Daybreak Community Creates STEM Experiences for Their Children

LiveDaybreak is setting a new model for how to engage students and parents in STEM through fun afterschool activities including robotics, circuitry, gardening, animation and dentistry.

Earlier this year Daybreak’s community organization created a nonprofit STEM Club for all Daybreak residents. The model is simple: in order to become a member of the club, a parent is
responsible for creating an engaging, hands-on STEM experience.

With each activity, anywhere from 15 to 40 kids in the community attend with their parents. Their first STEM activity was with the U.S. National Weather Service and the Utah State University STEM Extension where kids learned about weather patterns.

“If we help these kids get excited about science, technology, engineering and math, then later they will pursue a STEM career. Our hope is that they will have great success and later give back to the community like their parents are doing now,” said Keila Mower, founder of the Daybreak STEM Club.

Mower attributes the program’s success to engaged parents and industry members, as well as helpful community partners.

“We have partnered with Salt Lake County Government, specifically with their Parks and Recreation Department, and with South Jordan City,” Mower said. “It’s because of these partnerships
that we are able to make this program happen. We are hoping to partner with more businesses in the future.”

In March, the Daybreak STEM Club had a local dentist visit with kids about how to culture a tooth. In April, Mower learned that a new park was being built in their community, so she invited Salt Lake County Parks and Recreation to visit the club and present on how a park is built, including the designing and engineering involved.

“We hope that other communities will look at our club as a model to replicate,” Mower said. “My advice to parents and communities would be to look at every option available. Don’t be afraid to ask people to volunteer; these programs can be duplicated anywhere, with the same concept of government, business and parents establishing a common goal.”

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