Closing the Equity STEM Gap with BootUp PD Thanks to Contentful

Every student should have access to computer science (CS) education in this technology-filled world. For BootUp PD, closing the equity gaps in CS is priority number one. BootUp’s mission is to level the equity playing field by empowering K-5 teachers, in underserved and underrepresented communities, with life-changing coding and computer science skills. Thanks to Contentful, BootUp has been able to scale its website and continue to create a space where teachers can obtain resources for their classrooms.

Contentful’s free offering was an excellent start for BootUp, but ensuring scaleability was only possible through Contentful’s Pro bono offering. With Contentful, it’s easy for BootUp to make changes to content and ensure each change matches wherever the asset exists. This consistency is essential as we are continually updating our content based on teacher and facilitator feedback. It’s also easier for BootUp’s team to create and manage website content without worrying about messing up the code. Paired with GatsbyJS, Contentful has made website development and management more accessible than ever imagined. Contentful also allows for extensive content modeling flexibility, quick querying via Graphql.

BootUp PD is a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit specializing in district-wide elementary computer science initiatives that focus on creativity and problem-solving. Since 2015, BootUp has worked with over 477 elementary schools in seventeen states, directly impacting over 1,500 educators and 150,000 students. Teachers district-wide learn how to engage students with easy-to-use, block-based programming languages (ScratchJr and Scratch) to create interactive stories, animations, games, art, music, and more through problem-solving and other fundamental computer science practices.

The quality of Contentful’s offerings has been a great way for BootUp to confidently scale its website and ensure a smooth transition when enhancing content. - enabling BootUp to grow with confidence to expand CS to ALL students.