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SignUp.com Joins White House Initiative Empowering Parents to Drive a Movement for Computer Science Education
Only 1 out of 4 American schools offers computer science education--SignUp.com offers parents an opportunity to change that with "Family Code Night."
Austin, TX, September 14, 2016— At the White House earlier today, Karen Bantuveris, Austin entrepreneur and Founder of SignUp.com, announced her company’s commitment to addressing a critical need of President Obama’s Computer Science for All (CS for All) nationwide initiative.
More than 90% of parents surveyed say they want computer science taught at their child’s school--yet only 1 out of 4 schools offers computer science education. (Gallup)
Computer Science for All is a movement initiated at the President’s final State of the Union to empower American students from kindergarten through high school to learn computer science and be equipped with the computational thinking skills they need to be creators (not just consumers) in the digital economy and to be active citizens in our technology-driven world.
SignUp.com was selected to join technology leaders Google, Facebook, Code.org, and the Mozilla Foundation as an official partner of CS for All due to its unique connection to over 8 million American parents that are personally invested and actively involved in the development of their children.
Parents represent a powerful but untapped source of support for computer science education.
- Parents hold significant influence on school programs and funding.
- Parents provide a unique bridge for the integration of computer science into a child’s life at-home and at-school.
SignUp.com is contributing to the initiative by making "Family Code Night" accessible to American families with a free downloadable kit, developed by MV Gate. The kit enables parents of K-12 children to easily coordinate a school-wide event where families learn to code together.
"We believe that when people come together, great things happen," Bantuveris commented today. She later added that "Computer science has become a fundamental skill necessary for economic opportunity. As a parent, I want my child to have those skills. And as a business leader, I want our local workforce to have those skills. That’s why I’m honored SignUp.com has the opportunity to support parents who share this value."
Effective today, SignUp.com will support Computer Science for All in the following ways:
- Provide all parents and teachers unlimited access to free resources they can use to create K-12 school-parent activities focused on computer science: SignUp.com/CSforAll
- Partner with MVGate to design and market a Family Code Night Kit that parents and parent-teacher groups can implement in their schools and communities
- Promote these resources through SignUp.com, email and social channels on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest, reaching 8 million parents of K-12 children
- Provide all Computer Science for All Consortium members a custom SignUp.com user experience designed to make the coordination and participation of volunteers, mentors, and parents, simple, convenient and trackable
- Report quarterly on parents reached and participation hours
It only takes one parent to begin the cultivation of school-wide interest and skills in computer science. Interested parents can start the process by coordinating a Family Code Night at their child’s school. A planning kit, event ideas, flyers, and everything else a parent needs can be downloaded free at https://signup.com/FamilyCodeNight.
ABOUT SIGNUP.COM @signupdotcom
Since its founding in 2009, SignUp.com (formerly VolunteerSpot) has made group coordination and participation easy and successful for millions of people. Free tools and resources such as activity signups, online calendars, automated reminders, and tips and ideas are designed to save time, reduce stress, and make every group activity a greater success. Based in Austin, Texas, SignUp.com is privately held and has raised $5MM to date with support from AXA Strategic Ventures, ff Venture Capital, WildBasin Investments, Fresco Capital and angel investors including the Central Texas Angel Network and Capital Factory. Learn more at www.signup.com or take a tour here: https://signup.com/go/Demo
ABOUT COMPUTER SCIENCE FOR ALL #CSforAll
Computer Science for All is the President’s bold new initiative to empower all American students from kindergarten through high school to learn computer science and be equipped with the computational thinking skills they need to be creators in the digital economy, not just consumers, and to be active citizens in our technology-driven world. Our economy is rapidly shifting, and both educators and business leaders are increasingly recognizing that computer science (CS) is a "new basic" skill necessary for economic opportunity and social mobility. More info at https://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2016/01/30/computer-science-all.
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