As Summer 2020 comes to a close and a new school year ramps up, families nationwide are still uncertain how this new school year will take shape in the grips of the extended coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Some students will be asked to physically return to the classroom, and others will be learning from home, while a third scenario will have kids and teens enduring both through a hybrid approach.
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No matter the scenario, parents will be tasked with creatively filling gaps—kids won’t be learning as they are accustomed to, nor will they be interacting with friends in ways they are accustomed to.
iD Tech has launched Squads After School—an online enrichment program that offers the cutting-edge tech curriculum families expect of the world leader in STEM education, with an enhanced social component. Students can invite friends to build their own “Squads,” or be matched with other tech-minded participants to develop new friendships.
“The demand for high-quality STEM instruction outside of school certainly existed pre-COVID,” says Pete Ingram-Cauchi, CEO of iD Tech. “Since the pandemic hit, though, that need shifted to online learning, and we quickly pivoted our summer programs to meet that need with both the rollout of our Virtual Tech Camps and the expansion of Online Private Lessons,” Ingram-Cauchi continues.” Now, after months indoors and being distanced from others, kids are craving social time. And they want to have fun. Squads is an amazing learning opportunity, but we’ve taken the next step when it comes to the social experience and engagement.”
Since 1999, iD Tech has created fun, engaging tech experiences for kids and teens. And there’s no better way to get kids and teens excited about coding, game development, robotics, and design than through courses built around Roblox, Minecraft, Adobe Creative Cloud, Adobe Premiere, JavaScript, Python and other platforms that kids already know and love.
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“With Squads After School, parents and kids will see familiar concepts like game design and modding, but groups of friends can now also band together to try to escape a fire-filled Obby in Roblox, or to slay Minecraft’s Ender Dragon,” says Ricky Bennett, Vice President of Innovation & Partnerships at iD Tech.
Once a student is registered for a weeklong Squads After School course, they are matched with an iD Certified Instructor—staff with a passion for tech, and the skills, experience, and personality to bring out the best in participants. With each daily 90-minute after-school session, kids and teens collaborate and problem solve, bond with others over new challenges, and of course, celebrate big wins—all while connecting with and making new friends. Instructors are recruited from top universities including Caltech, NYU, and UCLA.
When students are entertained and engaged, the long-term outcomes are incredible, leading to successes in school, college, and dream careers. iD Tech’s 20+ years of experience have shown that learning alongside new or existing friends is the perfect way to boost that valuable fun factor.
Tens of thousands of students annually enroll in iD Tech programs, gaining life-changing skills in topics ranging from coding, artificial intelligence, 3D modeling, robotics, game design, and more.
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