Museum of Science, Boston Receives Funding in Massachusetts Budget for Engineering Curriculum

BOSTON - The 2019 Massachusetts budget signed by Governor Charlie Baker on July 26 will include an earmark to provide $50,000 for educators across 22 out-of-school time programs in Everett and Cambridge with innovative curricula created by the Museum of Science, Boston to teach engineering to children as young as three.

The earmark, which was pushed forward by State Senator Sal DiDomenico, will provide funding for more than 60 educators to receive the professional development and materials they need to implement the Museum’s nationally acclaimed EiE curriculum in Pre-K classes as well as in after school and summer programs for students in grades K-8.

The earmark provides funding to implement the following curricula:

• Wee Engineer, a research-based and child-tested engineering curriculum for children
  aged 3-5.  

• Engineering Adventures,  a downloadable curriculum created especially for kids in grades 3–5 in out-of-school time programs.

• Engineering Everywhere, a downloadable engineering curriculum for middle school-aged youth in afterschool and camp programs.

“I was proud to file and secure an amendment to the Fiscal Year 2019 budget to help fund the

Museum of Science’s Engineering is Elementary curricula for both in school and it out of school

time educators and students in Everett and Cambridge,” said Senator Sal DiDomenico (D-

Everett), Assistant Majority Leader of the Massachusetts Senate. “I have no doubt this great

new program will help to inspire a future generation of engineers from diverse backgrounds, and

I am very grateful to the Museum for their work in helping all of our children reach their full

potential.”

The funding will be administered by the Mass. DESE through a contract with the Museum of Science, and will be implemented beginning in the summer of 2019.  

“Our goal is to make engineering education accessible to all teachers and students to inspire a generation of problem solvers for the future,” said Ioannis Miaoulis, president and director of the Museum of Science, Boston. “This funding is vital for us to deliver on that goal. We thank Senator DiDomenico for his unwavering support and his commitment to the students of Cambridge and Everett, and are pleased to be working with organizations throughout the two cities to engage students in STEM education.”

“We are thrilled to be able to offer the EiE curricula for educators and students throughout Cambridge,” said  Sharlene Yang, Director of the Cambridge STEAM Initiative. “The EiE curricula allows educators who have never taught engineering to feel comfortable with the material from day one. With EiE we can focus on reaching hundreds of students from all neighborhoods throughout Cambridge to be inspired by STEM and have fun through the hands-on activities.”

About EiE from the Museum of Science, Boston

Launched in 2003, EiE is an award-winning preK-8 engineering program from the Museum of Science, Boston, one of the world's largest science centers and New England's most attended cultural institution. EiE has reached over 18 million students in all 50 states and in over 20 countries. Its research-based, hands-on engineering curricula were designed to create a generation of problem solvers. EiE introduces learners to the engineering design process to build a strong foundation of critical thinking and inspire them to solve real-world challenges. With EiE, educators and students learn to apply an engineering mindset across disciplines—in the classroom and in out-of-school settings. A commitment to equity and access is a foundational idea in EiE’s curriculum design, professional development, and research.

EiE engages all learners and empowers students and educators to discover their inner engineer. Visit: https://www.eie.org/.