H2Go Kids is a free virtual educational program the Service Authority offers to public, private, and homeschooled students in Prince William County. Classroom presentations are delivered via Zoom by the Community Outreach staff or pre-recorded videos that teachers can share with students.
Educational content and activities are also provided at one or two STEAM events each month during the school year. The program is specially designed to connect with the Virginia Science Standards of Learning (SOL) and the local Prince William County water systems.
Lessons are centered around SOL topics for Kindergarten through Grade 6; the program is willing to adapt to work with middle and high school students. The Service Authority hosts the annual Water Art Invitational, where any county high school student can submit artwork depicting the year’s theme.
Winning students and teachers earn cash prizes, and their artwork is displayed in Service Authority facilities. They also participate in the Prince William-Manassas Regional Science and Engineering Fair to evaluate and reward exemplary water and wastewater-related projects through their Service Authority Organizational Awards.
The program includes several educational models and visual stories that simulate water-related topics, including the drinking and wastewater treatment systems, how pollution can enter and affect a waterway, and how our personal actions and water use can impact the environment. Lessons are visually interesting and interactive, and questions are asked throughout presentations to make sure the kids feel involved.
The H2Go Kids program has been providing community and educational outreach for over ten years. The virtual education program was launched three years ago in response to social distancing restrictions during COVID and has expanded to include children’s activity booklets, video experiments, and more.
The Service Authority’s Communications & Community Engagement Division presents and shares virtual lessons with 10,000 students annually and coordinates community outreach events. Staff members are trained and qualified to deliver the H2Go Kids lesson plans, and other Service Authority employees volunteer at community events and STEAM nights.
Staff members at the H.L. Mooney Advanced Reclamation Facility also provide student tours at the wastewater treatment plant in Woodbridge upon request. Overall, H2Go Kids provides students, teachers, and parents with a better understanding of the water world around them.
The program sheds light on ways everyone can be a good steward of the environment and highlights how connected we are to the water system. The full list of available lessons can be found on the Service Authority’s Classroom Outreach webpage.
Visit pwcsa.org and H2GoKids.org for more information.
