(EINPresswire.com) A recent McKinsey & Co. report shows black and brown students are falling behind in mathematics due in part to the nationwide lockdowns, but one seasoned educator is breaking the public school to prison pipeline with a revolutionary approach.
Meet La Sonja Jordan Henderson, or “LJ” as she is affectionately known. Henderson is an industry maverick with 25 years of experience in education, ESL, and Speech Therapy. The sought-after speaker and academic consultant is upending the educational system with early intervention through the advent of a rigorous STEM program, little Stem Academy.
Henderson adds, “early exposure builds critical thinking and makes kids more innovative.”
As the founder of Little Stem Academy, Henderson believes the best way to begin is at the beginning with PreK appropriate programs to make STEM a part of everyday life.
Researchers agree the brain is 90% developed by age 5 and the gap in learning appears as early as kindergarten and first grade, implicating that the study of concepts in math and science should be a strong component of the preschool curriculum.
With this in mind, Henderson insists it is important to institute a regular regimen of science and technology in every preschooler’s educational diet. During the pandemic, when schools temporarily closed down and remote learning was the only option for school age children, Henderson stepped up being a former educator to assist with virtual learning.
She immediately realized that 1st-3rd grade students had severe deficits in mathematics. After evaluating a few preschool programs in her area she noticed that math readiness components were lacking. She decided to put together a new program that challenged a children’s critical thinking and problem solving skills at the preschool level.
According to the Committee on Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Education of the National Science and Technology Council, “it is critical to our national security that our students spark interest in critical and fast-growing careers in STEM.” Henderson and her team are building an engaging, technology-rich program to draw young minds into these fields.
The Communicative Disorder expert with two master’s degrees knows the time to act is now. Her state-of-the-art programs are making STEM a way of life for students of color particular. Through her multi-ethnic team, Henderson is bridging the conversation of race and education by bringing people with brown hues in front of the classroom to model STEM awareness.
“Seeing Black people in STEM fields helps to set up the next generation for success and show up in career fields,” says Henderson.
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This Fall, Henderson is reaching out beyond the Little Stem Academy walls to connect parents through a one-of-a-kind STEM kit. This revolutionary, family-centered resource is a curated box of experiments and math lessons to guide parents and educators in STEM-building activities.
“Parents around the country, regardless of their educational background, feel they can’t teach their own children. These STEM lab kits will show them how and give parents the confidence they need to work with their child in a fun and engaging way for both parent and child. This supplemental resource is the perfect addition to any curriculum or after school program,” concludes Henderson.
These easy-to-follow experiments teach math lessons at home while opening the discussion of emerging career fields right at the dinner table.
