It’s become quite obvious over the past decades that one of the jobs that are here to stay and will never go away is in some way tied to programming, so we wanted to take a look at some kids coding classes in NYC.
Why would you take your kids to such classes so early on? Because it’s never too early for them to find a passion, one that they might even end up following for the rest of their lives, turning it into a life-long job.
Since we’re on the topic, you may even be interested in reading up about 10 science and STEM camps for kids in NYC, since these are also completely interesting topics for curious kids.
Overall, programmers make the world go round nowadays. Anything you do online is thanks to them, anything you do on your phone or tablet or computer, too. We have easy access to all kinds of different information with just a few clicks thanks to them. Entire work fields can only move forward thanks to this particular job. What would robots be without the software powering them? Or even our cars.
For our list of kids coding classes in NYC today we used the Class Curious database and a basic Google search to find a range of cool classes dedicated to kids that were being offered from somewhere in New York City. There are all sorts of programs offered, like a coding summer camp in NYC, coding classes in Brooklyn, and coding classes for kids in Queens.
Once we put our list together, we handed out points based on how they ranked in regards to the price of the class. We also took into consideration how wide the accepted age groups were. In the end, we added up the points and came up with the list of the kids coding classes in New York City.
10. Upper School of Code
Score: 8
Over at the Upper School of Code, classes are pretty intensive and last for two weeks, Monday through Friday, from 9 AM to 3 PM. The cost, of course, is quite steep, the steepest on the list, in fact – $2,100, but the cost does include your daily lunch.
The school offers multiple types of classes. For instance, in the Intro to web development, students will learn HTML5, CSS, Ruby, and Bootstrap. Those attending the iOS development course will learn XCode and Swift, while the Front-End Development courses teach HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and JQuery.
While the $2,100 is quite a high tuition cost, kids coming from families that earn less than $55,000 per year are offered full scholarships to cover the costs. Similarly, kids coming from families earning less than $85,000 per year, are offered scholarships covering half the cost.
The courses are dedicated to high schoolers. There are four locations where classes are being taught – the upper east side, the upper west side, downtown NY and Greenwich.
9. CodeAdvantage
Score: 11
Up next we have CodeAdvantage, which caters to elementary and middle school kids. First and second graders can learn to use Kodu to build their own 3D video games, third graders can start learning to use Scratch, while fourth graders can advance to Minecraft Modding or 3D animations with Maya. From the sixth grade forward, kids can learn to use Python.
Each class teaches cool things and tries to make kids understand how important programming can be and how much they can do with the skills they’re picking up.
8. i2camp
Score: 11
Over at i2, there are numerous courses in programming, life sciences, engineering and more, as well as STEM camps. They’re all targeted at kids aged 9 to 13.
The courses offered by i2 focus on 3D printing, app creation, cyber security, digital game design in Scratch, and more. Kids will use a wide range of tools during classes, including the MIT App Inventor, Arduino, Scratch, MATLAB or BoseBuild.
The courses were developed by world-leading STEM organizations, such as the famous MIT, or Raspberry Pi, Bose, or MathWorks.
For a one week course, students have to pay $950, although the price drops by $100 if the student enrolls for more classes.
Students can attend classes in several locations across New York City, such as the Marymount School, the United Nations International School, Hackley School, as well as in other states.
7. The Pixel Academy
Score: 13
Dedicated to elementary and middle school-aged kids, The Pixel Academy will teach students about a wide-range of topics.
The location offers a wide range of classes, including some that will teach your kids to design their own mobile apps, another that teaches them how to code by using their love for Minecraft to their advantage, or how to do models in 3D. Basically, they’ll be studying CAD, Unity, C+, Java, HTML, CSS, Lua and more.
There are several locations available across New York City, including Brooklyn, TriBeCa, and Trevor Day School on the Upper East side. Camp prices start at $855 and go up to $935.
6. Digital Media Academy
Score: 13
Next up is the Digital Media Academy, a place that offers summer camps across the United States, including New York City, namely the Concordia College, Marymount Manhattan College and the New York University.
So, what camps are there available? Well, kids can pick between 3D modeling and design, programming, game design, robotics and engineering, and more.
The programming camp, for instance, will teach kids as young as six years old and as old as 17, use the latest software to create code for computers, iPhones, Android devices, robots and more, learning programming languages such as C#, Java, and JavaScript.
For the app development camp, for instance, kids ages 6 to 8 will create video games and character animations in Scratch Jr., while older students can learn how to use Java to program with Minecraft, use Scratch to create games, or learn Swift for iOS apps.
Since most camps have their own price, we’re just going to mention the tuition costs about $1,000.
5. Generation Code
Score: 14
Up next on our list of kids coding classes in NYC is Generation Code. Through their own words, they promise summer camps that are immersive boot-camps offering innovative and age-appropriate instructions.
Designed for kids as young as 7, the Generation Code camps will teach kids about Scratch game design, or how to use Arduino and RoboLink to control robots. Additionally, there are also camps teaching kids about web development, encompassing HTML, CSS, and JavaScript notions.
There are multiple types of camps available. For instance, for the one-week camps, you’ll only have to pay $799, but you need to pay $1,599 for the two-week camp for Web Development 2, or $2,299 for the Web Development Immersive camp that lasts three weeks. If you’re lucky, you can get your hands on a code for 40% off, like the one that’s currently available on the site.
4. ID Tech
Score: 14
On the fourth place, we have ID Tech, which offers a wide range of courses for kids of all ages.
The ID TEch Mini, in particular, serves younger kids, ages 6 to 9. What can they learn here? Well, the answer is “a lot.” For instance, kids can learn how to design games by using Tynker, or program robots.
The camps last for a week, although younger students will only spend half a day in class, whether in the morning or the afternoon.
The ID Tech Camps are designed for kids 7 to 17 and cover a lot more topics, whether we’re talking about Scratch, Java, or how to create iOS and Android apps. For the older kids camps cost around $1,100, although the price varies depending on the camp.
3. Dazzling Discoveries
Score: 17
Next up on our list is Dazzling Discoveries. Here, kids as young as five can start learning how to code, even if it’s through play. At summer camp, kids can learn to use 3D printers and design software for it, experiment with 3D printing, design and build computer games, program devices, and robots, learn Scratch and Python through game design, video animation, and app design.
The camp costs $600 per week or $140 per day, although coding classes add $10 per day for those interested.
Additional classes are offered here for kids of varied ages. For instance, kids in the 6 to 9 age-group can learn about engineering and coding for $40, while kids over seven years old can learn about coding and game design for $60.
2. RoboFun
Score: 18
Approaching the top spot, we find RoboFun, a location where kids can start learning how to code even if they’re still in kindergarten. For instance, the youngest attendees can play around with LEGO while slowly acquiring STEM skills. Kids as young as five can start learning how to code their own games in Scratch Jr., while kids that are a bit older can use the MIT Media Lab-designed software to build games.
The price for one of these camps revolves around the $400 mark, but it can vary depending on the age of the kids and the type of class they’re attending.
1. Coderdojo
Score: 18
Finally, at the top of our list, we have CoderDojo. Sure, this isn’t your typical coding school like we’ve seen up until now. For one thing, CoderDojo is not a school, but rather a movement. The classes are free of charge and are led by volunteers. The only problem with CoderDojo is that you have to “hunt” for those kid-appropriate classes. According to the official site, there are 11 dojos in New York, with a couple of them being a few blocks away from Central Park. From time to time, dojos for kids will pop up, and you can sign up your offspring. That being said, these have been the 10 kids coding classes in NYC.