Million Girls Moonshot and Code.org team up for Hour of Code

We’re teaming up to close the gender gap in computer science and other STEM fields.

The gender gap in computer science starts in grade school and continues through university and into the tech industry. While things are starting to move in the right direction, we have a long way to go to reach a balanced population in computer science.

Data shows that experiences in K-12 education directly impact students’ future in computer science, so it seems like a great place to start if you’re looking to close the gender gap. That’s why we’re excited to announce that Code.org has joined the Million Girls Moonshot coalition!

Led by the STEM Next Opportunity Fund, the Million Girls Moonshot aims to close the gender gap in STEM by engaging 1 million school-age girls in high-quality, after-school STEM learning opportunities over the next five years. The Million Girls Moonshot provides grant funding and in-kind resources, such as technical assistance, educational resources, and mentorship from STEM experts, to afterschool networks across the United States in order to increase opportunity and access to hands-on, immersive STEM learning experiences for girls.

And now, these afterschool networks can join the #HourOfCode movement: Any afterschool program putting on an Hour of Code event can register as an official event at hourofcode.com and put themselves on the map, right alongside the tens of thousands of other Hour of Code events happening around the world during Computer Science Education Week, December 5 through 11. Starting today, Million Girls Moonshot will have Hour of Code resources available for after-school programs.

According to Million Girls Moonshot, children who explore a subject like computer science outside of the classroom are better able to understand it: “Afterschool programs are skilled at providing the kind of immersive, hands-on learning experiences that are critical to helping students gain fluency in these subjects.”

Engaging girls in the Hour of Code through these programs could be the first step in inspiring and empowering them to pursue more computer science in the classroom and beyond as they get older.

Code.org and Million Girls Moonshot share a passion for empowering young women in computer science, and we’re thrilled to be working together to create more opportunities for girls to try an #HourOfCode!

— The Code.org team

Code.org is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to every student having the opportunity to learn computer science as part of their core K-12 education. We are publicly funded by people like you. If you would like to join our commitment to computer science education by making a donation today, please click here. For questions, please contact Development at giving@code.org or (206) 593–5521. Thank you.