The CHALLENGE
A year into the COVID–19 pandemic, many people were still working entirely from home while trying to balance the needs of their kids attending school virtually.
While students and teachers were getting used to the “new normal“, students were still struggling to stay engaged. At the same time, many students still had little connection with any other children their own age, let along their friends. Parents were struggling to juggle working from home while ensuring their kids were engaged and participating in their learning.
Employers were also struggling to adapt to business in the COVID–19 era and were searching for ways to support their employees amidst this tough transition.
The SOLUTION
At STEM Minds, we pride ourselves on providing meaningful, personalized experiences that make kids excited to explore and learn. Having seen the impact of the pandemic thus far on both the emotional well–being and the leaning trajectory of students we knew we wanted to help by providing kids with a way to connect with like–minded peers, the support of a caring teacher, and an opportunity to discover a new passion that would keep them motivated and engaged. Moreover, we wanted to provide some relief to parents who were likely tired or burnt out from a year of working and parenting under these circumstances.
GoEasy was committed to supporting the children of their employees while the majority of their staff continued to work from home in the spring and summer of 2021. We were proud to partner with them to provide free virtual camps to the children of their employees and provide a positive experience for these youth after a tumultuous school year.
We offered one–week virtual camps for children aged 4-7 & 8-14 during March Break and in the summer, once in July and once in August. In these camps, we explored a variety of topics, including coding, video game design, 3D design, computer music and animation, Minecraft, and more! Over these sessions, we dove into the exciting world of STEM with 143 students. All students aged 8-14 were also given free access to our online learning platform, STEAM Hub, for the rest of the year.
The OUTCOME
We are very pleased to have partnered with GoEasy to support their families during these difficult times. We received lots of heartfelt feedback from parents and students about how impactful the program was, and were very pleased that these students had the opportunity to have fun and be connected to like–minded peers and caring teachers.
See what parents had to say about the impact of our camp experiences below:
My 4 year old son thoroughly enjoyed the virtual program over the spring break. He looked forward to the program every day, actively participated during class, and continued with the activities long after the class was completed. The teachers were engaging and very friendly. The teachers were knowledgeable on the topics, and they made the class a lot of fun. My son shared all of his positive experiences with our family. I would strongly recommend this program to others.
This is my son’s first exposure to this kind of program. I was hesitant at first since he’s only 4 years old but the instructor explained everything very well. He had a great time and even continued “playing” after each session. Awesome job!
The teachers were patient and resourceful and gave clear and easy instruction. The topics were well taught and I felt my child definitely understood the tasks and information he was given. He had fun and only complained that the classes weren’t long enough!
