For Independent Schools & Districts

We vet and connect you with a teacher
and bring our platform into your school.

We vet and connect your school with a background-checked teacher, and our AI reduces how much prep and specialist expertise your staff needs. Your school contracts the teacher directly. Mapped to CSTA K-12 standards.Title IV-A alignment memo available for public districts. Real teachers. Safe AI. Always a human in the loop.

The Vetted Teacher Model

We vet and connect your school with a background-checked teacher, and our AI reduces how much prep and specialist expertise your staff needs.

Vetted Teacher Leads

An independent, background-checked teacher leads the class. The school contracts the teacher directly and supervises on-site delivery.

AI Assists

Our AI Tutor supports the teacher — real-time, personalized instruction for every student. Answers questions, explains errors, adapts pace.

Students Build

Every student leaves with a professional digital portfolio of real websites and games they coded themselves.

Real code. Real portfolios.

Students don't drag blocks — they write real HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and Python in a professional browser-based code editor. Every completed project goes into their Professional Digital Portfolio — shareable with parents, printable for applications, and permanent.

  • Functional websites built from scratch
  • Custom-coded browser games published to the Arcade
  • AI-assisted app projects with real logic
  • Graduation certificate for program completion
  • Portfolio URL for secondary school applications
Structured Courses
Ages 7–16 · self-paced
Teacher + AI
Vetted teacher leads · AI assists
Digital Portfolio
Shareable · printable
COPPA Compliant
No ads · no data sales
Standards-Mapped Curriculum

Mapped to CSTA & New York State standards

Our ages 7–16 pathway is mapped across three CSTA grade bands and the New York State CS & Digital Fluency standards — so administrators can justify the program against the standards they're required to meet. Standards alignment is the document that makes a purchase federally justifiable: an administrator can write “this meets our K-12 CS standards requirement” on the purchase justification. Unlike funding eligibility, this is entirely in our hands: we do the mapping, we own the claim.

Status: This is a self-prepared mapping to the CSTA K-12 Computer Science Standards (Revised 2017) and the NY K-12 Computer Science & Digital Fluency Learning Standards. We say “mapped to” — not “CSTA-aligned” or “CSTA-certified” — because CSTA requires their Standards Review Team to validate a crosswalk before that claim can be made. Our crosswalk is structured for submission to CSTA for exactly that validation. We will re-map to the 2026 CSTA revision on its release.

CSTA grade bands covered

Coverage across the five CSTA concept areas

CSTA standards are organized into five concept areas. Here's honest coverage:

Algorithms & ProgrammingPrimary focus — all tracks. Real projects in HTML, CSS, JS, Python.
Impacts of ComputingDedicated AI Ethics lesson (bias, transparency, privacy, AI for Good) + digital citizenship woven into every course.
Data & AnalysisVariables, data structures, data-driven apps (App Innovators track).
Computing SystemsHardware/software basics, browser-based dev environment.
Networks & the InternetWeb publishing, how the web works, online safety.

Full coverage   Partial / supporting coverage

New York State CS & Digital Fluency standards

NY uses different concept areas and grade bands than CSTA — so this is a separate mapping, not a relabeling.

Impacts of ComputingFull — digital citizenship, AI ethics, responsible use
Computational ThinkingFull — algorithms, decomposition, abstraction, pattern recognition
Networks & System DesignPartial — web publishing, how the internet works
CybersecurityPartial — online safety, data privacy, password basics
Digital LiteracyPartial — digital creation, browser skills, file management; does not fully cover information literacy/research practices

NY grade bands: K–1, 2–3, 4–6, 7–8, 9–12. Our tracks map to NY bands 4–6 (Web Builders), 7–8 (Game Creators), and 9–12 (App Innovators). View the full NY standards crosswalk with clause-level identifiers — verify against the NYSED “at a glance” PDFs before submitting to a NYC district.

AI Literacy (2026 CSTA Revision)

The 2026 CSTA revision (summer 2026 release) pushes AI literacy concepts into CS standards. Our curriculum already covers AI fundamentals — how AI works, ethical use of AI, and human-AI collaboration — so the mapping will extend naturally. We will re-map to the 2026 revision on its release. Until then, our current mapping is to the CSTA Revised 2017 standards.

A full crosswalk document mapping each course to specific CSTA standard identifiers is available here. CSTA K-12 Computer Science Standards © CSTA, licensed CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. A school's federal-programs coordinator should confirm spendability for their specific funding source.

Funding Pathways

How schools fund this

The funding path depends on whether you're an independent school or a public district/LEA. We support both — but the money comes from different places.

Independent Schools

Parent-Funded Revenue Share

Our near-term go-to-market

Independent and private schools typically don't receive Title IV-A directly (they aren't LEAs). Instead, we offer a parent-funded revenue-share model: the school provides the space and a supervising adult, families pay directly, and the school keeps a share of revenue as an Auxiliary budget driver. Revenue-share billing automation is in development; during the pilot, settlements are processed manually per agreement.

  • No school budget required — families pay directly
  • School receives a revenue share as an independent program host — not as employer or seller — turning STEM enrichment into a profit center
  • Private schools may be eligible for equitable services through their local public district; those funds are controlled by the district, not the school. Ask us if you'd like to explore that path.
Public Districts / LEAs

Title IV-A / SSAE Grant Funds

Our phase-two expansion play

Title IV-A money flows to the district/LEA, not the school or the vendor. The state sub-grants to LEAs in proportion to their prior-year Title I share. STEM and computer science are explicitly named allowable uses under the “well-rounded education” content area (ESSA §4107), and effective use of technology (ESSA §4109).

  • STEM and CS are explicitly allowable under ESSA §4107 (well-rounded education)
  • PD for teachers is also allowable — our AI-assist model is a form of capacity building
  • Districts spending $30,000+ must run a comprehensive needs assessment first — so the sales cycle is gated by their needs-assessment calendar

The governing constraint: supplement, not supplant

Federal guidance is explicit that Title IV-A funds must provide additional educational opportunities, not buy items a school would have funded anyway. New York's guidance spells out the “presumption” logic: funds must pay for something the district would not otherwise have provided. Practical translation: our program is positioned as a new enrichment offering, not a replacement for existing instruction. This is the language a federal-programs coordinator needs to see in the purchase justification.

We provide a Title IV-A alignment memo citing ESSA §4104(b)(3)(A)(i) (well-rounded/STEM) and §4104(b)(3)(A)(ii) (safe and healthy students), stating plainly that KidsCode Gift is a supplemental enrichment program. View the memo. This is the document a federal-programs coordinator needs to justify the line item.

Title I

Funds for high-poverty schools

Supports supplemental educational services for disadvantaged students. CS enrichment that closes the digital divide qualifies — especially our frontline-family scholarship model. Same supplement-not-supplant constraint applies.

Title II

Teacher training & professional development

Funds professional development for teachers. Our AI-assisted model reduces the specialist expertise burden on your staff — a form of embedded PD during the pilot. This is a wedge: capacity building is what the grant favors.

An honest caveat

Whether any specific school or district can spend Title IV-A on us depends on their state's rules, their allocation, their needs assessment, and their supplement/supplant analysis — confirmed by their federal-programs coordinator. We say Title IV-A alignment memo available — confirm eligibility with your federal-programs coordinator.” We never claim a school is “Title IV-A funded” — that's a determination only their coordinator can make. We are not compliance lawyers; treat this as the strategic logic, verified by their coordinator at close.

The Process

How to get this funded — step by step

You shouldn't have to already know the funding path. Here's exactly what to do, depending on whether you're an independent school or a public district. We'll walk you through every step.

Path A: Independent Schools

Parent-funded revenue share — no federal grants required

1

Scoping call

We schedule a 30-minute call to understand your school's space, schedule, and grade levels. We confirm the revenue-share split and pilot terms.

You + us
2

School approves the program

Your principal or Auxiliary director approves the after-school club. No federal procurement process — this is an internal program decision, not a grant-funded purchase.

School leadership
3

Families enroll and pay directly

We open enrollment. Families register and pay through our platform. The school doesn't touch money or process payments — we handle billing, refunds, and financial aid.

Families + our platform
4

School receives revenue share

At the end of each term, the school receives its agreed-upon share of tuition revenue. This goes to your Auxiliary or enrichment budget — turning STEM programming into a revenue driver.

Us → school
5

Optional: equitable-services path

Private schools may be eligible for equitable services through their local public district under ESSA. Those funds are controlled by the district, not the school. If you'd like to explore this narrower path, we'll provide the alignment documents — but your LEA controls the process.

School + LEA + us

Path B: Public Districts / LEAs

Title IV-A grant funds — federal procurement process

1

Request our alignment documents

We send you: (a) the CSTA + NY standards crosswalk mapping each course to specific standard identifiers, (b) a one-page Allowable Use memo citing ESSA §4107 (well-rounded/STEM) and §4109 (effective use of technology), and (c) a supplement-not-supplant statement confirming our program is new enrichment, not replacement instruction.

Us → you
2

Take it to your federal-programs coordinator

Forward the alignment documents to your federal-programs coordinator (the person who manages Title grants). They confirm whether your allocation can cover the purchase and whether it fits your needs-assessment priorities. This is their call, not ours — we provide the documents, they make the determination.

You → your coordinator
3

Needs assessment (if spending $30,000+)

Districts spending $30,000 or more on Title IV-A activities must conduct a comprehensive needs assessment first. If you're below that threshold, this step may not apply. If you're above it, the needs assessment must identify CS/STEM as a priority — our alignment documents help make that case.

District
4

Supplement-not-supplant analysis

Your coordinator confirms that Title IV-A funds are supplementing — not supplanting — existing spending. Our program must be a new enrichment offering, not a replacement for instruction the district already funds. We position and document accordingly.

Your coordinator
5

Purchase justification and procurement

Your coordinator writes the purchase justification citing the CSTA mapping and ESSA sections. Then standard district procurement applies: RFP, quote, or sole-source justification depending on your threshold. We provide pricing, scope, and any documentation procurement requires.

District procurement
6

Implementation and audit trail

Once approved, we implement the program and maintain records: student progress data, attendance, and outcomes. At audit time, your coordinator can show the program delivered what was justified — supplemental CS enrichment mapped to CSTA standards.

Us + district

What we provide

  • CSTA + NY standards crosswalk (course → standard identifiers)
  • One-page Allowable Use memo (ESSA §4107 + §4109)
  • Supplement-not-supplant positioning statement
  • Pricing, scope, and procurement documentation
  • Student progress and outcomes data for audit trail
  • A scoping call to walk your coordinator through the documents

What you do

  • Forward the documents to your federal-programs coordinator
  • Confirm your Title IV-A allocation and needs-assessment status
  • Complete the supplement-not-supplant analysis with your coordinator
  • Run standard district procurement (RFP / quote / sole-source)
  • Approve and sign the implementation agreement
  • Provide a room, a supervising adult, and student devices
Request the alignment documents

We'll send the crosswalk and Allowable Use memo within one business day. No commitment required.

What the first 4 weeks look like

From zero to a running coding club in one month.

1
Week 1

Setup & Onboarding

  • School contracts a vetted teacher and provides a room + supervising adult
  • Students receive platform accounts (no installs)
  • 30-minute orientation call with teacher and supervisor
  • Parent consent packet distributed
2
Week 2

Students Start Building

  • Students pick a track (Web / Games / Apps)
  • Vetted teacher leads sessions; AI Tutor assists each student individually
  • School supervisor monitors the room on-site
  • Weekly progress digest emailed to the school
3
Week 3

Real Projects Emerge

  • First functional websites and games built
  • Students publish to moderated Arcade
  • Mid-program feedback check-in with school
  • Optional demo for parents and PTA
4
Week 4

Portfolio & Graduation

  • Every student finishes with a digital portfolio
  • Graduation certificates issued
  • School receives impact report for PTA
  • Decide on continuation — no obligation

Transparent institutional pricing

Platform subscription per seat. Teacher sessions are contracted separately between the school and the teacher.

Most Common

Classroom Club

For a single club or classroom

$2,400/year

Up to 25 student seats · one club · full platform access

  • Up to 25 student seats
  • Full platform access
  • AI Tutor assists every student
  • Vetted teacher badge & scheduling tools
  • Progress digest emails
  • Graduation certificates
Request Quote

Whole School

For multiple clubs or whole-school access

$7,500/year

Up to 100 student seats · unlimited clubs · priority support + training

  • Up to 100 student seats
  • Unlimited concurrent clubs
  • AI Tutor + vetted teacher scheduling
  • Priority support + staff training
  • Custom impact reports
  • District onboarding assistance
Request Quote

District-level pricing (5+ schools): contact us ·Title IV-A alignment memo available

Founding Pilot Cohort — Fall 2026

Join our founding pilot cohort

We're launching with a select group of NYC independent schools this fall. Pilot schools receive the full program at no cost in exchange for feedback.

Pilot terms

  • 4-week structured pilot, up to 20 students, no platform cost to the school
  • School contracts a vetted teacher directly, provides the room, a supervising adult, and student access to laptops or Chromebooks
  • KidsCode Gift provides the platform, curriculum, AI tutoring, teacher vetting, and onboarding support
  • The teacher is an independent contractor — not employed, placed, or supervised by KidsCode Gift. The school supervises on-site delivery.
  • In exchange: structured feedback, a testimonial if the pilot succeeds, and permission to publish anonymized student portfolio outcomes
  • Pilot ends with a formal review meeting — continuation is optional and requires a new agreement

Limited to 5 schools for Fall 2026

Applications close August 22, 2026. Decisions within one week of application.

Apply for the Pilot

No commitment. No cost. Review meeting at the end of week 4.

Privacy & Compliance

COPPA Compliant

Full compliance with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act. Parental consent workflow built in. No advertising. No behavioral tracking.

Student Data Minimalism

We collect only what is required to operate the platform: first name, grade level, and progress data. No location, no contacts, no photos required.

Privacy Policy

Our full privacy policy is public and written for parents and administrators, not lawyers. Read exactly what data we hold and why.

Read privacy policy →

Documentation on Request

Data security plan, subprocessor list, and incident response procedure available to procurement teams on request.

Common questions from administrators

Do we need a CS teacher on staff?

No. We vet and connect you with a background-checked teacher who leads the class, supported by our AI Tutor. Your staff supervises the room on-site. The teacher is an independent contractor — your school contracts them directly. We provide the platform, curriculum, vetting, and AI — we do not place, employ, or supervise the teacher.

Who employs the teacher?

No one employs them through us. Every teacher on our platform is an independent contractor. Your school contracts the teacher directly and supervises on-site delivery. KidsCode Gift provides software, curriculum, vetting, and payments — we do not place, employ, or supervise teachers.

What devices do students need?

Any laptop, desktop, or Chromebook with a modern browser. No software installation required. The platform runs entirely in the browser.

What ages is the program designed for?

Students ages 7–16 (7–16 years old). Tracks are age-differentiated: Web Builders (8–11), Game Creators (10–13), App Innovators (12–16).

Can parents pay directly instead of the school?

Yes. We offer a parent-funded model where the school provides the space and we handle enrollment and billing directly with families. The school receives a revenue share as an independent program host — not as employer or seller. Contact us for the revenue-share structure.

Can we use Title IV-A funds for this program?

Computer science is an explicitly allowable use of Title IV-A (SSAE) funds for public districts under ESSA §4107 and §4109, as a supplemental enrichment program. Title IV-A funds flow to the district, not the school or vendor. We provide an allowable-use memo and standards crosswalk for your file, but eligibility is determined by your federal-programs coordinator. Independent schools typically cannot receive Title IV-A directly — see our funding section for the parent-funded revenue-share path.

What standards is the program mapped to?

The program is mapped to the CSTA K-12 Computer Science Standards (Revised 2017) across Levels 1A, 1B, 2, and 3A, and to the New York State K-12 Computer Science & Digital Fluency Learning Standards (December 2020). We say "mapped to" — not "CSTA-aligned" — because CSTA requires their Standards Review Team to validate a crosswalk before that claim can be made. Full standards crosswalks are available at kidscodegift.com/schools/csta-crosswalk and kidscodegift.com/schools/ny-cs-crosswalk.

What happens after the pilot?

A formal review meeting. If you continue, we move to the Classroom or School tier. If not, there is no obligation and students keep their portfolios.

Is student data shared with third parties?

Never for commercial or marketing purposes. We use a small number of infrastructure subprocessors (hosting, email) listed in our privacy policy. Students are never advertised to.

Ready to bring a vetted teacher to your school?

We vet and connect you with a background-checked teacher. Tell us about your school and we'll reach out within 2 business days to schedule a scoping call.

By submitting, you agree to be contacted about school partnership opportunities. We do not share your information with third parties.

Or email us directly: contact@kidscodegift.com · Response within one business day