These Ninjas Seek to Conquer Coding in Summer Camp

Summer camp usually conjures up thoughts of swimming and other sports, air and crafts, and fun field trips with perhaps a bit of science and nature sprinkled in. But Code Ninjas, a growing network of franchises that began seven years ago, offers summer camps with a much more focused mission─providing fun but intensive instruction in computing languages and other STEM skills to give school-age children a head start on the rapid-changing tech world.

Code Ninjas was founded in 2016 by David Graham, who was inspired by his son learning Tae Kwon Do. The company has over 400 locations operating in the U.S., Canada, and the United Kingdom.

Code Ninjas gives each enrolled kid a laptop to do programming. Each kid starts out as a “White Belt,” and gains status at other colored belts on their way to “Black Belt” as they learn and master various programming languages.

Not Just a Summer Camp

Far more than a summer camp, Code Ninja locations typically operate weekly hour sessions year-round. But during the summer, many locations offer more intensive, concentrated STEM instruction typically lasting 3 to 4 hours, about half a day.

For Felipe Yang, who recently opened a franchise in La Cañada Flintridge, CA, Code Ninjas provides both a unique business opportunity and additional education for his son, who had attended another Code Ninja location. Yang, whose background includes technology and running small businesses, was impressed enough to the plunge on investing in a new franchise location, which he related in a recent interview with Design News.

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According to Yang, Code Ninja’s emphasis involves teaching kids the fundamentals of programming tools such as Javascript and C Sharp, which is also known a C++. “We give the kids a good fundamental understanding of programing concepts,” he added.

Yang noted that as a franchisee, each center is given a blueprint for the Code Ninja curriculum, with owners responsible for hiring instructors and getting materials and funding in opening a new location. He added that individual centers also have the flexibility to customize their STEM curriculums. Besides programming languages, Yang’s location La Cañada Flintridge is also offering courses in robotics and 3D printing. Other Code Ninja locations have offered courses in skills such as Python and You Tubing.

The target age for Code Ninja programs is typically 7 through 14. While Yang’s franchise location only recently opened, it has already drawn interest as the summer STEM session has a large number of kids enrolled.

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According to Yang, his franchise is located in what is considered an upscale Los Angeles area suburb. But in the future, Yang said he would potentially consider partnering with charter schools in areas where kids are less privileged to offer pro-bono instruction in programming.

Spencer Chin is a Senior Editor for Design News covering the electronics beat. He has many years of experience covering developments in components, semiconductors, subsystems, power, and other facets of electronics from both a business/supply-chain and technology perspective. He can be reached at [email protected].