‘Summer Coding Day’ Kicks Off Registration for New NYPL Program: Kids Coding Courses

AUGUST 15, 2016: Starting this fall, kids ages 7 and up can learn to code for free at The New York Public Library.

“Code a Story” is a brand new program launching in October that will bring coding clubs for kids to approximately 15 branches in the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island.  

The coding classes will use the Google CS First curriculum and have limited seating: up to 15 slots per class for students aged 7 to 14. Participants will receive “passports” that will be stamped as they accomplish certain goals.  

With this new coding opportunity for kids, The New York Public Library now offers free coding courses for kids, teens and adults.

On August 20, the Stephen A. Schwarzman building will host a Summer Coding Day to kick off early registration for the kids coding clubs. Held in the Celeste Bartos Forum, the event -- being held from 12 to 4 p.m. -- gives kids the opportunity to try the Google CS First curriculum and participate in fun, tech events including:

  • Hour of Code - Kids are invited to participate in 60 minute activities that are designed to get them interested in Computer Science and coding.  A majority of the activities are done online using various visual programming languages.

  • Code an Emoji - Developed by Google’s Made with Code - an initiative that aims to empower young women with computer skills - the Code an Emoji project uses coding to create unique emojis for kids to express themselves.

  • Makey Makey & littleBits - These activities are fun projects kids can take part in that promote the principles of designing, creating, building and inventing. These principles fall in line with Computer Science because Computer Science is all about the logical thinking you go through when you want to design and create something. Through the creation of their projects with Makey Makey & littleBits kids can develop coding skills such as problem solving and transfer those skills directly over to coding when they are programming.

Two other locations will have August 20 events during which kids can sample the Google CS First curriculum and pre-register for the fall coding clubs.These will be held at the St. George Library Center in Staten Island and the Bronx Library Center, also from 12 to 4 p.m.

The Library also offers coding programming for adults and teens which include

  • Coder Games: Expanding from three branches last year to approximately 25 in October, the Coder Games is a 6 week program where Teens create a video game through code using a Visual Programming Language. Teens will also compete against other branches to see who will come out at the end of the program with the most points and the winner of the Coder Games.

  • Project_:  In our adult offering for coding, students will attend (2) two-hour sessions a week for 10 weeks. Each course will culminate with a capstone project where students will collaborate to build a website.

NYPL TechConnect is made possible thanks to the generous support of Arthur W. Koenig; The Pasculano Foundation; Altman Foundation; Bank of America; and by NYC Connected Communities, a program of the New York City Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications.

Contact: Sara Beth Joren | sarabethjoren@nypl.org

About The New York Public Library

The New York Public Library is a free provider of education and information for the people of New York and beyond. With 92 locations—including research and branch libraries—throughout the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island, the Library offers free materials, computer access, classes, exhibitions, programming and more to everyone from toddlers to scholars, and has seen record numbers of attendance and circulation in recent years. The New York Public Library serves more than 18 million patrons who come through its doors annually and millions more around the globe who use its resources at www.nypl.org. To offer this wide array of free programming, The New York Public Library relies on both public and private funding. Learn more about how to support the Library at nypl.org/support.