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Google Teams Up With Queens Library to Offer Free Coding Classes for Kids

 Google will provide free coding classes to children from fourth through eighth grade at 26 Queens Library locations this summer.
Google will provide free coding classes to children from fourth through eighth grade at 26 Queens Library locations this summer.
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QUEENS — The next coding genius may come from Queens.

About 300 kids will get a chance to study computer programming with Google, which has teamed up with the Queens Library to offer free programs for them this summer.

The classes, created for children from fourth through eighth grade, will initially be available at 26 branches, the library said, but more locations will be added in the fall.

The Queens institution is the first library partnering with Google to offer its CS First Program, according to Joanne King, a spokeswoman for the library.

“Google approached us […] and we jumped on it because we are always looking for partnerships which will enhance the library’s STEM programs and bring more computer literacy to people in Queens,” King said.

As part of the program, kids around the borough will be learning a programming language called Scratch for two weeks (for about an hour a day, four days a week).

Children will follow different curriculums at various branches, using coding for several activities, including designing computer games, learning animation as well as exploring fashion and art. 

The overall goal, the library said, is to increase kids' confidence in using computers and to encourage them to try new things. The program also seeks to show them how computer science can impact their future careers.

"Computer Science skills are critical to for the success of our youth and our country,” William Floyd, Google's head of public affairs for New York, said in a statement. “By 2020, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts there will be 1 million more computer science jobs than graduating students who qualify to fill them."

In addition, a group of 20 high school students will be trained as apprentices to help kids in the program over the summer and later in the fall, the library said.

Summer classes will take place in July and August, and pre-registration has just begun on the library's website. Kids will be chosen randomly, the library said. 

To find out more about the program and to pre-register, go here