20190326 Disney STEM Launch_1027.jpg
littleBits is partnering with The Walt Disney Company on a Snap the Gap program that is designed to bridge the STEM gap with 10-year-old girls.
How it Works
- It will kick off with a year-one pilot valued at $4 million, for 15,000 girls in California.
- UC Davis, which leads California Million Women Mentors, will help recruit participants and mentors, and it will measure the impact of the program.
- With this launch, Snap the Gap is calling on STEM professionals to join the movement and volunteer as mentors or partners.
- More information can be found at SnapTheGap.org.
- In this pilot, 15,000 girls in California will receive a littleBits STEM Starter Pack with an estimated retail value of $300 funded by The Walt Disney Company.
- After the first-year pilot, Snap the Gap intends to add five new states to its efforts, reaching all 50 of the United States in 10 years.
What the Kit Includes:
- Hands-on Learning: A uniquely branded littleBits Base Inventor Kit or littleBits Electronic Music Inventor Kit, encouraging girls to learn through physical play, turn their ideas into inventions, and solve problems they care about.
- Immersion in a Safe Community of Inventors: Girls will be enrolled for one year into JAM.com, the largest paid subscription course platform for kids. This is a safe space for girls to feel as though they belong and meet like-minded peers with whom they can invent and share their work.
- Mentorship: Girls who have mentors are 2.5 times more likely to be confident in their ability to succeed in school and careers. That's why UC Davis and CA Million Women Mentors will pair girls with mentors and provide technical assistance to mentors and site coordinators to allow girls to experience a deeper level of engagement while growing a strong STEM identity.
Girls' interest and participation in STEM decline over time, starting in grade four. Source: PLoS
View photos
What They Are Saying:
- Ayah Bdeir, Founder and CEO at littleBits: Over the past decade, billions of dollars have been spent but the rate of women in STEM careers still hasn't changed. Not only do we need to start earlier, but we have to give girls more support throughout their journey. Snap the Gap is a solution-oriented program that aims to make real, measurable change and break this troubling pattern. Our goal is not for every 10-year-old girl to grow up to be a programmer or an engineer. Snap the Gap is about exposing young girls to the power of STEM in an environment full of creativity and free of stereotypes, so they can grow up to be confident change-makers
- Christine McCarthy, Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, The Walt Disney Company: We have a history of successful collaboration with littleBits, pairing our beloved characters and stories with imaginative, interactive technology to inspire children, especially girls, to embrace and explore the power and possibilities of STEM. With Ayah's passion and her company's innovative approach to education through play, we believe littleBits is uniquely positioned to help close the gender gap in STEM. Disney is proud to support this groundbreaking effort to create new and engaging opportunities for girls to develop the skills and confidence they need to succeed.
For More Information
- Visit www.SnaptheGap.org.