Toyota Funds STEM-Focused Curriculum in 11 Kentucky Schools

$150,000 grant supports Project Lead The Way, creates pathways to STEM careers

GEORGETOWN, Ky. (May 8, 2018) – Toyota, together with Project Lead The Way (PLTW), awarded $150,000 in grants to eleven K-12 schools in Central Kentucky to help prepare students for the next generation of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) jobs.

The grants, funded by the Toyota USA Foundation, provide a curriculum focused on computer science, engineering, and biomedical science, while helping create engaging, hands-on classrooms for students to develop the knowledge and skills needed to thrive.

“As an engineer and someone who loves science, creating opportunities for more students to explore STEM education is exciting,” said Susan Elkington, president, Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Kentucky, Inc. “But, there is also an urgent and critical need to get more young people interested in STEM. Investing in programs like Project Lead The Way and developing partnerships with local schools is an important step in preparing Kentucky’s next generation of thinkers and doers for the jobs of the future.”

Last year, PLTW received a $2 million grant from the Toyota USA Foundation to support approximately 115 K-12 schools throughout the United States. PLTW offers complete K-12 pathways in computer science, engineering, and biomedical science through its programs PLTW Launch (K-5), PLTW Gateway (6-8), and PLTW Computer Science (9-12), PLTW Engineering (9-12), and PLTW Biomedical Science (9-12).

Five Harrison County schools were among the grant recipients. “This is our 17^thyear partnering with Project Lead the Way to enhance STEM opportunities in our schools,” said Jenny Lynn Hatter, Chief Academic Officer for Harrison County Schools. “Starting as early as elementary school, PLTW creates cohesive learning pathways for students that lead to jobs. We’re excited to be able to offer the PLTW curriculum to more grade levels in our schools, after having a very successful PLTW pre-engineering program in our high school for many years.”

Grant recipients include:

Campbell Co. Middle School (Campbell Co.)
Northside Elementary School (Harrison Co.)
Southside Elementary School (Harrison Co.)
Westside Elementary School (Harrison Co.)
Eastside Elementary School (Harrison Co.)
Harrison Co. Middle School (Harrison Co.)
Robert D. Campbell Middle School (Clark Co.)
Ashland Elementary (Fayette Co.)
Oldham Co. Middle School (Oldham Co.)
Northside Elementary (Woodford Co.)
Beechwood Elementary School (Beechwood Independent)

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About Project Lead The Way (PLTW)
PLTW is a nonprofit organization that provides a transformative learning experience for K-12 students and teachers across the U.S. PLTW empowers students to develop in-demand, transportable knowledge and skills through pathways in computer science, engineering, and biomedical science. PLTW’s teacher training and resources support teachers as they engage their students in real-world learning. More than 10,500 elementary, middle, and high schools in all 50 states and the District of Columbia offer PLTW programs. For more information on Project Lead The Way, visit pltw.org.

About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in the U.S. and North America for 60 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands. During that time, Toyota has created a tremendous value chain as our teams have contributed to world-class design, engineering, and assembly of more than 36 million cars and trucks in North America, where we operate 14 manufacturing plants (10 in the U.S.) and directly employ more than 47,000 people (more than 37,000 in the U.S.). Our 1,800 North American dealerships (nearly 1,500 in the U.S.) sold more than 2.7 million cars and trucks (2.4 million in the U.S.) in 2017 – and about 87 percent of all Toyota vehicles sold over the past 15 years are still on the road today.

Toyota partners with community, civic, academic, and governmental organizations to address our society’s most pressing mobility challenges. We share company resources and extensive know-how to support non-profits to help expand their ability to assist more people move more places. For more information about Toyota, visit www.toyotanewsroom.com.

The Toyota USA Foundation is a charitable endowment created to support education programs serving kindergarten through 12^th-grade students and their teachers in the United States, with an emphasis on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). For more information about the Toyota USA Foundation, visit www.toyota.com/foundation.

Rick Hesterberg
(859) 351-4780

Ashley Chatham
(859) 473-3709