will be fun as well as educational and should include parents as part of a focus on parental engagement.  Spanish speakers will also be part of the program.

KID Museum and HHF will also support efforts to increase access to affordable internet service the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) and how to potentially get free internet access and a device through the Maryland Affordability Connectivity Program.

Digital inclusion is a priority for the HHF and KID Museum partnership through activities to ensure accessibility and impact with key stakeholders including schools and families with the greatest needs.

Additionally, HHF and KID Museum were founding organizations – along with Code.org, College Board, CSforALL, CSTA, and Siegel Family Endowment – to form a coalition dedicated to expanding access to, and participation in, computer science in education and workforce pathways for Latino students. The Hispanic CS Coalition aims to generate a deeper understanding of barriers to participation in CS education among Hispanic learners, advance research on best practices, create programmatic solutions, and recommend policy interventions with the potential to increase representation of Hispanics in CS.

Recent research found that although Latinos make up nearly 20% of the overall US population with approximately 28% of the student population, Hispanics make up only 7% of the STEM workforce. Further, according to Code.org, only 20% of all Hispanics students enroll in CS courses, additionally Hispanics only make up 8% of CS college graduates. The coalition will focus on the full K-12 – workforce continuum — seeking to find the gaps and create pathways and support to retain Hispanic CS students.

Computer Science Education Week is an annual call to action to inspire K-12 students to learn computer science, advocate for equity, and celebrate the contributions of students, teachers, and partners in the field.

KID Museum is a nonprofit, experiential museum and educational makerspace based in the Nation’s Capital to foster the “Mind of a Maker” in kids and youth, empowering the next generation with the skills to invent the future.  KID Museum sees the world as full of promise, potential, and possibility.  They envision a bold future with pathways for every young person to engage in hands-on, transformational learning and exploration that unlocks new opportunities. KID Museum (kid-museum.org).

Hispanic Heritage Foundation is a nonprofit focused on education, workforce, identity and social impact through cultural leadership.  Among HHF’s award-winning programs include Code as a Second Language (CSL) which has engaged 150,000 youths in CS and tech.  Follow HHF on social media and subscribe to the Fritanga Podcast and visit www.HispanicHeritage.org.

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