It’s nothing new for a presidential candidate to get creative when going after the youth vote. Republican candidate Rand Paul is looking specifically at the young tech community, as evidenced by a recent coding event he sponsored. Re/code covered the event in a recent article titled “Coding for Liberty: On the Ground at Rand Paul’s Presidential Hackathon.”

Re/code’s Noah Kulwin writes, “It should be said up front that Rand Paul hates net neutrality. He has taken a position of deafening silence on same-sex marriage and so-called ‘religious freedom’ laws, and he believes that the Uber-endorsed Affordable Care Act will send America into economic ruin. These are not views shared by most of Silicon Valley, whose most prominent figures gravitate toward elite Democratic circles. Paul, the junior Republican senator from Kentucky, is also perhaps Congress’s best-known advocate against bulk NSA surveillance. You might remember his 11-hour filibuster last month in protest of the Patriot Act, or his condemnation of the prison system as ‘the new Jim Crow.’ He has also introduced criminal justice reform legislation with New Jersey Democrat Cory Booker, and he is attached to a pro-medical marijuana bill. He likes to talk up his libertarian-leaning brand of conservatism, an earthier version of the traditional ‘less government is better government’ Republican line. These innovation-friendly, anti-establishment politics, so the thinking goes, play well in Silicon Valley. Virtually everyone at #HackForRand brings up privacy rights and the NSA within ten seconds of explaining why they’re here, and the goal of the hackathon — a 24-hour marathon competition of programming judged by a three-person panel — is to work on building an app that advances ‘liberty and privacy.’ The ‘liberty and privacy’ directive comes from Ron Schnell, the CTO of Rand Paul’s campaign, whose job it is to build a tech-soaked Republican political machine that even Silicon Valley can get behind.”

Politics aside, it is always encouraging to see people using their influence to not just promote coding, but to get youth involved through innovative means.

At CodeRev Kids, we also believe in using an innovative approach to engage youth with coding. Our after school programs are customized to fit the specific needs of your child. Our personalized programs emphasize computational thinking, which encompasses a wide range of programming concepts and languages. Our lessons build upon one another, and we adjust starting points to each student’s level of expertise.

We are known for saying we are the most educational tech camp out there, but we also keep the focus on having fun. By doing this, students stay engaged while learning to blend creativity with technology.

Check out our after school programs and coding camps today!

There’s no question that coding is here to stay. Careers in this interesting field are growing at an impressive pace, and there’s no sign they’re slowing down. Getting kids involved early is a great way to prepare them for a lucrative and satisfying future. Are you wondering if it’s a good fit for your kid? Check out these 5 signs that your kid may be perfect for this field.

1. They’re natural problem solvers

Not every kid proactively looks for ways to solve problems. If your kid actually enjoys the challenge of finding solutions, then that’s an excellent sign they may be a great candidate for software development. Bonus points if they take realistic constraints into consideration, like budgets and timeframes.

2. They love strategy games

Gaming really can be good for your kids – especially if it’s strategy games they love. These games help them increase their decision-making abilities, and force them to consider both short-term and long-term consequences. Whether computer games or board games like chess or Risk, if they like strategy, they might like coding.

3. They’re musically inclined

Music and coding? You may think it doesn’t seem like a good mix, but evidence shows that there is a correlation between music and math. Just ask a group of coders! You’ll find many of them sing, compose music, or play an instrument.

4. They like being around people

Of course there’s a stereotype that IT people are hidden away, working alone. The reality is that developers work with many others in business. They should have a hankering for communicating and the ability to explain difficult things in simple ways.

5. They love the latest technology

What kid doesn’t these days, you may ask. But the truth is that some kids are happy with whatever technology you put in front of them, while others are always seeking out the newest technologies. If your kid is always curious about what’s coming next in the technological world, then they may be a great candidate for a CodREV summer camp.

We all know that there’s an incredibly rich future in coding, but one thing that’s interesting about this trend is the gender difference. While historically there have been more men than women in tech roles, we’re seeing more and more women get the opportunities they need to get started in these lucrative fields. In Seattle, something really interesting is going on.

In the article This Seattle School Teaches Women to Code for Free you can learn about one city’s efforts to make a real difference. Not only do these women, most of whom are in their 20s or 30s, get free tuition for a coding program – they also get a stipend! This enables more women to truly put their focus on the future.

The program is a full year long, with the first seven months focusing on coding classes and workshops where they learn the ins and outs from tech pros, followed by five months of internship. This combination gives them the chance to not just learn the information they need, but to gain hands-on experience – which looks great on a resume!

As one of the students says, “The speed that we cover the material is really intense, and just being able to wrap your mind around it in the first place, as well as being able to then take that into the workplace is just intense.”

The program takes women from a wide range of backgrounds. The program director, Cynthia Tee, understands that many students didn’t go the technical path in college. She says they have women from retail positions, women who’ve worked in coffee shops, flight attendants, biologists, bakers – you name it!

According to computer science professor Ed Lazowska, who works at the University of Washington, almost 85% of programming jobs are currently held by men. He states that this is a problem for many reasons, including the fact that computer programming is a creative field. Any time you have creative people in a situation where one large group of people aren’t represented, you’re not getting the best results you can.

Of course you don’t have to wait until your kid has graduated from college to get them involved! CodREV offers incredible after-school coding programs that teach the basics to curious, interested, motivated kids. Get your daughter off to the right start and encourage her technological curiosity.

Coding, the success of STEM programs, and college success all go together, maybe not like white and rice, but pretty close, that is, according to Tech Crunch. Mark Elgart of Tech Crunch makes the case in a recent article titled “Coding Breeds Collegiality And Boosts STEM Program Success.”

Elgart writes, “As part of our ongoing Generation Beta video series focusing on critical issues in public education, we’ve focused on what exemplary STEM programs look like, whether in work or school settings. We’ve highlighted programs like CodeNow that are ensuring that less advantaged students have exposure to technology and the companies seeking skilled workers. Where these programs succeed in giving students lifetime career skills, though, has less to do with the nuances of coding and more to do with the skills students develop while working with their colleagues. When you look at how people in technology companies work, it’s rarely in isolation. In fact, employers are looking for college graduates who are leaders capable of working as part of a team and communicating effectively, according to respondents to the National Association of Colleges and Employers’ Job Outlook 2015 survey. When employers were asked which attributes they look for on a candidate’s resume, the biggest group of respondents (78 percent) chose both ‘leadership’ and ‘the ability to work in a team structure.’ These are followed by ‘written communication skills’ (73 percent), ‘problem-solving skills’ (71 percent), ‘strong work ethic’ (70 percent) and “analytical/ quantitative skills” (68 percent). Educators recognize the importance of developing a broad base of skills focused on communication, problem solving and teamwork. NewSchools Venture Fund Principal Shauntel Poulson points out in the video that schools have begun emphasizing project-based learning across a wide range of subjects that helps develop these skills.”

At CodeREV Kids, we understand the importance of preparing youth for the workforce that relies more on coding every day. With our programs, students learn Computational Thinking, which encompasses a wide range of programming concepts and languages. Our lessons build upon one another and we adjust starting points to each student’s level of expertise. Thus, the entire curriculum is customized.

We are known for saying we are the most educational tech camp out there but we also keep the focus on having fun. As a result, students stay engaged while learning to blend creativity with technology.

If you’re looking for a fun, customized coding experience for your child, you can’t go wrong with

When we were young children, we were all told about the buddy system. It was a great way to make sure you understood the value of support. When it comes to coding, that is no different. IT World reports on this in a recent article titled “The importance of coding buddies and other advice for programmers.”

Phil Johnson of IT World writes, “In response to one question about the value of a computer science degree, Atwood wrote that he thinks learning-by-doing in a real world situation, like through a software apprenticeship, is a better alternative. ‘As for the education, it should include practical stuff like ‘build a real project using real source control’,’ he wrote. That also applies to more seasoned programmers trying to decide what tools or technologies to learn for the future. ‘Build stuff. In the process of building something, if you need a new tool, learn it then,’ he told one participant. ‘Don’t do a lot of speculative learning because Y (probably) AGNI.’… To AMA participant who asked how he keeps his code clean, Atwood mentioned his belief in having a coding buddy. As he explains further on his blog, he doesn’t mean a formal review process or pair programming; instead, he recommends taking some time to run your code by a peer in an informal way before committing. ‘Always have at least one other pair of eyes looking at it,’ Atwood wrote on Reddit. ‘That’s the only way. The buddy system!!’ For more good programming nuggets from Atwood, I recommend reading Atwood’s whole AMA session when you have a few minutes.”

If you want your child to be in a great environment to find coding buddies, as well as get a customized coding education, there is no better option than CodeREV.

We created CodeREV Kids to fill a need in education, a need to provide a true, comprehensive technology education in a fun, stress-free environment. CodeREV Kids’ STEM focused courses and tech camps provide the basis for a much deeper education in technology than what students receive at their schools. Our instructors are all both industry tested STEM and coding professionals. They have a wealth of teaching experience to pass on to kids in STEM, Technology, and Coding in various formats.

We provide tech/coding classes and camps that are all project-based, which means students are applying computational thinking to each coding skill they learn, and are using the highest level processing skills as identified by the Common Core.

If you’re looking for the best coding camps and afterschool programs for your children, look no further than CodeREV Kids!

If you work in a conventional school, an afterschool or summer program, or some other educational institution, you have probably heard a good deal about the importance of pushing quality STEM material into the curriculum.

Mindset is everything. The more people start talking and thinking about STEM in the context of early learning, the more successful its adoption will be.

Encourage cross-discipline application of STEM skills. Teachers should talk with each other regularly about how they can create connections between their classrooms and units. This can help to create a unitary view of STEM topics and the rest of school, which fosters success and understanding.

Simply adding computers or tablets to your classrooms will not be enough to make a significant dent, teachers are needed to help instructed children in their productive use.

CodeRev Kids is a California company which specializes in teaching young people how to program and apply STEM skills through a variety of programs designed to encourage children to engage with the computer in meaningful ways. They offer afterschool, spring and summer camps at their Santa Monica location. Their afterschool programs challenge and captivate students through the application of a personal assessment which allows the CodeRev staff to develop an individualized program for each child. The professionals at CodeRev are also available to coordinate and advise educators around the country when it comes to developing fun and engaging programs to develop computer skills early in life. This can be instrumental in opening doors for students later in life.

CodeRev also offers customizable In-School and After-School programs for schools to implement in their own classrooms and computer labs. They offer curricula in both turn-key and ‘use as needed’ subscription formats for teachers at schools to use in whatever manner is required. In addition, CodeRev can send trained professionals to school throughout California to lead these programs if needed. So really, they are a great way for any school to get ahead on STEM learning and to provide students with a science, math and technology foundation that will assuredly be essential later in life.

Teachers and other educators which represented more than 200 national and regional organizations met in Chicago this month to brainstorm issues and possible solutions when it comes to STEM education in American classrooms. While the Obama administration has set a goal of 100,000 STEM teacher recruits by 2021, the meeting sought to understand how larger goals interact with issues that teachers face every day in the classroom. A wide variety of issues were discussed varying from how to get students to learns and develop STEM skills to the structure of support and restrictions which many science and math teachers run into while trying to provide engaging education. Social issues for students were also discussed as a potential aspect of their abilities to learn in this situation.

The United States government feels that STEM education is of paramount importance for the future of the country and its economy, and that we are currently lagging behind. It may take some time for the country to get back on track when it comes to furthering STEM education in our public schools. Unfortunately, this means that many parents must look outside their children’s schools for additional training and exposure to science and math. This can be very stressful, but there are more and more great programs popping up around the country which are designed to cater to these needs.

CodeRev Kids is an amazing Santa Monica, CA organization with a remarkable track record when it comes to teaching children to love science, math and computers. They offer a variety of programs in summer and spring camps as well as afterschool programs. If you don’t live in the area, it can make a great family vacation if your children are interested in computers or other STEM topics. It can really open up their world and build on what they learn in school.

Students from Eugene Middle School in Eugene, OR put their problem solving skills to the test in the first STEMposium. They competed in races to complete projects as quickly as possible. The winner is the team that finishes the project the quickest. Wonderfully, those teams that experience failure are not met with ridicule. The staff of the Arts and Technology Academy designed the STEMposium to encourage learning from mistakes, and instilling belief in continuing to try things until something works.

Many other schools are starting to host their own STEMposiums throughout the country as education in math and the sciences has become a national concern as high school graduates are increasingly underprepared for college classes and the United States has continued to decline in the international rankings. STEMposiums are seen as a simple way to give schoolchildren extra exposure to science and math concepts, especially in the area of applying these skills to solve problems. Even the military feels strongly about doing this. However, these are often annual events, which while fun, do not necessarily provide the continued practice and encouragement that some children require to enjoy STEM learning.

Therefore, as a parent we should probably do more to make sure that our kids learn the STEM skills that we all know will be instrumental for success in the near future. If you feel that your child is not attaining these skills at a sufficient level at their school, there is more that you can do. There are many programs for children which will develop their science and math skills outside of school. Sometimes these are afterschool and weekend programs but there are also great spring and summer camps that feature a focus on STEM learning and developing problem solving skills. CodeRev Kids is a great organization which teaches children how to use the computer to create through coding using robotics, websites and video game building. It is a wonderful example of a company that aims to help children take their skills and interests as far as they can, independently from school. We need more people like them.