Wonder Workshop Brings Computer Science to Schools in Need This Holiday

STEM Toy Leader Donates Technology to Five Schools Across U.S. This
#GivingTuesday

SAN MATEO, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Today, Wonder Workshop, maker of the award-winning Dash and Dot robots
that make learning to code fun for kids ages 6-12, announced its “Give
Wonder” donation program and equipped five deserving schools across the
U.S. with the robots and tools they need to implement successful
computer science programs.

“So many teachers and schools are unable to afford computer science
technology for their students. Our mission at Wonder Workshop is to make
coding and robotics fun and accessible for kids everywhere,” said Vikas
Gupta, CEO and co-founder of Wonder Workshop. “The best holiday gift we
could imagine was to give less fortunate students access to technology
that can help them learn the skills they need for the future.”

Wonder Workshop’s robots are used in over 8,500 schools worldwide and
the Give Wonder program is part of the company’s ongoing efforts to
bring coding into more classrooms. As part of the donation, Wonder
Workshop is also helping students join the millions of kids
participating in the annual Hour
of Code™ organized by Code.org during Computer Science Education
Week (CSEdWeek), December 5-11, 2016. Selected schools received multiple
Dash and Dot robots, Kindle tablets, Code.org gear, enrollment in Wonder
Workshop’s Wonder
League, and special access to Code.org volunteers to help coordinate
their Hour of Code activities next week.

“We believe that every student deserves the opportunity to learn the
fundamentals of computer science,” said Hadi Partovi, founder of
Code.org. “Wonder Workshop shares our goal of reaching more classrooms
and inspiring students everywhere to get excited about computing. No
matter what field you go into, knowledge of computer science will build
critical skills and help you succeed.”

Wonder Workshop received over 500 applications for its Give Wonder
program from October 21, 2016 to November 14, 2016. Schools were
selected for their commitment to furthering STEM education, and their
support of extracurricular activities for students with more limited
educational opportunities.

The five schools receiving Wonder Workshop’s Give Wonder donation this
year include:

• Cleveland Elementary in Cleveland, NC: Cleveland Elementary is
  in a rural farm community where most of the students live at or below
  the poverty level. They have limited access to even basic technology
  tools for learning.
• Dr. Charles Drew Elementary in San Francisco, CA: Dr. Charles
  Drew Elementary is a Title 1 school where a majority of students are
  African American and almost all qualify for free or reduced lunch.
• Eastside Memorial Vertical Team (EMVT) in Austin, TX: EMVT is a
  group of eight schools in the Austin Independent School District,
  serving over 3,000 students with over 77% economically disadvantaged.
  The team’s primary initiative is advancing its STEM curriculum and
  ensuring students are participating in real-world STEM experiences.
• Gunnison Valley Elementary in Sterling, UT: Gunnison Valley
  Elementary has limited access to technology. The few technical classes
  that are available have a 30 to 1 male to female ratio, and the
  closest computer science programs are over two hours away and beyond
  the financial means of most students.
• P.S./I.S. 113 in Glendale, Queens, NY: P.S./I.S. 113 is a K-8
  school with a wide range of special education and ELL students, which
  is fully committed to integrating computer science into its curriculum
  as well as leading the charge to promote computer science programs for
  other schools in the community.

“I am so grateful Wonder Workshop is helping us take a step in the right
direction with computer science,” said Angela Monogioudis, teacher at
P.S./I.S. 113 in New York. “I would like my students to be exposed to
computer science and learn that there are important things they can
accomplish in their future. Who knows…maybe one of my students will be
the future Steve Jobs, who finds a passion in computer science and
spreads knowledge to others. You couldn’t ask for a better gift this
holiday.”

For more information and to see photos of classes who received
sponsorships, please visit the Wonder
Workshop blog.

About CSEdWeek/Hour of Code

The Hour of Code started as a one-hour introduction to computer science
designed to demystify “code”, to show that anybody can learn the basics,
and to broaden participation in the field. It has since become a
worldwide effort to celebrate computer science that has reached over 100
million students in more than 180 countries. The grassroots campaign is
organized by Code.org every year during CSEdWeek, a one-week effort to
raise awareness of the computing field in schools during December. The
Hour of Code is supported by over 400 partners and 200,000 educators
globally. Join this year’s Hour of Code for CSEdWeek from December 5-11,
2016 at hourofcode.com!

About Wonder Workshop

Wonder Workshop was founded in 2012 by Vikas Gupta, Saurabh Gupta and
Mikal Greaves, a team of inventors, designers, programmers and parents
sharing a mission to make coding a new creative tool that is accessible
for children from age six and up. Today, Dash and Dot are used in more
than 8,500 elementary school classrooms around the world, and children
in more than 57 countries are using Wonder Workshop to ignite curiosity
and confidence through play while learning essential 21st century
skills. Learn more about the San Mateo, CA-based company by visiting https://www.makewonder.com/.

Contacts

for Wonder Workshop
Katie Warmuth
wonderworkshop@sutherlandgold.com