Code Ninjas
Code Ninjas at the new West Alex development, at King and Beauregard streets, opens Nov. 16.
Code Ninjas is "a kids coding center where kids learn programming by using games they love like Scratch, Minecraft and Roblox," according to the company.
Aimed at kids ages 7 to 14, Code Ninjas has a martial arts theme. Code Ninjas aims to turn kids into coding ninjas; the facilities are called dojos and coders start out as white belts and move up to black belts as they progress and learn.
Alexandria Code Ninjas owners David Ryan and Laura Fisher have lived in the Rosemont area of Alexandria for more than a decade. They also own the Code Ninjas in Falls Church, which opened earlier this year, and they plan to open another location in Springfield in 2020. Their Falls Church location is part of a pilot program for junior coders ages 4 - 7.)
While the children do learn to code, they also learn math, problem solving, critical thinking skills and build confidence, Ryan said.
Ryan retired from the military and worked for several years as a government contractor in the technology field. Laura Fisher works in public relations. Both have seen firsthand how difficult it is to find qualified employees who have the technical skills they need in their fields, they said.
Code Ninjas offers a variety of opportunities for children to get involved. In addition to summer camps and drop-in programs, the dojos offer birthday parties, scout events and parents' nights outs.
Code Ninjas was founded in 2016. Founder and CEO David Graham is a professional software developer who previously owned a successful chain of coding camps for adults. After numerous inquiries from parents, Graham realized there was an unmet demand to teach children coding skills. There are now 440 Code Ninja locations in 44 states.
Summer camp registration will start in December for both Falls Church and Alexandria locations. Learn more at www.codeninjas.com/locations/va-alexandria.
