We know coding is as important as english and math.
InsideSales is teaching fourth, fifth and sixth graders how to code with their Kids Coding Initiative. “We know coding is as important as english and math,” says Tema Laussen, Director of InsideSales Do Good Foundation. Utah has over 6,000 computer science positions with not nearly enough talent to fill those positions. Meanwhile, only 1 in 5 schools offer computer programming courses. InsideSales is looking to change that.
The program started in January with Maple Ridge Elementary School. Every Friday six InsideSales employees taught 225 4th-6th graders how to code using code.org’s plugged and unplugged curriculum. This fall the foundation is expanding into two more elementary schools thanks to the sponsorship of Domo, Qualtrics, and Vivint. InsideSales hopes more Utah companies choose to sponsor elementary schools, expanding the program through the state and eventually the nation.
Companies can sponsor schools with money, employee volunteers, or both. The financial donation is $10,000 to cover the cost of chromebooks or ipads. If companies choose to donate employee time, they need one employee coordinator and 24 employees to teach coding on a rotating schedule.
“If we wait until high school it’s too late,” Laussen says. “Kids are so smart already. Because they’re like sponges, elementary school is the time to teach them.” Laussen explains that learning coding helps children develop computational thinking skills that serve them in every aspect of their education.To learn to code is to learn to create. “We truly believe that in this day and age every child should learn how to code,” Laussen says.
This is just the latest in a long list of the Do Good Foundation’s philanthropic successes. Following Saleforce’s 1:1:1 model, InsideSales works to donate 1% of time, revenue, and product to local nonprofits. They’ve worked with Primary Children’s Hospital, collected canned food for drives, and offered scholarships for women in tech, among other things. “We just want to make a difference,” Laussen says.
To get involved in the Kids Coding Initiative, contact Tema Laussen at dogood@insidesales.com
