DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — Amazon is teaming up with 30 DeKalb County elementary schools to help create the next generation of engineers.
Through the Amazon Future Engineer program, young students in the county will have access to computer science education. The program will also provide professional development for teachers to create the curriculum and learn how to teach it virtually and in person.
The DeKalb County School District announced the partnership Monday, adding the curriculum will be in collaboration with BootUp PD, a nonprofit group specializing in elementary school education.
“We are thrilled about our partnership with Amazon," the district's superintendent Cheryl Watson-Harris said in a news release. "Technology plays a significant role in STEM education and in our students’ future. This is one more step in DCSD’s digital transformation to provide our students with critical technological skills."
Amazon and its partner BootUp PD said establishing new computer science standards at elementary schools with students and teachers will help bridge equity skills gaps and shine a light on career opportunities within the science, technology, engineering, and math fields (STEM).
Amazon's participation will help fund lessons and equipment needed to implement the new curriculum. As part of its mission, Amazon Future Engineer aims to increase access to computer science education to students in underserved communities and groups underrepresented in the tech industry.
Amazon Future Engineer already supports more than 40 schools across the metro Atlanta area with a free computer science curriculum, robotics clubs, and educator professional learning, according to a news release.