Expanding Science Circus Whittier

K-12 STEAM education

Gateway Cities

Expand existing project, program, or initiative (expanding and continuing ongoing, successful work)

The main issue relates to access to high quality, open-ended STEAM education that demystifies science education with a focus on the science of the everyday. In-school and out-of-school science instruction occurs in silos and often precludes the opportunity for students and their families to draw connections between what they are learning and their daily lives. While multifaceted, one contributing factor to the shortage of high-quality STEAM education relates to self-reported low levels of self-efficacy among teachers, community-program staff, and parents. The Science Circus Whittier Project is uniquely situated such that program staff and volunteers can engage with stakeholders in a variety of ways throughout the community. LA2050 funding would give Science Circus added capacity to support working with the various stakeholders to improve self-efficacy and empower them to engage in STEAM education in their homes, classroom spaces, and beyond.

LA2050 funds will enable Science Circus to create a system/platform that will facilitate/track/measure its impact on the following stakeholders: parents/caregivers, teachers/program staff, high school (HS) student volunteers.

For HS volunteers: We will expand our partnership with Whittier High School so HS students come to additional events; more volunteers will facilitate the project’s hosting of additional larger-scale family events. Science Circus seeks to become a “standing place for volunteering” and create an online information/sign up in conjunction with our website. We will train college students to mentor the volunteers.

For parents: We will focus on our preschool-age collaboration with Whittier Public Library and YMCA, providing more online resources to parents/caregivers on developmentally appropriate materials and activity ideas.

For teachers/program staff: We will interface with community program administrators to determine how to provide staff training on co-facilitating in-person events with Science Circus and using online resources. We will also develop supports for school-based educators including building out a “Teacher’s Corner” on our website and working with them more intentionally during family science events.

The longterm success of LA County depends on many things including a scientifically literate and skilled citizenry. To reach this outcome, we need to address our children’s orientation toward science as Science Circus does. Now, more people want to have events with Science Circus than the project can accommodate. After we train program staff at places like SKILLS and YMCA, they will be able to implement more activities and serve more children. Our library program will enable parents to learn more about the resources we have available and help families understand how to use them. Trained teachers will have more confidence to use science exercises in class. This will greatly increase the reach of the Science Circus Project. The goal isn’t for Science Circus to do a million activities – it is to help stakeholders realize what’s in their own backyards and have the confidence/ability to engage in science. Science Circus will facilitate a brighter, more scientifically literate future for LA.