Thimble Federal Funding Guide for Public Schools

Funding for Every Student Succeed Act (ESSA)

Thimble is a grade 4-12 standards-aligned and hands-on curriculum that teaches students science, engineering, robotics, and coding through hands-on kits and online lessons. Our project-based materials and lessons inspire students and prepare them for 21st-century careers. We believe in equitable learning for all students and work to ensure our product meets the requirements for many federal funding sources. Learn how Thimble fits within allowable funding under Titles I, II, III, IV, and V of ESSA, Perkins CTE/VTE, ESSER I, II, III, and IDEA. 

Title I, Part A

The largest source of federal funding to schools is from Title I, providing over $16 billion dollars to schools that serve a high number or high percentage of children from low-income families to ensure that these children are able to meet challenging state academic standards.

How Thimble aligns to Title I, Part A

• Thimble is used by many teachers in Title 1 schools for the basic purpose for which Title 1 was created—to give all children, regardless of family income, the opportunity and support to achieve or exceed proficiency on challenging state academic standards.
• Thimble carefully interweaves and supports Next Generation Science Standards, TEKS, CSTA CS standards, ISTE CS, and state-specific standards into our course-based curriculum offering.
• Thimble’s project-based materials and lessons teach skills that build the necessary scaffolding for college and 21st century career readiness, science, and technical subjects.
• Thimble’s innovative hands-on projects provide additional challenges and real-world relevance to students from diverse backgrounds in an inquiry-based model of instruction.
• Thimble supports Title I teachers by providing resources, educational content, and hands-on kits that align with national education standards designed for the needs of underrepresented students as well as nontechnical teachers with little access to tools and resources.
• Thimble’s multi-faceted offering includes equipment and technology that can be utilized in multiple settings, including at home. And because some of the kits do not require internet, it can extend learning to home for students who may not have access to the internet outside of school.
• Thimble offers curriculum, training, and assessment services for educators to measure student engagement and achievement.
• Because many of Thimble’s kits can be reused multiple times and include all necessary supplies, they can be used by families and other community agencies to support family engagement, a requirement of Title I funding.

Interested in using Title I funds to bring Thimble to your school? Sign up for a short demo with a member of our team.

Title II

Title II is focused on preparing, training, and recruiting high quality teachers and principals. With a focus on increasing student academic achievement through strategies such as improving teacher quality, Title II funds professional development activities that are sustained, intensive, collaborative, job-embedded, data-driven, and classroom-focused.

How Thimble aligns to Title II

• Thimble provides professional development services to teachers that are sustained, intensive, collaborative, job-embedded, data-driven, and classroom-focused designed to engage and excite students’ interest in STEM and Maker Education. 
• Thimble’s professional development prepares and trains teachers to deliver a technology-focused, real-world, project-based curriculum into traditional classroom settings with the overriding goal of increasing student academic achievement. 
• The professional development Thimble provides to teachers focuses on how to incorporate STEM and Maker Education into traditional classroom settings in order to give students a more meaningful school experience.
• Thimble’s professional development allows teachers to experience the curriculum firsthand and feel comfortable with the learning platform, resources, and kits.
• Thimble has the ability to curate a Professional Development session that reflects the unique needs of individual Schools/Districts.

Interested in using Title II funds to bring Thimble to your school? Sign up for a short demo with a member of our team.

Title III

Title III provides federal funding that is focused on ensuring that English learners, including immigrant children and youth, attain English proficiency and develop high levels of academic achievement in English and meet the same challenging state academic standards of their English speaking peers. 

It can be used to assist teachers and leaders in establishing, implementing, and sustaining effective language instruction educational programs and/or to promote family and community participation in language instruction educational programs for the parents, families, and communities of English learners.

How Thimble aligns to Title III

• Thimble’s curriculum, educational content, and hands-on kits align with national education standards and are also designed for the needs of underrepresented students, English language learners
• Thimble’s kits have been carefully designed with English Language Learners in mind and include pictures and symbols to facilitate ease of use and understanding. 
• Thimble has many kits available with materials translated into Spanish, and has complete translation of all resources in both Spanish and Creole in progress.
• Thimble provides a valuable resource for parents, families, and communities of English learners because families can do the kits together and many of the kits require only initial download and printing of software and instructions, allowing them to be completed offline in any setting.
• Thimble’s kits can ship anywhere with mail service to ensure access to families living in and across various locations, including those without internet access.

Interested in using Title III funds to bring Thimble to your school? Sign up for a short demo with a member of our team.

Title IV (21st Century Schools)

Title IV is a block grant that provides over $1 billion in funding to school safety, well-rounded education, and educational technology initiatives (under Subpart 1- Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants). Under the CARES Act, these funds can now be used to fund any of these three priorities: providing students with a well-rounded education, maintaining student health and safety, and purchasing and implementing education technology and systems. An additional part of Title IV is Part B- 21st Century Community Learning Centers.

The purpose of this part is to:

(1) provide opportunities for communities to establish or expand activities in community learning centers that provide opportunities for academic enrichment, including providing tutorial services to help students, particularly students who attend low-performing schools, to meet the challenging State academic standards;

(2) offer students a broad array of additional services, programs, and activities, such as youth development activities, service learning, nutrition and health education, drug and violence prevention programs, counseling programs, arts, music, physical fitness and wellness programs, technology education programs, financial literacy programs, environmental literacy programs, mathematics, science, career and technical programs, internship or apprenticeship programs, and other ties to an in-demand industry sector or occupation for high school students that are designed to reinforce and complement the regular academic program of participating students; and

(3) offer families of students served by community learning centers opportunities for active and meaningful engagement in their children’s education, including opportunities for literacy and related educational development.

How Thimble aligns to Title IV

• As a hands-on education technology tool for science, engineering, and coding, Thimble brings educational technology initiatives to life for students in the form of real world applications.
• Thimbles project-based materials and lessons inspire students and prepare them for 21st-century careers necessary for a well-rounded education.
• Because Thimble is a technology education program that focuses on mathematics, science, and career and technical initiatives, Title IV Part B- 21st Century Community Learning Centers funds can be used to fund this product.
• Thimble’s curriculum can be used by districts to offer families of students served by community learning centers the opportunities for active and meaningful engagement in their children’s education, including opportunities for literacy and related educational development.

Interested in learning more? Sign up for a short demo with a member of our team.

Title V

Title V, part B directs funding to rural and low-income school districts that frequently lack the personnel and resources to compete for competitive funding streams. 

How Thimble aligns to Title V

• Thimble pushes into rural education settings via the STEM kits which can ship anywhere with mail service, ensuring access to science, engineering, and coding to communities that have low or irregular internet connectivity. 
• Thimble provides valuable exposure 21st-century career skills that students in rural and low-income communities may not otherwise have the opportunity to. 
• Title V funds can be used for parent involvement activities. Because Thimbles kits include all needed supplies and are portable, they make for an out-of-the-box family engagement learning experience.

Interested in using Title V funds to bring Thimble to your school? Sign up for a short demo with a member of our team.

Perkins Grant (CTE/VTE)

The Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act provides funding to states for the improvement of vocational and technical education programs. Federal funds are provided to states which then each use their own system to allocate funds and/or competitive grants to schools and post-secondary institutions. Generally, funds are used to create and maintain CTE programs in middle schools, high schools and technical education programs. 

How Thimble aligns to Perkins Funding:

• Thimble supports career exploration with real-world, career-focused STEM content for elementary, middle, and high school students.
• Thimble’s  project-based materials and curriculum focus on building trades, aviation technology, electronics and computer technology, engineering and robotics, web technologies and game programming, cybersecurity, and networking, in addition to other areas.
• Thimble’s learning platform supports inquiry-based learning in career and technical programs, through exposure to real-world computer-aided design tools, mathematical analysis, scientific inquiry, and engineering design to pose questions, seek answers, and develop solutions.
• Thimble has a proven track record of engaging students and helping to develop an interest in STEM related careers.  In a recent pilot student of 800 students who had no previous knowledge or experience with engineering or computer science demonstrated a 77% increase of interest in a STEM related career. 

Interested in using 21st Century Grant funds to bring Thimble to your school? Sign up for a short demo with a member of our team.

ESSER I, II, III

In response to the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), the U.S. Congress passed the CARES Act, CRRSA Act and ARP Act – relief packages designed in part to provide states with both funding and streamlined waivers to give state educational agencies (SEAs) necessary flexibilities to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. The relief packages included almost $200 billion in emergency education funding, channeled for public schools mainly through the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER Fund).

State awards for the ESSER Funds, rounds I, II and III, are in the same proportion that each state received under Title I, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended, in fiscal year (FY) 2019–20. Each state must use no less than 90 percent of its allocation to make subgrants to local education agencies (LEAs), based on each LEA’s share of funds received under Title I, Part A in fiscal year 2019–20.

How Thimble aligns to ESSER Funding

• Thimble’s print and online offerings are authorized under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and IDEA, as outlined above in funding descriptions for Title I, II, III, IV, V and IDEA.
• Thimble directly addresses the unique needs of low-income students, children with disabilities, English learners, and racial and ethnic minorities with its diversity and accessibility of content, activities and assessments, both in physical kits and online.
• Thimble’s kits can ship anywhere with mail service to ensure access to high-quality educational STEM content and activities to families, including those without internet access. 
• Thimble’s flexible project-based learning model can be implemented in concert with programs that need to transition to distance education to combat learning loss. 
• Multidisciplinary, inquiry-based projects delivered through Thimble’s online learning platform provides an innovative and effective means of addressing student engagement that may have been impacted from the significant changes to the delivery of instruction due to the coronavirus.
• Thimble’s resources address learning loss through the implementation of evidence-based interventions that demonstrate student learning across NGSS-aligned pre- and post-assessments.
• Educators may choose digital, print, or both formats for selected activities to extend learning time, give added electronic exposure to students, or differentiate for student groups who need different levels of direct instruction and intervention.
• Because of Thimble’s unique line of interactive STEM kits with online classes that can be accessed at any time, the content can be utilized in a multitude of settings, including core STEM classes, remote, whole-class, or hybrid learning, maker spaces, enrichment, intervention, after-school, summer enrichment programs, and to combat learning loss due to COVID.
• Thimble’s assessment services measure student engagement and achievement and provide numerous opportunities for students to progress and for educators to monitor learning loss and intervene if necessary.

Interested in using ESSER funds to bring Thimble to your school? Sign up for a short demo with a member of our team.

IDEA

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is the federal law ensuring students with disabilities receive a free and appropriate public education. IDEA governs how states and public agencies provide early intervention, special education and related services to eligible infants, toddlers, children, and youth with disabilities. Second only in size to Title I funds, school districts receive IDEA funds to help pay for the cost of providing services and education to children with disabilities.

How Thimble aligns to IDEA Funding: 

• Thimble’s STEM kits can be implemented in an inclusive learning environment 
• Thimble’s curriculum focuses on providing scaffolded instruction and teaching materials that clearly define vocabulary words/concepts for all learners.
• Through hands-on projects, we are able to level the playing field for all learners and engage those students who learn best through kinesthetic learning.
• The projects in Thimble’s curriculum are designed to give everyone the opportunity to experience the content matter from a similar position. 
• Students are able to translate ideas into a project without being restricted by expressing themselves verbally or in writing.
• Self-paced lessons are available on Thimble’s learning portal for students to work on projects at their own pace.
• Thimble’s kits have been carefully designed with differentiated learning in mind and include pictures and symbols to facilitate ease of use and understanding. 

Interested in learning more? Sign up for a short demo with a member of our team.

Texas Funding Opportunities

Texas Education Agency (TEA) grant opportunities

• 2022-2024 T-STEM Planning and Implementation Grant (Grant duration: 3/1/2022-6/15/2024)
  • The purpose of the Texas Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (T-STEM) Planning Grant is to develop new T-STEM Academies in the College Career Readiness School Model (CCRSM) Network aligned to the T-STEM Blueprint and the Texas STEM Framework. The T-STEM Academy will provide students with technical, academic, and STEM fluency skills needed for a smooth transitional experience to postsecondary and the workforce. T-STEM Academies allow students the opportunity to earn a high school diploma with a STEM Endorsement while simultaneously earning industry certifications, level 1 or level 2 certificates, and/or an associate degree on or before graduation at no cost to the student.  Total funding amount: $643,610.00
  • Thimble’s products and curriculum would align directly with the goals and initiatives of T-STEM Academies and the Texas STEM Framework. 
• 2021-2023 Charter School Program Grant (Subchapter D) (Grant duration: 4/1/2021-7/31/2023)
  • The purpose of the Texas Quality Charter Schools Program Grant is to support the growth of high-quality charter schools in Texas, especially those focused on improving academic outcomes for educationally disadvantaged students. This will be achieved through administering the 2021–2023 Charter School Program Grant (Subchapter D) to assist eligible applicants in opening and preparing for the operation of newly-authorized charter schools and replicated high-quality schools.Total funding amount: $7,200,000.00
  • NOTE: The Statutory Authority includes Title IV Part C which states the following: SPECIAL RULE.—Grant funds under this part may be used for activities described in paragraphs (2) and (3) of subsection (a) only if the activities are directly related to improving student academic achievement based on the challenging State academic standards or directly related to improving student reading skills or knowledge of mathematics, science, history, geography, English, foreign languages, art, or music, or to improving career, technical, and professional skills.
  • Thimble’s products and curriculum would be a good fit for these charter schools and their initiatives within career, technical and professional skills.
• 2021-2023 CCRSM P-TECH Planning and Implementation (Grant duration: 5/14/2021-6/15/2023)
  • The purpose of this grant is to provide students with a smooth transitional experience to postsecondary and the workforce. P-TECH models allow students the opportunity to earn a high school diploma while simultaneously earning industry certifications, level 1 or level 2 certificates, and/or an associate degree on or before the sixth anniversary of a student’s first day of high school and at no cost to the student. P-TECH campuses establish strong partnership agreements with local business and industry as well as institutions of higher education (IHE). The partners serve on the leadership and advisory team to provide support and guidance to the P-TECH in resource acquisition, curriculum development, work-based learning, and student/community outreach to ensure a successful academic and career pipeline. In partnership with an IHE as well as community and employers, a P-TECH campus provides rigorous academic and work-based learning programs that provide students with clear pathways to regional employment opportunities in response to local workforce needs. Total funding amount: $1,350,000.00
  • P-TECH and Thimble’s goals are focused on the same outcome: Helping students transition smoothly to the workforce. Thimble’s kits can be an introduction to several workforce domains including electrical engineering and programming.
• 2021-2023 Title I Parent and Family Engagement Initiative (Grant duration: 9/1/2021-8/31/2023)
  • The grant purpose is to assist with empowering parents by increasing learning opportunities that ensure key agency priorities align with program goals and statutory responsibilities to LEAs and ESCs. Total funding amount: $400,060.00
  • Because many of Thimble’s kits can be reused multiple times and include all necessary supplies, they can be used by families and other community agencies to support family engagement and diverse learning opportunities that include parents and guardians. 

Interested in learning more? Sign up for a short demo with a member of our team.