Coding for Kids
In line with our mission to bring equitable learning opportunities to all students, we’re excited to announce our new Tynker en Español grants for school districts in the US.
Tynker started the development of a Spanish language version of its elementary school coding curriculum, Tynker en Español, two years ago. Designed with Spanish-speaking ELL (English Language Learner) students in mind, these courses offer 100+ hours of programming lessons and over 700 activities for grades K-5. Tynker en Español was developed with support from Infosys Foundation USA and in close partnership with the Hispanic Heritage Foundation (HHF). The curriculum is being piloted by HHF as part of its Code as a Second Language initiative at Wake County Schools in North Carolina and Fort Worth Independent School District in Texas.
Details
What’s included? A grant license for Tynker’s nine Spanish language coding courses. Free online professional development opportunities are also available. Note that all student-facing content is translated, including the programming blocks themselves. Teacher-facing content is in English.
What isn’t included? Tynker English language courses are NOT included in the grant.
Who’s eligible to apply? Any public school district, charter school network, private school group, or religious school network based in the United States may apply. Applications from individual schools or school sites will not be accepted unless the applying organization is a single site entity. Applications must be submitted by a district representative.
Is there a cost associated with this program? There are no charges for grant licenses, associated online professional development, or for use of the Tynker platform.
Does the curriculum teach English? No. Tynker en Español is intended to introduce coding and foundational computational thinking skills to Spanish ELL students for whom the language of instruction may otherwise be a barrier to learning.
Is there a deadline to apply? While there’s no deadline, applying earlier will increase the likelihood that a grant license is still available from our limited pool. Application reviews will begin on the 7th of each month on a rolling basis as long as grant licenses are available.
How long does the grant last? The grant license is good for one school year and is renewable based on actual usage and the overall success of the implementation.
How many students are included in the grant license? The number of students will be determined by the needs of each school district.
How many teachers are included in the grant license? Teachers are never restricted in Tynker licenses. Districts may add as many teachers as they’d like.
How will the review process work? Every eligible application will be reviewed by a Tynker panel of evaluators. Key evaluation factors will be the demonstrated need, project impact on Spanish ELL students, and documented support from:
- District leadership across curriculum, technology, and ELL programs
- School leadership from participating schools, including principals and department heads
- Participating Teachers
The applicant and key supporters may be invited to a video conference if additional implementation information is required. Tynker will award decisions within four weeks of the date a complete application is submitted.
Will Tynker provide additional documentation as needed? The applying organization is responsible for securing any documentation needed for internal processes such as board approvals. Tynker is COPPA, FERPA, GDPR, and SOPIPA compliant, and is a signatory to the Student Data Privacy Consortium. Our complete terms of service and privacy statements are available at https://www.tynker.com/terms/. For grants, Tynker will not sign any agreements separate from these standard terms.
Is there a centralized view of student and teacher learning data? Every grantee will also receive access to Tynker’s district dashboard which aggregates data across all participating schools and teachers, an easy way to monitor program success.
What’s required from the applying district?
- Applying districts will need to identify a single point of contact (SPoC) who will be responsible for implementation. The SPoC will need to participate in review calls to assess progress, no more than three times per school year.
- To ensure program success, the district will support Tynker certification for no fewer than 2 teachers per 100 student accounts awarded.
- If a grant is awarded, the district/network will give Tynker permission to use its name and logo in the promotion of this grant.
- At the end of each school year, SPoC will complete a brief report outlining key successes, setbacks, and learnings.
How to Apply
Start your application by clicking on the button below. Please note that you can pause and save your responses on every page so you can collect necessary information and return to the form later.
