We're bringing real STEAM labs to children with limited access to hands-on tools
Kids Engine is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit headquartered in Seattle, Washington. We travel to communities with limited access, run hands-on STEAM workshops, train local facilitators, and help build programs that can continue locally.
The story
Over a decade ago, founder Dr. Rojin Vishkaie ran hands-on technology workshops for K–12 learners in communities with limited access in the American Midwest, using hardware donated by a major technology company. Those workshops produced measurable learning outcomes, positive participant surveys, and peer-reviewed published research. Kids Engine builds on that model for broader use with schools, community partners, and local facilitators.
The model
- Research-backed curriculum built on a decade of peer-reviewed findings from real workshops with real children.
- All hardware provided at every workshop: laptops, tablets, sensors, microcontrollers, robotics kits, lab instruments, art tablets, and musical instruments, donated by corporate partners.
- Local facilitators trained and supported to run workshops, so the program can continue after Kids Engine moves on.
- Outcomes measured and documented: participant surveys, learning assessments, and facilitator feedback, building an evidence base for grant applications and funders.
- Donated equipment gets a second life, putting useful tools to work for children with limited access to hands-on STEAM resources.
Why Kids Engine is different
Kids Engine is not only a STEAM enrichment program. It is a portable lab and local-capacity model for communities with limited access to real hands-on tools.
We combine portable labs, donated equipment, guided STEAM activities, local facilitator training, and impact reporting in one model.
Portable labs
Programs can run in schools, libraries, community centers, youth organizations, places of worship, and partner spaces.
Real tools
Children use microscopes, sensors, circuits, robotics kits, microcontrollers, laptops, tablets, design tools, instruments, and creative materials.
Donated equipment
Useful technology and lab tools are redirected into learning instead of sitting unused or becoming waste.
Local facilitators
Teachers, volunteers, university students, and community educators are trained to continue STEAM learning locally.
Measured learning
Kids Engine documents participation, student confidence, learning outcomes, facilitator feedback, and partner needs.
Dr. Rojin Vishkaie
Founder & Executive Director
Dr. Rojin Vishkaie is a researcher, educator, and strategist with a Ph.D. in Computational Design and Human-Computer Interaction and 15 years of experience spanning tech, academia, nonprofits, and R&D. She is a former Assistant Professor at Arizona State University, where she designed and taught STEAM curriculum. She has led initiatives across both consumer and enterprise sectors, collaborating with cross-functional teams to translate research insights into innovative solutions. Her teaching, research, and industry experience together shape how Kids Engine designs curriculum, builds partnerships, and pursues funding.
What we believe
We go where hands-on STEAM tools are limited
Schools, community centers, and international partner communities with limited access to hands-on STEAM tools.
Real hardware in every child's hands
Not screens, not simulations. The feel of a science fair, the structure of a lab.
Local people run the program
Trained teachers, community educators, university students, and local professionals. We invest in the community, not just the children in it.
Joy is the engine
If it isn't fun, it isn't Kids Engine.
How we scale, in three phases
Founder-led launch
1–3 US locations, founder-run programs, building the evidence base and first corporate equipment partnerships.
Facilitator network
Pilot expansion across selected U.S. and international partner sites, with trained local facilitators running programs with Kids Engine support.
Licensed curriculum
A global partner network. Kids Engine curriculum, toolkits, facilitator training, and evaluation tools adapted with approved partner organizations worldwide.