CODE NINJAS IS LEADING THE WAY IN OFFERING FUN AND ENGAGING CODING CLASSES FOR KIDS OF ALL AGES!

After spending a morning visiting one of these classes, it’s no surprise to me that Code Ninjas is leading the way as the top franchise – globally – in offering coding programs for kids that are fun and educational. Across Metro Vancouver, there are 14 locations to choose from, and you can also book this amazing team to bring their program and super passionate and knowledgeable facilitators right into your classroom.

This interactive game-based learning curriculum includes robotics and other STEM-related activities, where kids are being taught valuable coding skills in a way that is both fun and engaging. I can say this with confidence as I witnessed it for myself recently during a classroom visit, where Shaun Tyers, co-owner of 11 Code Ninjas locations, led his class with so much energy, passion, and knowledge.

Aside from the impressiveness of this actual program and how it’s presented to the kids in a fun, game based format that was very well received, within it’s Ninja theme, another huge draw for me was the quality of the staff which seems to be very important to this franchise who understand that part of running a successful program for kids involves how the staff relate to and inspire the kids. Here to lead this team is Shaun Tyers, who is the perfect representative for Code Ninjas!

During high school, he actively contributed to his honors classrooms, led his school’s humanitarian group, and played rugby. Graduating with a dual language diploma, he was honoured the MVP of the senior rugby team, was the top senior science student, and also, the salutatorian for his graduating class.

Following high school, Shaun spent two summers working in one of the largest international education programs in the country. There, he facilitated cultural exchange experiences for students from around the world, introducing them to Canadian culture and assisting in teaching them English.

Shaun then went on to pursue a degree in electrical engineering at BCIT. By the time he graduated with honours, he had already opened and managed three different businesses. During his time at BCIT, he was introduced to Code Ninjas through an internship, which sparked his interest in opening his own Code Ninjas centres to merge his passions.

Since September 2022, Shaun’s team have successfully opened 10 Code Ninjas centres throughout the lower mainland with their newest centre, Code Ninjas Vancouver East, just recently opening on April 29th. They already are in development of their 11th location in South Burnaby, opening soon on Rumble Street and Royal Oak Avenue!

We also have plans to enter the childcare industry in the future to further support children’s upbringing.”

Shaun Tyers, Franchise Co-owner

INTERVIEW WITH SHAUN TYERS, CODE NINJAS FRANCHISE CO-OWNER

BC PARENT: As the co-owner of multiple Code Ninjas locations across Metro Vancouver, can you please tell us what your objectives are at Code Ninjas?

SHAUN: My teams at Code Ninjas are committed to helping students achieve their goals to learn to code while we ensure that they are enjoying their education.

BC PARENT: Does Code Ninjas offer the same exact curriculum at each of your locations?

SHAUN: Code Ninjas’ curriculum was designed with Microsoft and is the same at each location. Although we are a franchise with over 400 locations across the globe, each location is run according to their owner’s preference.

BC PARENT: Can you please provide an example of how this can differ?

SHAUN: Some Code Ninjas locations only run the one curriculum throughout the year. Our locations take it a step further and include digital literacy skills, STEM activities, and incentives in the center for student innovation and perseverance. 

BC PARENT: How many locations are you the co-owner of?

SHAUN: British Columbia is fortunate to have a record-breaking team which I am a part of, owning 10 locations in the province (North Vancouver, Langley, Burnaby, Abbotsford, West Coquitlam, Vancouver South, Guildford, Delta, Vancouver West, and Vancouver East.) We also are opening Burnaby South this summer.

BC PARENT: I was so impressed when I saw how young but experienced and educated you are which I feel really would appeal to the kids. What is the age range of your staff? Is your staff made up mostly of young geniuses like yourself?

SHAUN:You’re way too kind! Our staff range from 17 year old high school students passionate about coding to seasoned professionals with extensive experience in software engineering who work part-time teaching with us.

BC PARENT: What really struck me when I observed your class was how fun you three Code Ninja program leaders made this for the kids. Is this typical with every class? This was very unique and impressive. Do you feel that finding the right staff to be able to offer this type of quality in facilitation is offered as part of your business model?

SHAUN: Our main goal with hired staff is how they interact with children. We are already coding instructors and are prepared to teach new staff the concepts that they need to start with us but teaching how to bring energy and joy to children in the classroom is much more difficult.

BC PARENT: How is Code Ninjas different from any other youth coding program?

SHAUN: Code Ninjas truly prepares students for the future while also allowing them to pursue their passions and interests. That’s a difficult combination to achieve.

BC PARENT: I love the Code Ninjas theme. Can you tell me a little more about this? Is this because your philosophy focuses on challenging the students to reach their full potential or tell me a little more about the name Code Ninas and what this stands for.  In your physical locations, do you set these up to be designed like actual dojos? Do you use the ninja jargon in your curriculum?

SHAUN: Code Ninjas was named to bring a fun and motivational idea to our curriculum and students’ progress. Our teachers are Senseis. Our levels are Belts. Our classroom is the Dojo. Our students rank up by adding their names to a Belt Totem that has all our belt colours on it. There are quite a few other examples of how we integrate the brand into how the students learn and the children quite enjoy it. 

BC PARENT: Is the main objective of Code Ninas to empower children with the skills and mindset they need to thrive in a technology-driven world, particularly in the realm of coding and STEM?

SHAUN: Yes that is correct. I would say we have 2 main goals:

1. To give children an introduction to coding at a young age to enable those who are passionate to thrive with their skills in the future.

2. To provide a space to help all children, despite their obstacles, to learn in an inclusive and positive environment.

BC PARENT: Can you give me examples of how your kids also learn to develop their problem solving skills and critical thinking and the role you play as their leaders to help make this a safe place for them to be inspired while developing these very important life skills.

SHAUN: We focus on project-based learning, collaboration, mentorship, and providing a safe environment. We guide students through coding challenges, encouraging creativity and celebrating mistakes as part of the learning process. Our curriculum is self-paced but not self-taught. This encourages students to overcome their challenges on their own before expecting to receive the answers.

BC PARENT: How important are these skills for kids today?

SHAUN: According to https://gitmax.com/it-olympics, Canada is ranked only 21^st in the world for programming and yet we are also, according to https://winatalent.com/blog/best-countries-for-programmers-migration/, the best country for migrant programmers to move to. This means that jobs in our country that drive our technology and data are currently being taken by talent outside of our country. We want to empower our students to overcome this challenge and compete on the same level for in-demand jobs.

BC PARENT: Is Code Ninjas the world’s largest and fastest growing kids coding franchise? If so, tell me why you think you’ve had this level of success.

SHAUN: It is. I believe that Code Ninjas quickly created an effective curriculum with a fun theme and they were the first to do it.

BC PARENT: How many locations are in BC?

SHAUN: There are 14 locations in BC at this time.

BC PARENT: Do you own a location, Shaun? If so, this is very impressive at such a young age.

SHAUN: I personally own a portion of 9 centres currently with one more on the way this summer.

BC PARENT: That is amazing! What are your long-term goals as you are obviously a very successful young entrepreneur?

SHAUN: Thank you! I am currently 24 years old. My passions as a child were all technology oriented. As I got older I started to find a love for teaching. Once I graduated high school, I found another love for being an entrepreneur.

My long-term goals are to continue growing Code Ninjas. I don’t plan to open anymore at this time but am planning to start and expand a daycare business that encourages creative and critical thinking for young growing children.

To become a part of Code Ninjas’ success and start your child(ren)’s coding journey, please head to https://codeninjasbc.com/#inquiry to reach out to the closest location to you!

You can also check out their summer camps in our recent Summer Camps story!