Coding for Kids: 5 Things to Know About Google.org’s Support for a Popular Learning Platform

The way people work is changing, and so are the core skill sets they’ll need to succeed in the 21st century. Beyond the nuts and bolts of tech proficiency, employers expect more than half of all jobs to require high degrees of cognitive skills like creativity and logical reasoning, and the ability to solve complex problems.

Like all learning, the earlier the start, the better the outcomes. But when it comes to developing core competencies in technology, minority students face significant barriers. Only 45% of Black students have access to computer science courses, compared with 52% of their white counterparts. Black, Latinx and female students have even higher fences to climb.

Recently, Google announced support for two programs aimed at helping underrepresented students connect with computer science and hone their coding skills. That includes an extension of Code Next, a free Google program that delivers computer science education to Black and Latinx students in their own communities, and a three-year, $5 million investment from Google’s philanthropic arm, Google.org, in the Scratch Foundation’s work.

Scratch, the world’s largest coding community for kids, provides a free, open-source learning environment that’s attracted 200 million user interactions this year alone. The platform gives kids from all ages and backgrounds the chance to create coding projects using an accessible graphical interface. Scratch builds on STEM and other skills that future employers are looking for in new hires—a common goal for tech companies and their philanthropies.

The recent grant is just the latest example of Google.org’s ongoing support for Scratch, an important plank in its computer science education giving. Here are five things to know about why Google.org is throwing some serious funding behind this nonprofit:

1. It’s part of a larger commitment to computer science education.

Google.org has invested more than $80 million in global groups that work to increase access to computer science education. Support aimed at students includes a $6 million grant to the youth development organization 4-H, which helps 1 million youth nationwide acquire computer science skills and training; and $3 million to the Kapor Center to found an Equitable Computer Science Curriculum Initiative that sets teaching standards for culturally relevant learning.

Along with the new funding for Scratch, Google.org announced an expansion of its Code Next initiative, launched in 2015 with one physical location in Oakland, California, and two in New York City. Code Next Connect is a virtual program that’s open to Black and Latinx students across the U.S. Google expects to onboard approximately 250 students in the first semester, and has recruited nearly 40 employees to act as coaches for UX design, hardware, coding and game design.

The program seeks to expand access in a difficult time for educators. “The challenges Black and Latinx youth face to participate in quality CS education is a deeply entangled web of socio-economic, cultural and racial inequities,” says Shameeka Emanuel, diversity STEM strategist for Code Next. “And COVID-19 hasn’t made things any easier, as schools have been forced to move to virtual offerings.”

2. Scratch is a popular and growing platform.

Launched in May 2007 as a downloadable desktop app, Scratch is the brainchild of Mitchel Resnick, professor of learning research at the MIT Media Lab, and David Siegel, co-founder of the investment management firm Two Sigma. The two shared a vision of providing a free way for kids to express their creativity through code. Lead developer Natalie Rusk created the graphical programming language that helps kids design and code interactive animations, projects and games—making learning fun.

The community ballooned when it moved to the web in 2013, the same year it filed as an independent 501(c)(3). Scratch has continued to grow, and moved out of its home at the Lifelong Kindergarten Group Lab at the MIT Media Lab last year. It is now available in more than 70 languages, and is open to anyone, anywhere, free of charge.

3. It’s an expanding partnership.

Google.org’s relationship with Scratch began with general operating support back in 2016. Three years ago, it joined a project between Scratch, Chance the Rapper’s nonprofit SocialWorks, and CS4All to expand computer science learning opportunities in Chicago. That work continues, as total giving has climbed to $8 million.

Success in Chicago inspired the nonprofit to create the Scratch Education Collaborative, or SEC, a global network of community-led organizations that support educators and young people who’ve been historically excluded from computing.

Google.org’s most recent grant funds three buckets: general operating support to help the nonprofit transition to an independent entity; funding for the SEC to develop virtual tools; and Focus Users, which supports in-school instruction.

4. Scratch emphasizes learning through play.

Scratch is primarily designed for kids eight to 16, but is available for all ages, and starts building connections early. Scratch Jr. introduces a basic form of coding for children ages four to seven, allowing them to create characters that move, dance and sing.

The value of engaging young minds in creative activities that spur iterative thinking and social interaction, or learning through play, is shared by other funders like the LEGO Foundation.

Champika Fernando, outgoing interim executive director of the Scratch Foundation, reports that the LEGO Foundation has also been a big early supporter, committing $10 million over five years to help kids develop creative coding skills. Fernando noted the synergies between the two organizations, saying Scratch’s work is the creative coding equivalent of “what LEGO does for engineering and building skills.”

5. ScratchEd provides support for teachers and parents.

Core competencies for teachers are changing, too, and Scratch gives them an integral role in its work. ScratchEd, which operates under the direction of Professor Karen Brennan at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, provides learning communities for educators, online teaching tools and resources, and educator meet-ups when personal interactions are safe.

There’s also an upside for parents. Students were already using Scratch in school, but engagement has “skyrocketed” since they’ve been home. Fernando says that parents doubling as teachers find Scratch a safe harbor, and are comfortable letting their kids loose on the site.

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