COLUMBUS, Ohio — Spectrum presented After-School All-Stars Ohio with a digital education grant for coding courses to allow students to develop critical skills for digital education.

The $28,000 Spectrum Digital grant is part of a six-year, $8 million commitment to digital education. It will enable students to learn problem solving, STEM skills and critical thinking through coding courses with Code Ninjas® and theCoderSchool.

The check was presented at Watkins Elementary School in Columbus during an After-School All-Stars Ohio Family Engagement Night on Wednesday.

“We applaud After-School All-Stars Ohio for their broadband education initiatives and for helping us support efforts that promote digital literacy in the Columbus community,” said Rahman Khan, Vice President of Community Impact for Charter Communications, Inc., which operates the Spectrum brand of broadband connectivity products. “Through this partnership with After-School All-Stars Ohio, the Spectrum Digital Education program is able to bring essential resources to those in need, and we look forward to working with them on this transformative project.”

After-School All-Stars offers free out-of-school programming to help children succeed in school and life. The organization will use the funding to provide coding courses to Columbus City Schools and Toledo Public Schools for students to learn basic coding and computer programming.

“We are grateful for this support from Spectrum to help provide basic coding courses to students,” said Tracy Ensign, Executive Director, After-School All-Stars Ohio. “Coding builds and strengthens kids’ logic, math, problem-solving and critical thinking skills to prepare them for the future in a fun and engaging way.”

Code Ninjas® and theCoderSchool programming will happen at ASAS' programming sites so all students can take part. The sites are in locations with limited out-of-school time programs and examine factors like zip code, lack of opportunities, poverty rate, crime rate, violence, drug addiction, gangs, food insecurity, affordable housing and homelessness.

"I mean, I'm really excited to code,” said Joshua Sanabria Nieves, a student. “It's blowing my mind right now. It's [going to] be fun. I just got to try my hardest, and do the thing I need to do to be successful in life."

The sites offer a quarterly Family Engagement Night with a digital-learning focus. The After-School All-Stars Ohio digital literacy lessons start in the next few weeks and continue throughout the year, so all students can take part. Tap here to register.

After-School All-Stars Ohio is one of 47 nonprofit organizations that Spectrum supports through its 2022 Spectrum Digital Education grant program. The company is investing $1.1 million to support digital literacy in underserved rural and urban communities in 41 states where Spectrum provides service. 

The program was launched in 2017. Charter has funded more than 120 nonprofit organizations in 23 states and Washington, D.C., through Spectrum Digital Education.

More information about Spectrum Digital Education and Charter’s philanthropic initiatives to support communities is available here.

Note: Charter Communications is the parent company of Spectrum News 1.