Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jen Cefaly and Lauren Arshad. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Jen and Lauren, appreciate you joining us today. So, let’s start with a hypothetical – what would you change about the educational system?

As classroom teachers and STEM coordinators for over 17 years, we have seen a decline in the amount of hands-on play and problem solving in elementary and middle school curricula. The influx of technology in the classroom has brought new skill requirements for students and teachers, like teaching and learning about digital citizenship, basic computer skills, and keyboarding. The desire from parents and administrators to make students “code” at an early age has wiped out some developmentally appropriate milestones. Proper keyboarding posture and methods seem to have replaced pencil grips, “coding” has replaced puzzles, and sensory play in the early grades has been replaced with worksheets.

Kids don’t come pre-programmed with gross or fine motor skills. By asking them to type before they can write fluidly, we are basically asking them to crawl before they can walk. By asking very advanced skills of our little ones, we’re not setting them up for success. This includes removing recess and classroom play. Children need self-regulated free play in order to learn crucial skills about teamwork and conflict resolution, and school is not set up for today for students to build these skills. As teachers turned business owners, we now see the lack of these skills in our youngest employees. We find that our employees lack the skills to have difficult conversations, advocate for themselves, or problem solve/think on their feet.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers?

Design Hive is a creative technology workshop inviting learners of all ages to explore process art and emerging technologies in an inclusive, family-friendly environment.

Design Hive addresses a lack of creative STEAM opportunities for kids, as well as a lack of opportunity for adults to engage in enriching experiences in process art and emerging technologies. We’re confident in our knowledge and proud that we offer these opportunities and services to our community. We are proud to be women in STEM, educating the next generation in hard skills like technology, science, and engineering. More importantly, we love being representatives of female entrepreneurship and demonstrating soft skills, like collaboration, mindfulness, and problem solving to our students and families.

Families seeking enrichment for their kids will find art studios or coding labs, but there isn’t a place that offers opportunities for the whole family to explore and learn at the intersection of art and technology. Local art studios tend to focus solely on arts and craft, and either cater to children or adults, but not both. The coding studios offer coding, robotics, and gaming, but don’t highlight the integration of art and design in the process.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

Before securing their mid-city location at 5368 Pico Blvd, Design Hive was building momentum popping up all over Los Angeles, hosting birthdays, happy hours, and workshops at all kinds of spaces and locations. The official launch at the Pico studio was on March 1, 2020. Thrilled with the support and encouragement from the community, they moved forward with a packed schedule of workshops and classes, only having to press pause two weeks later from the widespread lockdowns due to Covid-19. Because the business was so new, PPP loans and grants were not available. Having “bootstrapped” the small business with only their teacher salaries and savings, and then having to refund canceled workshops, they knew they were going to have to pivot if they were going to survive. They knew that they were going to have to change the model. They took about a minute to have a little pity party and then got to work. The Pico Blvd studio went from a workshop to an assembly line. Jen and Lauren looked at their physical supplies, as well as their skills and talents and knew they could still create a unique experience for people remotely. They created an Etsy shop for their kits, selling STEAM and process art kits for kids and adults, so they could recreate the shop experience for people to have in their homes. They made instructional videos and posted little ‘how-to’ videos on Instagram. They created entire event packages for remote parties using Zoom.

Having to pivot and move programs online changed the business model and showed Jen and Lauren that they could do programming beyond Los Angeles. Currently, Design Hive develops and implements STEM and STEAM programming for five schools in and around Los Angeles, as well as a non-profit art foundation, and an international science museum. They are popping up with public programs around Southern California, as well as continuing to conduct remote events and parties for businesses and families all over the country!

We’d love to hear about how you met your business partner.

Like all good things, Design Hive started over brunch.

Our co-founders, Lauren Arshad and Jen Cefaly, are both teachers who had long-harbored the idea of creating a space for all things STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math.) Coworkers turned friends, they met over a decade ago occupying the same small corner of the elementary school where they taught; Lauren teaching Science and Jen teaching Technology. As they moved through different schools, workplaces, and even countries, they remained friends. Their commitment to hands-on learning and STEAM education had only grown stronger and is what would eventually bring them back together in Los Angeles.

Design Hive was born of a dream to be a true community resource. As teachers who have both taught in a variety of settings and environments, their biggest shared goal was to be able to serve the immediate community through school programming, adult workshops, and free/low cost community workshops. The dream for Design Hive is for it to be a community “center”, offering a space for neighbors to access a wide variety of services- a place for parents to enjoy sensory play with their children, for students to sharpen STEAM skills and explore new hands-on opportunities, for community members to meet or hold events, and a place for neighborhood friends to gather over process art or tech workshops. Ideally, you could come for morning sensory play or parent and child yoga, then come back that evening with your partner or bestie for Design Hive After Dark, a happy hour that showcases local chefs and artists, while teaching STEAM-centered arts and crafts.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.designhivela.com
• Instagram: @designhivela
• Facebook: @designhivela
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/design-hive-la
• Twitter: @designhiveSTEAM
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkPDEvQYV5DzasCoZmwO0dQ
• Yelp: @designhivela