Say the words “video game” and your kids are bound to stop and listen. The local owners of a new Code Ninjas, a learning center that officially opened on July 11 at 65 E. Germantown Pike, know that video games aren’t only fun, but educational. Code Ninjas will serve the local area by teaching children computer coding and problem-solving skills while having fun building video games.  

The East Norriton location is owned and operated by local couple Prakash Babu and Lavanya Ranganathan, who will also be the site director. Both serving 15+ years in the tech industry, Lavanya as a consultant and Prakash as an architect, the two have always been advocates of STEM-based education, as they firmly believe in its application for their children in the future. However, instead of sending their children to a coding academy with tests and homework, they wanted a center that made learning code fun. After researching a variety of options, they found Code Ninjas, where coding, computer science, and STEM were synonymous with fun, educational, and interactive. Seeing the many benefits of Code Ninjas, the two decided to jump into business ownership, and open East Norriton’s first location.                           

“No matter where you look, Code Ninjas mixes coding and computing with fun and interactivity, from our Scratch coding programs to our STEM-based activities” said Lavanya. “We take the company’s slogan very seriously, that your children will have fun, but they will also learn valuable technological skills they’ll utilize in the future.”

Montgomery County children ages 7-14 can look forward to visiting the new Code Ninjas center to learn how to code in a fun, safe, and social learning environment where gaming is celebrated, and STEM is cool. Everything about Code Ninjas is built around fun, which keeps kids coming back. But the center also provides the results that parents are looking for, as their children gain coding and problem-solving skills they’ll need for the jobs of the future.     

“What’s great about Code Ninjas is that we teach all levels the essential languages of coding and computer science,” said Lavanya. “Languages like Java Script, LUA, and C# are all taught at our East Norriton location.”  

Code Ninjas accomplishes this with a robust, game-based curriculum made up of nine belts, just like martial arts. The curriculum is self-paced, but not self-taught; kids get immediate help and encouragement from Code Senseis and fellow students as they advance from white to black belt. The program keeps kids motivated with little wins along the way, and “Belt-Up” celebrations where they receive color-coded wristbands to mark their graduation to the next level. By the time a child finishes the program, they will publish an app in an app store.

Now open, Code Ninjas East Norriton has implemented numerous safety precautions to keep ninjas and senseis safe at all times. These safety measures include: wiping down all surfaces after use, reducing the capacity of 15 kids, while also practicing social distancing, all ninjas and senseis will be wearing either or both face masks or face shields.

Code Ninjas East Norriton will be implementing a new program this coming fall. Titled “Power Up,” the location will host kids who are doing virtual schools in the dojo, while also assisting with their school work and providing additional STEM education to the students.

Code Ninjas offers a variety of opportunities for children to get involved, including a flexible weeknight drop-in program, birthday parties and Parents Night Out events on weekends. Their summer camps are themed around the following topics: JavaScript, Python, Minecraft, Roblox, Robotics, Drones, Stop Motion Animation, and AI. They also plan to conduct E-Game leagues, robotic challenges, codeathons and hackathons.

For more information about the East Norriton Code Ninjas location, please visit codeninjas.com or call 405-ENC-ODER (405-362-6337).