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CodeVA and Amazon Future Engineer program have teamed up bring computer science education to Virginia schools. The first piece of this partnership is launching in 19 schools in the commonwealth, with five in Suffolk.

Amazon Future Engineer Program donated $3.9 million to CodeVA through 2022 to support CodeVA’s goal of offering computer science education in high-needs schools in Virginia.

“Amazon Future Engineer is excited to power the Computer Science Ready Schools program alongside CodeVA for these 19 schools across Virginia, our new home,” said Ardine Williams, vice president of workforce development, HQ2 at Amazon. “We know this is just the start of our partnership with CodeVA. We’re excited, especially amidst this trying time, to help make sure teachers have the resources they need to best prepare the next generation of big thinkers and creative innovators.”

According to Amazon’s blog post, the donation includes virtual resources, training for more than 12,000 teachers, and curriculum to students whose schools closed due to COVID-19.

Starting this school year, CodeVA will provide support to the chosen schools as they work to identify impact teams of key leaders in the school and use them to develop a plan of action to establish a computer science ready culture.

Due to COVID-19, all programs will be virtually delivered. Also, the timeline may be adjusted for the schools to earn their Computer Science-Ready School designation.

The five Suffolk schools in the CS Ready Program include Oakland Elementary, Elephant’s Fork Elementary, Booker T. Washington Elementary, John F. Kennedy Middle and King’s Fork High.

“The Computer Science-Ready School initiative is an important tool for measuring division, school, and teacher readiness to support computer science literacy for all Virginia children,” said Chris Dovi, CodeVA’s executive director. “Virginia’s computer science education mandate remains a challenge for nearly all schools in Virginia, especially for Title I and economically disadvantaged schools.”