STEM ALLIANCE OF LARCHMONT- MAMARONECK INC

DIGITAL EQUITY: SINCE 2020, THE STEM ALLIANCE HAS DELIVERED ONE OF NEW YORK'S MOST ROBUST DIGITAL INCLUSION MODELS. OUR DIGITAL PATHWAYS PROGRAM IS A FULLY ARTICULATED DIGITAL NAVIGATOR MODEL THAT HAS DISTRIBUTED 4,000+ CHROMEBOOKS, CONNECTED 2,000+ HOUSEHOLDS TO AFFORDABLE INTERNET, AND DELIVERED SKILLS TRAINING TO NEARLY 3,000 CLIENTS. WE DEPLOY A TRAINED CORPS OF DIGITAL NAVIGATORS TO ASSESS EACH CLIENT'S DIGITAL NEEDS AND THEN WE PROVIDE CUSTOM SOLUTIONS - DEVICE OWNERSHIP, DIGITAL LITERACY TRAINING AND ASSISTANCE ENROLLING IN FREE/AFFORDABLE INTERNET - AS NEEDED. THESE OUTCOMES ARE SUPPORTED BY MULTILINGUAL STAFFING, SEAMLESS REFERRAL SYSTEMS, AND DATA-DRIVEN PROGRAM MANAGEMENT THROUGH A CUSTOM DESIGN CLIENT RELATIONSHIP TECH PLATFORM. PRE- AND POST-PROGRAM SURVEYS REVEAL A 3X INCREASE IN COMFORT WITH WORKFORCE TOOLS, A 13-POINT GAIN IN DIGITAL CONFIDENCE, AND A 98% PARTICIPANT SATISFACTION RATE ON AVERAGE FOR ALL CLIENTS. SPANISH-SPEAKING PARTICIPANTS SAW THE MOST DRAMATIC GAINS, NARROWING CRITICAL ACCESS GAPS. THREE TO SIX MONTHS AFTER COMPLETION, 80% OF CLIENTS REPORTED BETTER FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT, 77% HAD IMPROVED WORKFORCE SKILLS, AND 56% HAD LAUNCHED OR EXPANDED A SMALL BUSINESS.THIS PROGRAM BEGAN DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC. AT THAT TIME, THE STEM ALLIANCE RAPIDLY PIVOTED FROM AN IN-PERSON STEM ENRICHMENT PROVIDER TO MEET URGENT COMMUNITY NEEDS IN THE AREA OF DIGITAL ACCESS AND SUPPORT. SINCE THEN, WE HAVE TRANSFORMED AN EARLY $500,000 PILOT INTO $5 MILLION IN INVESTMENTS IN -- BUILDING OPPORTUNITY, FINANCIAL EMPOWERMENT AND MORE THROUGH DIGITAL INCLUSION. THIS TRANSFORMATION HIGHLIGHTS OUR ABILITY TO REMAIN NIMBLE IN TIMES OF CRISIS, RESILIENT AMID CHANGING CONDITIONS, AND RESPONSIVE TO THE EVOLVING NEEDS OF THE COMMUNITIES WE SERVE.MOREOVER, AS A FOUNDING MEMBER OF THE NEW YORK STATE DIGITAL EQUITY NETWORK AND A TRUSTED LIAISON TO NEW YORK'S CONNECTALL OFFICE (OUR STATE'S BROADBAND OFFICE), WE ARE HELPING TO SHAPE NEW YORK'S STATEWIDE STRATEGY FOR DIGITAL INCLUSION. WE ARE PREPARED TO CONTINUE TO EXPAND THIS MODEL TO NEW REGIONS AND DEEPEN OUR REACH IN HIGH-NEED COMMUNITIES.

STEM ENRICHMENT: IN 2024 ALONE, THE STEM ALLIANCE DELIVERED 168 STEM PROGRAMS ACROSS 44 PARTNER SITES SERVING MORE THAN 2,500 STUDENTS AND FAMILIES, A 73% INCREASE OVER THE PREVIOUS YEAR. OVER 60% OF OUR PARTICIPANTS CAME FROM UNDER-RESOURCED COMMUNITIES. EVERY PROGRAM IS ASSESSED USING A NATIONALLY BENCHMARKED EVALUATION TOOL - DIMENSIONS OF SUCCESS - DEVELOPED AT PARTNERS FOR EDUCATION AND RESILIENCE (PEAR). THIS RIGOROUS REVIEW PROCESS SETS OUR STANDARDS, DOCUMENTS SUCCESS/CHALLENGES AND HELPS US SUSTAIN HIGH-QUALITY PROGRAMMING ACROSS DIVERSE SITES THROUGH AN INTERACTIVE PROCESS. WE EMBRACE A CONSTANT, INNOVATIVE GROWTH MINDSET ABOUT OUR WORK. FROM COMPETITIVE ROBOTICS TEAMS AND SITE-BASED SCIENCE LABS TO FAMILY TINKERING NIGHTS AND COUNTYWIDE FESTIVALS, OUR PROGRAMS ARE JOYFUL, CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE, AND DESIGNED TO EXPAND ACCESS AND INCLUSION. WE OFFER OUR PROGRAMS AT REDUCED COST OR FOR FREE BASED ON FUNDING INCLUDING, FOR EXAMPLE, PROVIDING 92 SCHOLARSHIPS TO OUR IMMERSIVE, OPEN WATER STEM SAILS ON LONG ISLAND SOUND. OTHER MAJOR EVENTS INCLUDE OUR ANNUAL STEM-TASTIC FESTIVAL (1,200+ ATTENDEES), THREE FIRST LEGO LEAGUE ROBOTICS TEAMS, AND A DOZEN TINKERING NIGHTS HOSTED REGIONALLY.OUR PROGRAMS ARE POWERED BY A FULL TIME, TRAINED TEAM THAT BRINGS TOGETHER EXPERTISE IN LOGISTICS, INSTRUCTION, AND DATAENSURING THAT WE CAN OPERATE AT SCALE WHILE ALSO ENSURING THAT EVERY PROGRAM RUNS SMOOTHLY, MEETS HIGH STANDARDS, AND DELIVERS MEANINGFUL RESULTS. WITH NEW PROGRAM PARTNERS EXPRESSING INTEREST AND CURRENT WAITLISTS GROWING, OUR ABILITY TO EXPAND OUR REACH WHILE MAINTAINING QUALITY IS AN EXCITING OPPORTUNITY FOR FUTURE INVESTMENT.