Many schools want STEAM programs but often run into the issue of where to find funding. Title Fund budgeting are a great way to allocate funds for STEAM programs. But how can you use them? We have identified 3 ways:
Title I - Title I funds can be used to purchase STEM/ STEAM materials. If you’re a Title I school (meaning you have greater than 40% of your student population are low-income students), we suggest including a Computer Science/ STEAM curriculum in your Title I budget. Later, you can amend the grant to add Steamworks Robotics as the provider. Some examples of how other schools have used Title I funds in the past include purchasing STEM/STEAM education materials for school-wide initiatives, providing school loaned devices, and offering after school STEM/STEAM clubs. That means your school robotics team could greatly benefit from these funds.
Title IV - Title IV is a much more straightforward way of using title funds for STEM/STEAM initiatives. Title IV specifically emphasizes STEM education. This can include, but is in no way limited too, academic enrichment, STEM curriculum, and the integration of technology into the classroom. So long as your Title IV budget provides for computer science curriculum, Steamworks Robotics can be written in as the provider.
Title II - Title II funds are used to educate teachers and contribute to professional development. These funds can be put toward STEM conferences or learning opportunities for educators including our Professional Development sessions. You can our student workshops in your Title II grants if you choose to have a local educator lead the student workshops with support from our staff.