GIRLSTART TO LAUNCH THIRD YEAR OF DESTEMBER, TO EXPAND ON LAST YEAR’S 180,000 UNIQUE VISITORS WITH CURRICULUM ALIGNED WITH NATIONAL STEM STANDARDS, OUTREACH TO EDUCATORS

(AUSTIN) – Last year, Girlstart reached approximately 180,000 unique visitors through its online DeSTEMber program, featuring 31 days of STEM learning activities specifically designed for girls and their families, utilizing common household and pantry items to facilitate STEM learning through winter break. This year, the Austin-based nonprofit organization aims to further expand the program’s reach, particularly in Texas, through the creation of curriculum aligned with national STEM standards for K-12 education, and outreach to educators (which includes making the full month’s curriculum available to educators prior to the Dec. 1 launch date).

Girlstart is also partnering with a number of STEM-centric entities to create daily activities, including the Birch Aquarium, Dallas Zoo, Sylvia Earle Alliance, the Franklin Institute, Space Center Houston, and the Texas State Aquarium. Girlstart will utilize Google Hangouts, allowing presenters to demo activities live, and all presentations will be archived on the DeSTEMber site, joining the already-archived 2011 and 2012 DeSTEMber activities.

“DeSTEMber allows us to use the Internet to bring our STEM activities to a great number of girls and families, during a time of year when student learning is interrupted by several weeks of no school,” said Tamara Hudgins, executive director of Girlstart. “Through making our curriculum available to teachers, and by a more deliberate integration of the curriculum with national K-12 STEM standards, we’re giving them a way to supplement STEM education both inside and outside the classroom.”

DeSTEMber will conclude an eventful 2013 for Girlstart, which included the launch of its inaugural Women in STEM Awards, honoring the contributions of STEM professionals in Texas; the opening of its STEM Studio and Mini- Planetarium, expanding its programming capacity for STEM education at Austin’s Girlstart STEM Center; and being named one of four exemplary STEM programs ready for nationwide implementation by Change the Equation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan, CEO-led initiative that is mobilizing the business community to improve the quality of STEM learning in the United States.

ABOUT GIRLSTART

Girlstart, founded in Austin in 1997, is the only community-based informal STEM education nonprofit in the nation specifically dedicated to empowering and equipping girls in STEM, through year-round programming that promotes girls’ early engagement and academic success in STEM, encourages girls’ aspirations and persistence in STEM education and careers, and incubates a talented and diverse STEM workforce. Its innovative, nationally-recognized programs include after-school and summer camps for students, professional development for teachers, and community and online STEM education outreach programs.

Girlstart cultivates a culture where risk is rewarded, curiosity is encouraged, and creativity is expected. As a result, Girlstart girls are connected, brave, and resilient. Girlstart makes girls more successful, and inspires them to take on the world’s greatest challenges.