Queens kids interested in coding will be able to learn from the best when Google begins teaching free coding classes at Queens Library locations on Tuesday.
This is the first time Google will partner with a library to offer these classes, according to the Daily News, which first reported the story.
Queens Library hopes to sign up more than 300 kids at 26 locations across Queens, according to spokesperson Joanne King. Children must pre-register and will be chosen randomly. The program will be extended throughout the year with Google Computer Science (CS) First clubs being offered at several locations.
Additional library sites will be released in the fall.
“Computer science skills are critical to for the success of our youth and our country,” said William Floyd, Google’s head of public affairs for New York. “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. Google is proud to work with the Queens Library to educate and empower this next generation through CS education.”
The CS First clubs were created for students ages 9 to 14 and offer about 10 hours’ worth of coding lessons and activities. Students will be exposed to a curriculum following seven different themes including art, music and sound and game design to apply coding in a real-world context, according to a press release.
Twenty high school students will be recruited to become apprentices and will receive high school credit through an ExpandEd program. They will assist in the Google CS First program in the summer and fall after receiving training.
“Offering children computer science activities in a relaxed, informal setting will stimulate their natural curiosity and help develop skills that will be useful to them throughout their academic and professional lives,” said Dennis M. Walcott, president and CEO of Queens Library. “The public library is the perfect place for exploring. Queens Library appreciates Google’s continued partnership in bringing digital literacy to library users, young and old.”
