You’ve probably already considered lots of different after school programs for your kids. Sports, chess, languages, robotics…there isn’t a shortage of fun and interesting after school programs these days.

There are so many different reasons we enroll our kids in after school programs. They can help boost academic and athletic performance while expanding a child’s social circle. After school programs help kids make new friends with similar interests, and even help boost self-confidence. They’re also a driver in promoting healthier behaviours in kids. A kid who comes home to an empty house may be tempted to sit in front of the TV with an unhealthy snack but - depending on the type of activity you choose -  a child’s physical health can be maintained through after school program exercise. Even if exercise isn’t the main component, after school programs keep teens and middle schoolers busy and away from participating in risky behaviours when they are most likely to occur. Instead, kids and teens are in a safe and structured space where working parents don’t have to worry about them.

Now imagine there was a fun after school program that helped your kids perform well academically and provided valuable skills that could help shape their future. The good news? There is a program that combines all of this and you’ve likely never considered it before: after school coding programs!  

What Can Make School Programs Even Better

As beneficial as after school programs can be, there are a few things we believe can be improved:

• The skills kids learn do not translate into actual career skills. For example, only a handful of kids enrolled in sports go on to play seriously later on in life.
• Many schools now offer a lot of the programs offered after school, so it’s more difficult to find something new and exciting to teach your kids.
• Many of these programs are too structured. While on the surface this may seem like a benefit, this level of structure doesn’t teach kids independent problem-solving.
• And, as is the case with anything, some kids just aren’t interested in what they’re currently enrolled in.

3 Big Benefits of Taking a Coding After School Program

1. Coding jobs are reportedly growing 12% faster than the rest of the job market. And all future jobs are said to involve either computer programming or working with a programmer.
   
2. Learning to read and write code teaches not just hard skills, but soft skills also, like communication, problem-solving, and working with others, just to name a few.
   
3. Coding is fun! Hatch student Sean says he wishes he knew how fun coding was before he started and what a thrill it is once you “get the hang of it”.

Hatch: After School Coding for Kids

There are many coding companies out there, but what makes Hatch the best?

• Hatch is preparing kids to excel in the future. Hatch’s best in class teaching methodology will give kids real coding skills that they can use for real work on real projects.
• Hatch gives kids the confidence to solve problems independently. Students are able to work at their own pace doing real programming, which teaches them to solve problems in a creative way.
• Hatch is a program that kids love. The projects are fun and inspiring and allow kids to experience what coding is actually like.

If you want to try out a new program your kids will love, try Hatch@Home. Our coding software allows you to learn at home and access our coaches for actionable feedback on projects. Kids are encouraged to apply self-learning while learning to read and write code in real-life coding languages.