AUGUSTA, Maine — It’s no secret that kids love technology. But some parents are concerned about too much screen time. How can we get kids to turn their computer playtime into a productive learning experience? By getting them to try coding.
Computer Science Education Week is just around the corner, and Maine Mathematics and Science’s Reach Center is asking schools and other youth-based organizations to consider hosting their own Family Code Nights. Our goal is to have at least one event in each Maine county, with a total of 1,000 participants statewide.
71% of new STEM jobs in Maine are in the computer science field, yet only 8% of Mainers graduating with STEM degrees studied computer science. This gap presents a great opportunity for today’s young people to get good-paying jobs right here in Maine. We believe that the key to meeting this need is to get kids hooked on computer science at a young age.
Family Code Nights do just that, and take it a step further by getting parents and guardians interested in computer science, too. By pairing adults with their children to solve entertaining coding puzzles, Family Code Nights remove some of the mystery surrounding computer science and set kids on a path to dive deeper into this important field. The effect is extraordinary: great fun, inspiration – plus the personal engagement of happy, motivated parents, a unique and largely untapped force in K-8 computer science education.
Visit mmsa.org/familycodenight to learn more and to register to host your own Family Code Night. Contact Stefany Burrell, sburrell@mmsa.org or 207-514-5613 FMI.
