FAQs FAQs

Because we're just launching now! Great things have to start somewhere.

Hi! I'm Ahmed Haque, a proud parent of two young kids (soon to be three) on the Island. I'm an education entrepreneur and a long-time STEM educator.

I've spent the better part of the last 10 years building STEM education programs that have helped people acquire new skills and secure jobs in the tech sector. A few years back, I was the Chief Academic Officer of the largest coding bootcamp network in the country, where I oversaw hundreds of STEM instructors and created technology programs taught to over 100k learners nationwide.

I've both taught and created technology programs that have been used at universities like Columbia, UPenn, Rutgers, Georgia Tech, Rice, UCLA, and more. I'm passionate about making 'hard subjects' feel fun, interesting, and inviting for everyone.

We know there are many STEM programs available, most of which are run by sincere, idealistic, and qualified educators. But, in our humble opinion, many of these programs underestimate kids' capabilities. The typical STEM enrichment program centers on 'open play' with toys like Legos or on completing 'fast, simple projects' with pre-made kits. While there's nothing wrong with these programs, we believe kids are capable of much more. This camp is designed to be iterative in nature. Instead of jumping from one small project to another, we're dedicating multiple sessions to build out an ambitious masterpiece. If it feels great to connect some wires and see an LED light up, just imagine how great it feels to build a robot that turns its head every time you walk around the room. We think we can help kids experience the latter.

Games are a phenomenal way to teach a *lot* of technical concepts in a very compressed amount of time. Kids learn how to brainstorm a variety of ideas, filter down to the very best of them, identify the most important features, create designs, write code, troubleshoot issues, and work through challenging logical puzzles that emerge along the way.

Students who go through our Game Builders program will get exposure to how software is made from beginning to end and will see how AI can be used to translate conceptual ideas into reality. Games are also incredibly fun to work on!

There's a lot of unknowns about where AI will take us. But one thing is for certain: the future adults who understand what's possible with technologies like AI, and who have early exposure to building interesting things with it, will be the most successful.

In this coming season (and in every season), we'll heavily use AI to write code, create visuals, troubleshoot issues, and generally do a lot of the heavy lifting for us. Our job as a class will be to come up with the ideas, hash out the details, and bring the creativity. These are the skills that will always be relevant.

Absolutely. They way we're designing these programs is specifically for younger kids in mind. We won't be asking them to write code themselves or type on a screen (and frankly, as AI emerges, it's unclear if any of us will be doing any typing in the future). Instead, we'll be helping kids to think through their ideas, break them down into smaller steps, and then slowly iterate as we bring the pieces to life. We, the teachers, will take their ideas and turn them into code in real-time.

Yep. I'm a parent myself. I get it. But we've seen time and again, that when kids are engaged on a problem they're interested in -- like building a super cool game, they stay motivated and engaged. As teachers, we genuinely get a kick in seeing the raw passion and creativity that every kid has.

Honestly, we think most four year olds would have a great time. A lot of the activities in the 5-7 year old group are designed to focus less on hard technical skills and more on creativity and imagination. This group of students will be doing a lot of drawing, talking, and recording their ideas. If you feel like your child is ready for a structured program like the kind they might experience in Kindergarten -- we're more than happy to have them join us.

Right now, the answer is yes. We're trying to design this experience to show kids what and end-to-end development process feels like. We want kids to work together for 8-10 weeks from ideation to completion, and walk out with pride at what they and their classmates built. This camp is about building ambitious things. It's hard to do anything ambitious in fits and starts. That said, we definitely want to give all kids on the island a chance to get exposure to the kinds of things we're teaching. So stay tuned for updates about our pop-up STEM workshops!

We love having parents involved! In fact, we even offer discounts for parents who volunteer to drop in as teaching assistants. That said, our space is limited, so we'll need to schedule parent attendance in advance. Reach out to coordinate a drop-in!

For younger kids (5-7), the answer is definitely no. Kids will be doing a lot of drawing, talking, and recording their ideas. We as teachers will facilitate the work of translating their ideas into gameplay. For older kids (8-13), while not necessary, having a laptop or tablet can be helpful. We'll be pulling together laptops for the purpose of class, but feel free to bring your child with their own if you are comfortable doing so. We'll be exposing students to AI development and having a laptop of their own will allow them to experiment independently as we work through activities.

Great STEM programs require staff and equipment to ensure that kids get the right exposure and support as they build new skills. Typically, these lead to program costs that influence program tuition. We're trying to change the model here, by leveraging resources our community might have beyond cash alone. When parents chip in with their time or lend us equipment or supplies -- we can use these contributions to bring down the effective price of our program. Our belief is that quality STEM programming is possible even at significantly lower prices than are typica in the New York City Area.

Season 1 is all about game development, but we have plenty of ideas for the future. We'd like to cover topics like Sensors, Motors, CAD, Robotics, and more. If we can get enough sustained interest from the community, there's a TON of cool projects in store.

Sign up for our Newsletter or follow us on Facebook and Instagram! We'll post updates from current programs, share photos of our brilliant kids in action, and provide early announcements about future sessions. It's also a great way to hear about free events and promotions we'll be running in the community.