GREECE, N.Y. — Coding is quickly becoming the language of the world. Kids as young as 5 are learning how to code. A second Code Ninjas learning center opened up in Monroe County, this time on the westside in Greece.
Fifth grader Owen Wetzel is learning to code through video games at Code Ninjas.
“I decided I wanted to join and in reality, it was actually very, very fun,” said Owen Wetzel. “You start with a thing called Scratch. It’s a website that uses block code at first and then once you’re done with that you move on to Javascript.”
Kids ages 5-14 learn how to create instructions for computers to follow. The Code Ninjas learning center offers afterschool, weekend and summer camp coding classes with a karate-themed game environment.
Carolyn and James Cossavella are both electrical engineers. They met at Rensselaer Polytechnic. They are parents of two and know that STEM and learning to code are good for kids. They opened Code Ninjas to teach children valuable skills in STEM.
“What you learn here is problem-solving, how to troubleshoot and how to look at something from a different angle,” said Carolyn Cossavela, owner of Code Ninjas. “We expect that you’re not going do it right the first time right and coding is a prime example of that. There’s no expectations. You’re kind of doing things on your own at your own pace and you’re developing some of those really critical thinking skills to come out a problem from many different angles. That’s going to help you with no matter what you choose to do in life.”
The Cosavella family opened Code Ninjas in Pittsford in 2019. They will celebrate the grand opening of Code Ninjas in Greece at 848 Long Pond Rd. on Saturday from 1-3 p.m.
Code Ninjas is a fast-growing kids coding franchise with hundreds of centers around the world.