Press Release from South Carolina Department of Education
All South Carolina families with children in kindergarten through 5th grade are invited to participate in South Carolina Family Code Night. In just one hour, family members will work collaboratively to learn key concepts in coding and computer science. These are the skills of the future, best learned in the K-5 years and with family support. Families and schools can sign up to participate, then join the free event at 6 pm on either May 3rd or May 10th.
“We are excited that South Carolina is the first to offer a statewide Family Code Night program,” said State Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman. “It's vital that all students attain digital literacy and skills, especially with family engagement and support. South Carolina is a national leader in high school computer science programs, and we are pleased to bring this fresh focus to K-5 computer science as well.”
Designed for families using any computer or tablet with internet access, this Family Code Night program features new K-5 learning materials from the Everyone Can Code program from Apple. Schools and districts are encouraged to host the event to ensure internet accessibility and will be provided with tools to facilitate partner locations. Working together, children and parents will learn about:
- How mobile apps are designed, as families design apps to solve community problems.
- Big ideas in computer science and essential coding skills, including commands, sequences, loops and conditionals.
- How to connect with others to share knowledge to continue learning after the Family Code Night event.
All participating families will receive a Code@Home Guide to free online coding games and have a chance to enter a drawing to win prizes, including codable robots. The event is free for all families and schools and is hosted by the South Carolina Department of Education and CSisElementary.org. To sign up for the event, visit: www.bit.ly/SCFCN22
