MyPy Coding

As the world rapidly digitalizes, the digital divide increases. A basic understanding of Computer Science (CS) can serve as an entryway into internships, jobs, and other opportunities that will accelerate an individual’s socioeconomic mobility.The Brookings Institution notes that “At the microeconomic level, Computer Science (CS) skills pay off for individuals—both for those who later choose to specialize in CS and those who do not…Careers from law to manufacturing all use computing more intensively now than in decades past.” The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that employment in technology fields is expected to grow at a much faster rate than any other field, offering over 377 thousand job positions annually; 67% of these new STEM jobs are in CS. A basic understanding of Computer Science can serve as an entryway into internships, jobs, and other opportunities to accelerate one’s economic mobility. 

However, according to Code.org in 2022, almost 50% of schools nationwide don’t offer any intro CS classes. Although the D.C. area, where most of our team is located, is ahead of the national average, 35% of students from low-income schools still don’t have access to a CS education. A lack of availability in schools combined with the high costs of private CS lessons, sets students in low-income communities far behind their peers, only perpetuating long-standing economic inequities. 

I began coding when I was eight; lessons were the most important part of my elementary school experience, and my CS skills ultimately led me to my first job. Similarly, the 100+ members of our team have also witnessed the transformative nature of CS.

Using coding as a catalyst, MyPy Coding (MPC) is equipping younger students with the skills needed to be innovators, leaders, and global citizens at a time when digital awareness matters more than ever.

Our team of more than 150+ tutors and 13 leadership members offer free, 1-to-1, online coding lessons to kids in grades 2-8 for digital empowerment.  

Structure:

• Lessons are held online so that participants can access them anywhere

• Students only need a web-enabled device with Zoom. Most schools offer students laptops due to COVID, so tech access is not an issue.

• Our skilled tutors are in grades 7-12. The close age between students & tutors fosters connections & engagement.

Curriculum and Student Progress:

• We created curricula in Python (advanced level available as well), Scratch, & Web Development coding languages to serve a range of ages & skills.

• Tutors use project-based learning so students can apply their knowledge. A mom wrote to us, “ My son looks forward to his lessons & can apply what he learns to create innovative projects, like an animated Mother's Day message!”

• We perform regular check-ins to gauge lesson retention

How are we unique?

MPC’s unique volunteer model eliminates nearly all overhead costs associated with a paid CS service while still providing the same quality of lessons. Our founder Kasim and I have structured MPC on the paid lessons from which we have learned coding. While other services offer virtual tutoring, ours is the only program offering free, one-on-one CS lessons. 

The peer-to-peer nature of lessons creates a beneficial learning experience for both students and tutors. Students are more engaged and as an MPC tutor, Alex D., said, “Lessons taught me as much as it taught my students.” After completing their lessons, students have the opportunity to tutor, ensuring a recurring cycle of community engagement. 

MPC focuses on providing lessons to children in specifically low-income communities by working with high-impact partner organizations, school districts, and other Title I schools. Coding classes are rarely offered in elementary or high schools and private coding lessons are costly and inaccessible to many students. MPC bridges this divide and offers a new and necessary opportunity for disadvantaged students. Beginning a computer science education in elementary levels not only prepares students to succeed in high school or Advanced Placement computer science, but also encourages them to pursue computer science at higher levels. 

Amidst the pandemic, when a friend asked me to teach her fourth-grade son, Dartagnan, some basic coding, I had never tutored before. Still, I put together a rough lesson outline with some of the first projects I had completed a few years earlier, skeptical that he would enjoy our session.

After writing his first “print statement” and watching words magically appear on the screen, his face lit up with pride. I saw that coding uniquely provided him with ownership of his learning: he wrote the code, he debugged the code, and he saw the result. His elated reaction reminded me of my own four years earlier, and I realized that this feeling of empowerment was not unique just to my experience. His first “lightbulb” moment triggered mine: I had the power to help someone else find their power, and it was infectious. After all, if I could teach one kid, why not two? 

Having high school students, who recently learned how to code themselves, as tutors makes the tutor student relationship less of a classroom like environment, and rather more of a mentorship. All of our tutors have seen both sides of the computer science lesson system: as previously students and now as tutors. This cycle of learning is the most representative way of building MPC’s program; as the ones who have been on the other side of the lesson, tutors are able to ensure engaging lessons that encourage students to take the next step with their coding knowledge. Once kids complete their lessons, they are able to become MPC tutors and continue this cycle.

To ensure MPC’s continuity, we’ve leaned into shared leadership through our ten person high school management team. We’ve created sectors of this team focused on outreach, operations, and development. In each sector, a co-founder is paired with a few younger students, enabling our older teammates to build leadership skills, and our younger ones to gain the experience they will need to lead MPC when we graduate. One of the most valuable aspects of MPC’s leadership system is the diversity in interests of our members. Although MPC’s leadership team shares their motivation and passion for computer science education, their unique additions to the team are what allows us to succeed in all sectors. For example, Hanna, our Chief Operating Officer has experience working in a boba shop, providing her with unique customer service skills. 

MPC’s current focus is on growing. We expect to reach 300 students total by EOY 2024 (109 new sign ups). Our approach to growth is multi-fold: 1) Recruit younger talent to grow our leadership team; 2) Create post-MPC networking and internship events for students; 3) Build supplementary curriculum for students

We have enrolled 191 students and 138 tutors, with 329 collective participants. Our student outreach is primarily directed to low-income families. 

Nonprofit partners include: 

• Aspire! Afterschool, an after-school center

• Arlington Housing Corporation, an affordable housing initiative

• Fihankra Akoma Ntoaso (FAN), a mentoring program for kids in foster care

• Latino Student Fund, an educational resource center

• Turning the Page, a nonprofit working with families and schools in D.C and Chicago to improve educational outcomes

• Girls Who Code, a non-profit focused on bridging the gender gap in computer science representation

• Big Brothers Big Sisters DC, a non-profit that matches mentors with children in the community 

• DIY Girls, STEAM education for young girls in the Los Angeles area

• Afterschool All Stars, an academic after-school support center

• Heart of America renovates learning spaces to level the playing field of elementary education, particularly in Native American communities

• Kids in Need Foundation provides students with school supplies

School partners: 

• Arlington County Public Schools, Virginia

• Fairfax County Public Schools (6 schools), Virginia

• Hunter B. Andrews PreK-8, Virginia

• Legacy Charter School, Illinois

• The Potomac School, Virginia

• Hampton Road PK-12, Virginia

• Garfield Elementary School, Virginia

MPC is poised to expand its reach both across the U.S., and also internationally. We are currently piloting two international partnerships with: Shanti Bhavan, a residential school in Bangalore Karnataka, India, and Sunflower Trust, a non-profit organization focused on empowering young girls in the Kibera Slums of Nairobi, Kenya. Hoping to accommodate the needs of our partners as well as provide tutors who can accommodate multiple time zones, MPC would greatly benefit from the Solve network. Solve would also aid MPC with the funds necessary to develop our scheduling software to accommodate new students we would gain through these partnerships. MPC’s new scheduling software, Tutorbird, requires more funding as student and tutor numbers rise. MPC is already experiencing a large rise in the number of students because of approaching summer camps and new partnerships; the visibility that Solve would provide would also contribute to rising numbers. So, Solve would help MPC adapt to the growth by providing both funds for the software and mentorship for our high school leadership team.

MPC’s unique volunteer model eliminates nearly all overhead costs associated with a paid CS service while still providing the same quality of lessons. Our founder Kasim and I have structured MPC on the paid lessons from which we have learned coding. While other services offer virtual tutoring, ours is the only program offering free, one-on-one CS lessons. 

The impact of MyPy Coding is two-fold. In the short term, students will increase their critical thinking and other computational skills. Coding teaches young kids to break down problems algorithmically and solve them like a puzzle. Because MyPy Coding lessons are project-based, students– particularly our younger ones— build these skills. Furthermore, our courses prepare students to take computer science at higher levels– both in high school and in college. Many students who go through our program may not have had exposure otherwise. Our first student Dartagnan, who started with us as a 4th grader, is now taking all CS courses available to him at his middle school– which he credits to MyPy Coding. Another parent, Juan S., wrote to us about a similar experience: “My wife and I are immigrants to the US. We don’t know any programming nor do we have folks in our network that do coding. MyPy Coding has provided two of my elementary school daughters a great introduction to coding and both love it. Thanks to MyPy they are excited about coding!” 

However, in the long term learning to code will serve as an entryway into jobs, networking opportunities, and internships for students– particularly because both teach and non-tech sectors are increasing their need for workers with digital skils. We have experienced this first hand, as my co-founder Kasim, got his first job working on a local political campaign’s data team. 

To date, we've reached 191 students and 152 teammates. We expect to reach 315 student enrollments by EOY 2024. Our approach to growth is multi-fold: 

1) Recruit five 8th/9th graders to grow our leadership team, find the next group of MPC leaders, and maintain teen-centric management. A larger team means that we can conduct more community outreach to find more partners and gain more students. 

2) Purchase Tutor Bird, a student-management software with the funding from the Taco Bell AAx. This would allow us to accommodate more students by automating lesson scheduling, tracking tutoring hours, and integrating a feedback loop for parents.

3) Create post-MPC internship and networking events each summer for former students so that we can cultivate an MPC alumni community and continue to support our students after completion of their lessons.

4) Augment our board of directors to include more nonprofit & education professionals who can offer their expertise as we continue growing our program.

Our lesson model thrives off its accessibility to almost any student by requiring only a computer and a Google account. Our lessons are taught over Zoom on Repl.it, an online coding platform which requires no software downloads.

• 165 tutors
• 13 high school leadership team members

3 years and 2 months

As a leadership team composed of people with diverse interests and demographics, we aim to empower all. The only requirement to volunteer is a background in computer science lessons and all roles in MPC are completely cost-free. In a historically white male-dominated field, we aim to eliminate these gender and racial barriers for both tutors and students. Tutors do not need to have connections to large companies to work with MPC. 

MPC focuses on providing lessons to children in specifically low-income communities by working with high-impact partner organizations, school districts, and other Title I schools. Our team of 140+ volunteer teen tutors offers free, 1-to-1, online coding lessons to students in grades 2-8. Our online format enables rapid geographic expansion and ease of access through a six-month project-based curriculum. We teach Python, Scratch, & Web Design to serve a range of ages. All students need to access lessons is a web-enabled device with Zoom. 

MyPy Coding specifically works with low-income students. To reach this demographic, we partner with grassroots nonprofit organizations, Title I schools, and larger school districts that actively serve these individuals. We understand that many of our students’ parents/guardians are balancing many responsibilities in their lives; by working with partners that have long-standing relationships and trust with these families, we are able to more effectively reach participants. These partners also act as a filter for our students, ensuring we are not providing lessons to those who could otherwise afford to pay.

MyPy Coding is fortunate that our ultra-low-cost model limits risks associated with operating and enables rapid expansion. To date, our donations have primarily composed of individual contributions and grants. As winners of the 2023 T-Mobile Changemaker Challenge, we were awarded $5,000 in grant funding from the T-Mobile Foundation and Ashoka. This has enabled us to secure funding for our legal, website, and other overhead costs. To continue expanding and offering new resources to our students, such as the Tutorbird student management software, we will continue seeking corporate sponsorships from technology-focused companies and foundations. We are currently focusing our efforts on companies in the D.C. area, including Capital One.