We started with a dream to make coding more accessible to kids – to not just let them consume technology, but also learn how to create it. We thought a picture book for kids ages 2-6 would be the medium to get kids hooked – a non-tech way to get kids thinking about tech. So, we started a Kickstarter campaign. Jen Chiou, our founder thought, "This is a cool idea, my students really like it... but will anyone else actually want one?" Fast forward.... it took less than 8 hours to hit our goal!
Now, we have a new STRETCH GOAL: $10K to sponsor coding classes for low income students!
We've identified our nonprofit partner to help make this happen: the Boys and Girls Club of Santa Ana.
In Santa Ana, 91% of students are eligible for free and reduced-price meals, 96% of students are Hispanic/Latino and 60% are English learner (Spanish, Vietnamese, and Khmer are the most common languages spoken at home).
We need more kids from diverse backgrounds like these to become leaders in the tech field one day!
If we collectively succeed and hit our $10K stretch goal, we're going to be able to host a Coding Workshop for their first grade students and have them leave with their own CodeSpeak Book to take home!
So please if you can, share this Kickstarter campaign with your co-workers, your college listservs, your Facebook groups, and with the celebrities you follow on Twitter :).
- Twitter : @CodeSpeakLabs Picture Book @Kickstarter hopes to inspire kids to not just consume tech, but also create. Order: kck.st/2ua8j31
- Facebook: How can kids ages 2-6 get more inspired to create, not just consume tech? CodeSpeak Labs just created a picture book and you can order it here! With your support on @Kickstarter, they can make #CS4All a reality! http://kck.st/2ua8j31
And you'll be in good company. #TheHulk supports #CodeSpeakBooks!!
Here's what we're going to do:
- Anyone who contributes $100 or more can now have a headshot of their child printed in the book!!
- If we hit $10K, I'm going to make a Parent & Teacher Guide with Lesson Plans. Each story will have its own lesson plan so that parents and teachers can extend the learning from the story, including activities that reinforce the key concepts from the story.
- If we hit $10K, the CodeSpeak team is going to run an in-person Introduction to Coding workshop for low-income students and bring CodeSpeak Books for the students to take home! Help us make coding accessible to all kids!
As a first time creator for Kickstarter, we learned this community of like-minded people share each other's projects with their backers. In that spirit, please check out: The Bessie Coleman Story, presented by Sweet Blackberry. Their mission is to bring little-known stories of African-American achievement to kids. It was founded by Karyn Parsons, who played Hilary Banks on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. They are making a 20-minute, animated film, to be narrated by Laurence Fishburne (#INeedMoreMorpheusInMyLIfe) about Bessie Coleman, the first African-American female pilot. CodeSpeak Books is a big supporter of the film's message that children, despite what odds may be stacked against them, can be anything.
We hope you join us in supporting the Boys and Girls Club of Santa Ana as we cross the threshold of our Kickstarter. Support future little coders here. We are humbled that because of you, Kickstarter has made us a Top Project!
