As students head back to classes this week in Everett, they will soon be greeted by a great new program sponsored by the Museum of Science Ð courtesy of a budget item pushed by Sen. Sal DiDomenico.
The 2019 Massachusetts budget signed by Gov. Charlie Baker on July 26 will include an earmark to provide $50,000 for educators across 22 out-of-school time programs in Everett and Cambridge with innovative curricula created by the Museum of Science to teach engineering to children as young as 3.
The earmark, which was pushed forward by DiDomenico, will provide funding for more than 60 educators to receive the professional development and materials they need to implement the Museum’s nationally acclaimed EiE curriculum in Pre-K classes as well as in after-school and summer programs for students in Grades K-8.
The earmark provides funding to implement the following curricula:
¥ Wee Engineer, a research-based and child-tested engineering curriculum for children aged 3-5. Ê
¥ Engineering Adventures, a downloadable curriculum created especially for kids in Grades 3Ð5 in out-of-school time programs.
¥ Engineering Everywhere, a downloadable engineering curriculum for middle school-aged youth in afterschool and camp programs.
“I was proud to file and secure an amendment to the Fiscal Year 2019 budget to help fund the Museum of Science’s Engineering is Elementary curricula for both in school and out of school time educators and students in Everett and Cambridge,” said DiDomenico, Assistant Majority Leader of the Massachusetts Senate. “I have no doubt this great new program will help to inspire a future generation of engineers from diverse backgrounds, and I am very grateful to the Museum for their work in helping all of our children reach their full potential.”
The funding will be administered by the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) through a contract with the Museum of Science, and will be implemented beginning in the summer of 2019. Ê
“Our goal is to make engineering education accessible to all teachers and students to inspire a generation of problem solvers for the future,” said Ioannis Miaoulis, president and director of the Museum of Science, Boston. “This funding is vital for us to deliver on that goal. We thank Senator DiDomenico for his unwavering support and his commitment to the students of Cambridge and Everett, and are pleased to be working with organizations throughout the two cities to engage students in STEM education.”
Launched in 2003, EiE is an award-winning preK-8 engineering program from the Museum of Science, Boston, one of the world’s largest science centers and New England’s most attended cultural institution. EiE has reached more than 18 million students in all 50 states and in over 20 countries. Its research-based, hands-on engineering curricula were designed to create a generation of problem solvers. EiE introduces learners to the engineering design process to build a strong foundation of critical thinking and inspire them to solve real-world challenges. With EiE, educators and students learn to apply an engineering mindset across disciplinesÑin the classroom and in out-of-school settings. A commitment to equity and access is a foundational idea in EiE’s curriculum design, professional development, and research.