Kern County Careers and Youth

New Math is gone. Common Core may be fading. STEM and NGSS are center stage – for now.

You should know what educational acronyms stand for and why they are important to very young children. STEM education includes fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. NGSS stands for Next Generation Science Standards. California, one of the first states to start NGSS, has set expectations as early as kindergarten in areas of Life, Earth, Space and Physical Sciences, plus Engineering. That is a tall order if your five year old has little to no exposure beforehand.

California jumped on this NGSS bandwagon as a means of educating youth to fill 21st Century industry jobs. In 2012, according to Gates Foundation’s Change the Equation project, about five people searched for each California job available. However, for every two job seekers THREE STEM jobs were available – many right here in our backyard. Kern County is gifted with tons of science and engineering industry careers – agriculture, aircraft, forestry, space, manufacturing, medical, military, mining and more. These careers are often sought by quality educated out-of-county, even out-of-state, workers. It’s time to prepare Kern kids for Kern jobs.

If you are parent or guardian of a child six or under in Kern County, you are in luck. Research shows when young children are engaged in STEM and nature-based experiences, their critical thinking skills grow, science literacy increases and they problem solve creatively. Positive STEM and nature-based experiences at early ages, at home and in preschool, promote a lifelong interest in these subjects and also feed general academic success in other subjects.

Learning & Edu-Care offers affordable, quarterly seminars in STEM and Nature-Based Play for parents and teachers of children six months through six years. Seminars offer opportunities for adults to gain better understanding of STEM and Nature-Based Play. Learn fun ways to engage in educational play experiences at home or in classroom. Next seminar is set for Nov. 16 from 8 a.m. to noon. Visit the LearningandEduCare page on Facebook for more information.