49ers EDU Celebrates 10 Year Anniversary

The 49ers EDU program celebrated 10 years of serving Bay Area educators this year and plans on many more years of aiding local learning.

When the 49ers moved into Levi’s Stadium a little over ten years ago, it marked a new opportunity for the long-time Bay Area sports franchise. Not only did the team have the chance to shape a new facility in Santa Clara, but it also had the opportunity to restructure its focus on the community. The plans for Levi’s Stadium included training facilities, a cafeteria and executive offices, along with something more – learning spaces for the next generation of players and managers.

“There’s not too many people who build what is a billion-dollar stadium and say, ‘Hey, I have an idea. I’m going to put something that’s not revenue-generating in it, and then after we see initial success with that, I’m going to double down and build three more classrooms for more students,’” said Justin Prettyman, the executive director of the 49ers Foundation and vice president of philanthropic strategy.

Since 2014, the 49ers EDU program has focused on enhancing the learning experiences of Bay Area students. It started out as a simple idea, to light a “spark” in kids and give them a different way of looking at STEM.

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Prettyman, who has led the 49ers EDU program since 2017, worked with his team to spread that spark to more students and schools across the Bay Area.

“We hit the pandemic, and I’m somebody who just wants to go, go, go, and luckily, I’m surrounded by great people,” said Prettyman, who faced new challenges in 2020. “They were like, ‘Hey, let’s pause and let’s listen. And take a step back and listen to the educators.’ What the educators were saying [is], ‘We were not prepared to go virtual. We are learning as we’re doing. And what we could really use is some relief if you’re able to do some virtual, some digital content for our students.’ So, we did that, and we had great success.”

Coming out of the pandemic, 49ers EDU used what it learned to create a combined approach of virtual and in-person learning. Teachers use virtual lessons in class. Later, the foundation buses students to Levi’s Stadium, where they learn in stadium classrooms.

This year, with construction going on in preparation for the Super Bowl and FIFA World Cup, the classrooms are out of commission. But 49ers EDU didn’t stop teaching. Instead, the team brought the classrooms to the students.

One of those schools was Scott Lane Elementary in the Santa Clara Unified School District. Students received a visit from Sourdough Sam and worked out with 49ers employees. Scott Lane Principal Claudia Corpus says these events inspire students.

“Even if it’s not a player themselves, but the people that work for the organization, they had beautiful stories about how they got to the positions where they’re working for this organization, telling them, you can work for the organization too,” said Corpus. “One of the gals that came out to read to us, she was a teacher and then went into this program. So, there’s always a path … That was exciting for them to hear and also see you don’t have to be a football player.”

For Prettyman, this is just one step on a long journey for 49ers EDU.

“I think the biggest takeaway that I would like the community to have is that there’s a free resource right in their backyard. This team is committed to providing free access to STEM education, and for what it’s worth, our health and wellness through our PREP program as well,” said Prettyman.

“We’re the only team in professional sports, that I know of at least, that has full time educators on staff,” continued Prettyman. “I want the community to know that we’re committed … we’re really committed to growing those future leaders.”

Teachers can find more details about the 49ers EDU program, including how to sign their classrooms up, at 49ers.com/community/49ersEDU.