community engagement
Our dream is to teach each and every girl who is interested in pursuing computer science, and to provide her with the support and mentorship she needs to succeed in the field. One of our first initiatives to getting one step closer to making our vision a reality is to provide need-based financial aid to families who are interested in Building Bytes.
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For every paid session, 10% of the session price goes to our Builders Fund, a fund that is reserved for financing sessions for families who need financial assistance.
According to research, engineering and computer science remain heavily male dominated. Only 21% of engineering majors and 19% of computer science majors are women. The gender gap in STEM is especially pronounced for girls from low income families, where there is a significant gap in parents’ knowledge and attitude of the importance of STEM education for girls.
importance of early childhood education
The STEM gap for low-income students starts in early childhood, as infants begin developing their spatial awareness. According to a study from Stanford, the ability to create and manipulate visual images begins minutes after birth and continues through childhood. Years of research have demonstrated that spatial awareness is an important skill for success in STEM careers. Yet children from low-income backgrounds have fewer opportunities, such as exposure to blocks, to discover or develop their spatial intelligence. This trend continues throughout K-12 education, as schools and districts that serve low-income students struggle to provide science labs, hands-on activities and other resources necessary for high-quality STEM learning.
extracurricular support
Another key contributing factor to the STEM gap for girls from low-income families is the lack of opportunities available to them outside of traditional classroom settings. Often times, parents with lower incomes are inclined to believe their children will learn everything they need to know in school and are less confident in their ability to support science and math learning at home. Particularly concerning for the increased representation of women in STEM is the fact that mothers are less likely than fathers to feel confident in helping their children engage in science.​
Builder's Fund
The Builder's Fund is a scholarship fund to provide mentorship to girls from low-income backgrounds. 100% of donations go directly to financing mentorship sessions for students who need financial assistance.
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If you are interested in donating to the Builder's Fund, please email info@buildingbytes.com