The incentivized push to create more spheres of influence around Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) is now more prevalent than ever. With so many fruitful opportunities, mother-daughter duo Rachel and Kelley Williams aim to ensure that the next generation of students is introduced to these concepts at an earlier age.
Based in Evanston, Illinois, the Williams created The Honey Bee Co., a family-owned and operated business dedicated to inspiring hard work, integrity, and education within the community. Their collaboration has resulted in the creation of Paige & Paxton, two adorable puzzle piece characters that are siblings who embark on adventures fueled by science and technology. Their unique brand of entertainment helps to reinforce qualities that parents and teachers aim to instill in young children today: confidence, patience, dedication to hard work, and self-assurance. Prior to this role, Kelley O. Williams, 26, and a graduate of Howard University, served as assistant vice president of social media at JP Morgan Chase, where she led the social content strategy for Chase Community Giving.
BlackEnterprise.com sat down with both women to talk about their commitment to advocating for STEM education and how they use entrepreneurship to do so.
BlackEnterprise.com: What are some ways that first-time parents can get their child to learn with Paige & Paxton?
Kelley: A great deal of learning takes place at home, and parents are ultimately the most important factor in a child’s academic success. This is so important that my mom and I even conduct workshops that give parents practical tips and tools on nurturing their child’s academic success that they can easily integrate into their daily routine.
One of best things about Paige & Paxton is that they just aren’t designed with kids in mind. We know that one of the biggest challenges with introducing young children to STEM isn’t the children. Often it’s the anxiety that many adults experience when delving into science or math concepts with their child.
Paige & Paxton books and materials help alleviate that anxiety by taking really complex concepts and making it easy for anyone to teach, and not to mention the stories are fun for parents and children to engage with together. We also offer additional support with lesson plans and resources for parents and teachers on topics like: “What is science?†“What is an ecosystem?†and “What is the scientific method?â€
One thing that we take pains to emphasize to parents is that it’s not just about your child absorbing the theory of relativity, verbatim. Kids should be able to picture themselves in these fields, and that comes from a mix of exposure and confidence building. You want to drive interest in concepts around science and technology, but also build literacy, enable creativity, enhance critical thinking, and more importantly, improve their confidence so that they feel empowered to tackle what may feel intimidating. In Paige Finds Her Perfect Fit and Paxton Finds His Perfect Fit, both of the characters fail and learn from their mistakes over and over again, which is a great life lesson whether or not your child ends up pursuing a STEM career.
Finally, parents should make sure that that they have an understanding of the Next Generation Science Standards that your educators should be leveraging–even as early as the Kindergarten level–so that parents can reinforce the concepts at home.
Find out more on how the Williams are incorporating career development into their books on page two …
On the Paige & Paxton Website, it is noted that after 5th and 6th grades, children lose interest in non-traditional career options. How has the company leveraged relationships within the small business community to generate dynamic future job opportunities for these young minds?
Rachel: We believe that the solution is exposing children to STEM early and often. Currently, we partner with school systems to do just that. As there are more than 1.6 million children under the age of 6, Paige & Paxton are positioned to make a real impact in elementary education, by helping to create and maintain a robust STEM pipeline. The stakes are high for all involved. For the U.S. to compete effectively in a global economy, we must increase STEM proficiency as well as the number of students earning degrees in the field. STEM is and will continue to be a major source for innovation and competitiveness, generating the ideas, the products and services, the companies and the industries that will create well paying jobs and a vibrant U.S. economy.
Coding and learning the language of tech is a huge developing focal point in black America. With programs such as Code Liberation and Black Girls Code successfully initiating young minds—in what meaningful way does Paige & Paxton help children learn about the new age world around them?
Kelley: Getting children, particularly girls and children of color, interested in technology is a passion to which I devote a great deal of my spare time. I am active in several pipeline-building programs.
Even though technology is an integral part of the new age world around them, many children miss the breadth of the field. Technology is not just cell phones and computers, it’s electric cars, MRI’s, ATMs, the stop light at the corner, waste to energy plants, and so on.
Paige & Paxton help children 6 and under begin to make sense of the world around them through the lens of STEM. Sure most 6-year-olds can download the latest app or use smart phones more adeptly than their parents. But Paige & Paxton bring value, by making students at a very early age aware that they can use their creativity and ingenuity to create–not just consume technology.
Finally, a critical piece of increasing the pipeline of students who pursue degrees and careers in STEM is often overlooked. The solution is not developing HTML courses for kindergartners. At the early childhood level, students need to develop the solid foundational skills of literacy, writing and math and soft skills such as confidence, collaboration, critical thinking, and problem solving. These are the skills that equip students to take on the more advanced science and math subjects they need to be successful not only in technology and other STEM careers, but in any career.
Check out the Williams’ insights on helping children be empowered to drive change on the next page…
Promoting education in America is more important than ever with rates steadily dropping in key areas of study. How can children who are still developing their own fascinations utilize their power to drive change?
Rachel Williams:
That is precisely what Paige & Paxton are all about. Children are already change agents–often unwittingly. They play a major role in household purchasing decisions. They also play a major role in other decisions that shape their future. A child interested in soccer will be showered with cleats, shin pads, and soccer balls on birthdays and holidays. He or she will undoubtedly spend a portion of summer at soccer camp. A child interested in ballet will finagle dance lessons. I’ll throw out my own experience with my youngest daughter, Jessica. She was interested in falcons–yes–falcons. Every visit to the library meant leaving with armfuls of books and DVDs on birds of prey and there were the endless trips to the bird section at the zoo. Then there was the nagging for a pet falcon, which I drew the line there. Today, she has a degree in Biology.So children can and do set agendas. Children interested in STEM will request STEM related toys, games, materials, and experiences, and the adults will respond. Educators and administrators tend to commit resources to things in which students (and parents) have a demonstrated interest. Now it’s football programs and stadiums. Tomorrow it can be science fairs and chemistry labs. This is how children can drive the change at home and in the classroom and we would like Paige & Paxton to accelerate a paradigm shift.
Check out part 2 of this interview next week, where the Williams’ talk family business success and tips for raising capital.