From onsite to online in a weekend
About the company
MakerKids is the leading provider of STEM programs for kids designed and created by highly trained industry professionals and makers (engineers, entrepreneurs, teachers and speakers).
Location: Toronto, Ontario Industry: Technology
Entrepreneur challenge
With social distancing preventing MakerKids from offering its award-winning STEM classes and day camps for kids in person, and with school closures leaving many parents wondering how to fill their kids’ time, the company quickly pivoted its business model to offer their courses virtually.
MakerKids Virtual is a live, virtual classroom experience that promotes social interaction and important tech skills, while teaching kids about robotics, coding and Minecraft. It’s similar to the in-person curriculum, with the addition of a highly secure private server where classmates can communicate verbally or by messaging and collaborate with one another on projects. Instructors continue to mentor children by monitoring projects and chatting with them live to engage and guide students.
The company had always planned to go online but the COVID-19 crisis expedited those plans significantly. As the crisis began to build, CEO Jennifer Turliuk and her team began researching online platforms in anticipation of their physical space being mandated to close. Once the mandate came into effect in Toronto, where MakerKids is located, they sprang into action, launching the website in a single weekend. The result is hundreds of students who get to continue their classes, and the addition of new students from outside the GTA who get to access MakerKids’ offering in a way they would not have been able to before.