The article gives the history of founder Dori Roberts and her epiphany to start an engineering program for young kids when she was unable to find one for her own children to join. Highlighting EFK's fast rise in success, the feature touches upon the emphasis to include young girls in engineering from an early age, and nurturing child's natural engineering interest. The article also discusses franchising opportunities and costs for those interested in being a part of the increasing importance of STEM education for youth.
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Ratcheting Up
With tech jobs rising, Engineering for Kids sees opportunity
By: Jeffrey McKinney
One entrepreneur is banking on the nationwide focus on science and technology education to grow her franchise system, Engineering for Kids. Will its head start last long enough to gain traction?
After witnessing a “great spark” in her young children as they watched students clash in an engineering competition a few years ago, Dori Roberts had a business epiphany. She started Engineering for Kids, and now her franchise is poised to take off along with rising interest in STEM education, otherwise known as science, technology, engineering and math.
A former high school engineering and technology teacher for 11 years, Roberts knew her then 8-year-old daughter and 6-year-old son were amazed with what the students were doing and wanted join in the competition. But she couldn’t find any programs for their age group. That void prompted Roberts to create Engineering for Kids. But she also had another inspiration to launch EFK in 2009. After she left teaching, she built an after-school engineering club that grew from eight to 180 students. Fast-forward five years: Roberts’ daughter now wants to be an architect and her son an engineer.
