STEAM BEANS, INC

STEAM BEANS’ mission is to Demystify STEM — one child, one family at a time. We empower Black girls in grades 1–5 to explore and thrive in Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics through hands-on, culturally responsive learning. By partnering with families and community organizations, we nurture confidence, curiosity, and a lifelong love of STEAM. Volunteers play a vital role in bringing this mission to life—supporting programs, mentoring, and inspiring the next generation of creators and problem-solvers.

Schools tend to focus on “basic skills” offering few if any STEAM opportunities for elementary age children. Very few if any supplemental STEM or STEAM enrichment programs specifically focus on exposing young Black girls to a broad range of STEM content and experiences. Research shows that early exposure to STEM enables Black girls to build confidence to persist in STEM education and careers. Despite recent STEM initiatives, Black women still represent only about 3-4% of the US STEM workforce, concentrated in medical disciplines rather than across all STEM fields. STEAM Beans curriculum is designed to address the many influences limiting opportunities for Black girls in STEM by providing encounters across the STEM education and career spectrum over time, and including mentoring, community involvement, and family support

The STEAM Beans curriculum integrates the following five elements:

1. Serve cohorts of Black girls starting in grade one and continuing through grade five providing mentorship and exposure to STEAM over time.
2. Help families develop the dispositions to support STEAM interests which, in turn, builds confidence, persistence, and skills in STEAM.
3. Develop ongoing community partnerships with organizations such as Youth Programs, community centers, libraries, and vocational schools to bring STEAM into the communities where the girls and their families live and work, building organizational capacity through STEAM education training and staff mentoring.
4. Develop trauma sensitive, locally relevant, culturally responsive STEAM curriculum.
5. Document short- and long-term program inputs and outcomes through observation, reflection, surveys, interviews and focus groups