BlackRep4Kids Impact Report: Exploring Black representation in children’s climate science media

Knologyʼs Black Representation: Authoring STEM Stories for Climate Risk Preparedness (BlackRep4Kids) is a project focused on understanding our collective capacity to increase representations of Black children and families in childrenʼs climate literature. This project is supported by the National Science Foundationʼs Advancing STEM Informal Learning (AISL) program (award number 2314101). The project brings together researchers, educators, creatives, publishers, etc., across fields such as climate science, developmental psychology, and childrenʼs media. Participants explored strategies for creating climate media that help Black families and their children discuss, prepare for, and respond to many environmental threats.

This study investigates the quality and reach of the BlackRep4Kids project resource library, podcasts, and unconference. It also explores the degree to which the resources and the gathering met the project goals of fostering belonging to a community of practice, a shared understanding of climate science and Black child development, and surfaced strategies for developing climate-relevant STEM content in childrenʼs literature that addresses the needs of Black audiences.