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Programs and Curriculum FAQ

COVID - 19

Are you operating during Covid-19?

Yes, we are open and operating programs both online and in-person. We are committed to the health and safety of the families and the communities we serve, and the health and well being of our STEM Coaches worldwide. Since the local conditions vary significantly, please check programs being offered locally in your community.

You can see details about the healthy and safety precautions being implemented for in-person programs here.

General Program Information

How can my child participate in the various programs you offer?

STEM For Kids’ company, licensed operators and franchisees operate in various markets bringing these programs to a location near you. Our programs are offered in various formats:

Summer camps – these are day camps run full days or half days during summer weeks when the schools are not in session.
Track-out camps (trackouts) or Inter-session camps – these are day camps run during school breaks like spring, winter or track-outs. Camps are offered as half days or full days.
Afterschool programs – STEM enrichment during afterschool time frequently offered in various schools so your child can stay after school and explore an engaging STEM topic. Length and duration of these programs are customized per your school’s needs. Typically, programs are offered for a specific STEM Curriculum for an hour once a week over a quarter or semester.
Before-school programs – similar to afterschool programs offered in the morning before the school begins for the day. Typically, offered for 30 minutes to 45 minutes once a week over a quarter or semester.
Weekend and evening classes – regular classes are provided during evening and weekends (STEM Saturdays, STEM Sundays). Check your local offerings.
Birthday Parties – offer a STEMtastic party for your child and their friends. Awesome party themes. Check local availability.
Holiday and Teacher Workday Workshops – many special themed workshops are offered to allow you to work while your child gets a day or two off!
In-school classes – in addition to being fun and kid friendly, each of our curricula connects with educational standards and so, many schools welcome our programs inside the school classroom as in-school STEM workshops and field trips.

We have a schedule conflict and my child cannot participate in all the sessions being provided. Do I need to pay for all the sessions?

Many of our programs and locations provide you the flexibility option so you may register for partial programs and pay in accordance. Please check with your local STEM For Kids provider.

I want my child to participate in your programs but don’t find one in my community.

With the love and support of children, parents and educators, STEM For Kids footprint has been growing. If we are not yet in your market, there are a few options to consider:

We collaborate directly with many schools and school districts. So, connect us with the decision makers at your school and we will be happy to explore possibilities to bring programs to your child and their friends. Complete this simple form to get started.
Many successful ventures begin with someone feeling the drive and passion to solve their own problems while helping others along the way. Do you feel passionate about bringing STEM to your children and to your community? We are looking for energetic business owners worldwide. We will train you and provide you the recipe to replicate STEM For Kids in your local area. Look at our franchise section for more details. Complete this simple form to get started.

How much do the programs cost?

Our programs are priced by the local operators and pricing varies based on the program type (camp, afterschool, workshop, class, etc.). Please contact your local provider for pricing.

Curriculum and Delivery

My child does STEM at school. Do they need more STEM programs?

The world of STEM is moving really fast. Think about the technological innovations around you… what was once hot five years ago is not so anymore. Many new technologies that didn’t even exist back then are today’s realities. While many schools are trying to provide STEM to their students on a consistent basis, there are limitations with resources, and specifically, teacher bandwidth. Teaching to meet testing standards and hands-on explorations with STEM are often times conflicting goals for schools dealing with various other competing priorities. Moreover, staying on top of the ever-evolving STEM and developing lesson plans to bring complex real-life STEM to children in a meaningful way requires dedicated focus. That’s where we come in. Each of our curricula goes through rigorous development and testing to make cutting-edge STEM a child’s play.

Schools play a very important role. Think of us as providing means to enrich the learning at school and stretching it into the application domain.

We work with many schools and school districts to help augment their STEM efforts. If you would like to see us at your school, connect us with your principal and/or other decision makers. Complete a simple form to get started.

What type of curriculum is right for my child?

STEM For Kids offers the most comprehensive portfolio of kid friendly STEM programs. The portfolio is designed to provide your children a wide view of the amazing world of engineering and technology. Then, when they feel ready to dig deeper, the children can take courses that take them deeper into specific topics. To decide what’s right for your children, take cues from them and gauge based on their interest and age. Here are some ways to think about this:

Children in pre-K and lower elementary (pre-K – grades 3) – they are ready to explore the world!
- Our engineering topics – mechanical, aerospace, civil and biomedical – are a great way to get them hands-on.
- Robotics programs along with lower levels of programming like Programming I and II are great ways to get them energized about STEM in general.
- The adventures of Captain EnergyPants cannot be missed!
Children in upper elementary (grades 3 – 5) and middle school
- If your child is starting to show interest in technology and computer games, now is a great time to encourage them to look beyond being merely computer users. Our computer game making programs will enable them to make their own games, and enjoy them with their friends. See them unleash their creativity as children make multi-level games with their own story line and characters, and most importantly, they get to decide how many lives they can give to their main character!
- Our engineering programs like biomedical – eyeing virtual reality and drug delivery, mechanical – roller coaster design lab, sustainable engineering, and electrical and electronics engineering – allow your children to explore grand engineering challenges of the 21^st Century. Who knows, they may grow up to find ingenious solutions to some of the most perplexing challenges of today!
- Noticing an entrepreneurial streak? Let them explore our website design lab, automation and build to market challenges.
- Perhaps your child is a problem solver – loves solving challenges or shaping new ideas. All of our curricula offer engineering design challenges (mini projects) for your budding engineer to solve!
- Minecraft lover in your family! Our Game Making Lab II – Minecraft edition, stretches their love for the addictive Minecraft into engineering and coding. Don’t miss this children’s favorite.
Academically Gifted and Advanced students (any grade)
- For the genius in your family, explore our intermediate and advanced level programs. Many of these programs provide resume building skills like
  - learning to code using Python programming language, or
  - designing and building IoT (Internet of Things) applications, or
  - exploring data science applications, or
  - making WordPress websites and a lot more.

My child is very advanced for his/her age. Do they must do a level 1 program before a level 2 program?

You know your child the best. You will find age / grade level recommendations for each offered program. Those serve as guidelines for optimal experience for all participants. We recognize that real-life is not one size fits all and your child brings their own set of unique skills and abilities. If you believe your child is ready for a higher-level program, discuss with your local provider.

What is STEM For Kids' 4 Dimensional Learning?

Think about how your movie experience changed from pure 2D to 3D as 3 dimensional movies brought a sense of depth to what you are watching. In many amusement parks, you experience 4 dimensional viewing wherein you feel the wind or the water splashing on your face as it happens on the screen.

STEM For Kids’ 4 Dimensional learning is similar in terms of bringing the core ideas (of science, math, etc) and cross cutting concepts (that show children how learning relates) to the career connections and practices (to bring depth) along with the feeling of fun and engagement.

Learn more about our proprietary 4 Dimensional learning here.

Participant Achievement Level

What is the Participant Achievement Level?

STEM PAL (Participant Achievement Levels) is aimed to motivate participants and celebrate their ongoing quest to acquire STEM knowledge and expertise. Based on participation, research, collaboration and application, children can go from Level 1 (Novice ) to Level 12 (Legendary).

How do the PAL credits work?

Participants receive credits when they complete STEM programs.
Each day of STEM training counts as one credit.
- For Track Out or Summer Camps: One full day or half day of camp counts as 1 credit. A full week will give 5 credits.
- For After School or STEM Monthly Programs: Each session counts as 1 credit. An 8-week program will give 8 credits.
With those acquired credits, they become eligible for attaining several milestones in their STEM journey. They are recognized for each achieved milestone and rewarded with PAL Tags and token prizes (excludes online classes and virtual camps).

How can I enroll my child to earn PAL credits?

Children who register with us for programs beginning January 1, 2019 or later are automatically enrolled into STEM PAL.

My child is registered with their school for an after-school program. The afterschool program is provided by STEM For Kids. Will my child earn credits?

At this time, only the programs that you register with us directly (at stemforkids.net/register) qualify for earning PAL credits.

Will my child earn credits for a partial program?

Partial programs are not credit eligible at this time. Children earn credits when they register and attend all days of the offered program.

How can I check my child’s current level and credits?

Use the register link and log into your account. You can see your child’s level on your profile page.

Program Registration Questions

I am trying to register my child. But, I am not seeing a submit button.

Please enable scripts on your browser. Or, try using a different browser or your smartphone.

Contests and Other Questions

I hear that you have an International Game Making (Coding) Contest. How can I learn more about it?

Children love to level up and compete! You can find all the details about our Game Making Challenge here.