WomensNet Mini Grant Awarded to Austin Kids Can!

Congratulations to Donna Raskin, Founder of Austin Kids Can! for being the WomensNet Mini Grant recipient.

Austin Kids Can! is a non-profit organization that offers an after-school program that aims to close the achievement gap and build brighter futures for children who are socioeconomically disadvantaged in grades K-5. Specifically, students engage in Computer Science, Coding, and Social-Emotional Learning, both in-person and virtually.

“Austin Kids Can! was born from my desire to provide a safe environment for underprivileged kids to learn, grow, and dream. We believe that learning coding concepts at an early age helps build students’ interest in computer science and equips them to succeed in more advanced classes in middle school, high school, and college…We then expanded our programming to include social-emotional learning (SEL) that enables students to interact effectively with others and successfully navigate the complexities of daily life…We have also developed and incorporated a family support component in which parents/guardians will receive guidance documents that will allow them to promote SEL best practices at home to ensure student learning is not just isolated to the lessons with Austin Kids Can!,” says Raskin.

With the WomensNet Mini Grant, the funds will be used to further develop the innovative curricular approach, virtually and in-person, in after-school programs at Title I schools.

If you want to apply for the 2021 WomensNet Grants, view our website for more information. Applications are currently being reviewed for the $10,000 Amber Grant. You can apply today to be considered.