STEAM Lab Makerspace: Learn, Create, Play!

Expand existing program

There are sustained, documented inequities in Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics (STEAM) education throughout the US. Minorities and economically disadvantaged students are less prepared in STEAM coursework, leaving them less informed about science and technology, less prepared for the workforce, more likely to wind up with lower social and economic mobility, and experience a diminished quality of life. This “under educating” of a substantial number of local students negatively impacts LA's viability as a strong employment market. According to US Dept. of Labor, over 50% of today's jobs require some degree of technology skills, which experts say will increase to 77% in the next decade. Yet, LA has the nation's 5th largest job skills gap, primarily in technology. For disadvantaged students preparing for the future, SLMs level the playing field by providing the space and resources with which to learn, innovate, experiment and build employable skills.

Since its founding in 2004 as T4T.org, Two Bit Circus Foundation has been committed to two over-arching goals: 1) providing critically-needed STEAM resources to under-served schools and their educators; and, 2) presenting STEAM principles, grounded in Project Based Learning, in an environmentally-sustainable and playful manner that nurtures innovation, creativity and critical thinking. Over the years, the SLM has emerged as 2BCF's most popular program. Since 2015, 2BCF has provided 173 STEAM Lab Makerspaces to PreK-12 schools throughout Los Angeles and Orange Counties, as well as two in Tennessee. These unique educational spaces come with upcycled materials, a range of tools, and original, innovative PBL-based curriculum that is both grade-specific and aligned with State-approved STEAM-related standards. Through its SLM program, 2BCF has introduced over 200,000 preK-12 students, well over half of them from diverse, low/moderate income families, to STEAM/STEM.

SLMs provide STEM/STEAM resources for preK-12 students as they prepare for future education and an increasingly tech-heavy workplace. This is particularly critical for the nearly 500,000 non-white LAUSD students who live at or below the poverty line, and, for the most part, attend under-served schools. Without outside active support, these schools struggle to provide educational resources for their STEM/STEAM classes and professional development for their teachers. A solid STEM education that fosters critical thinking and creativity benefits all students and their families to come; it benefits our local businesses who look to our graduates for their workforce; and, it benefits our city as a place where businesses want to relocate.