Youth Coding League Launches Innovative Curriculum

September 3, 2024

Youth Coding League coders are diving headfirst into two new curriculum tracks this fall, both developed in southeast Missouri in partnership with educators, tech industry professionals, and startup founders.

Origins

The Youth Coding League¹ launched in Fall 2018 with a pilot program in 10 southeast Missouri schools and organizations, and got its start leveraging Google’s free CS First curriculum with a YCL-specific competitive element overlaid on top. Using a free curriculum freed up resources to go directly to wrap-around support for coaches who could empower their coders with new opportunities in computer science learning. As the YCL has evolved based on coach and coder feedback, it was obvious that a custom-built curriculum was needed to meet the needs of the communities participating in the YCL.

Industry-Informed Learning

The new YCL curriculum was designed by educators in partnership with tech industry professionals and startup founders, and goes beyond the basics of coding and computer science; the new curriculum launching this fall is informed by real-world tech workflows, with students getting insights from actual startup founders and tech professionals. In the “Food” curriculum, coders learn about commercial kitchens for cottage food makers in coworking spaces like Indy Commons² in Independence, Oregon, home of the Idea Hub Central YCL team, and how farmers like Nathan Holmes with Pumptrakr³ are using technology to solve problems using their personal experiences and expertise. In the “Greater Good” curriculum, as coders learn about how they can make their community a better place using technology, they hear from Brock Murphy, the founder of Parent ProTech,⁴ and how his team is building a solution to keep kids safe online.

Former YCL Grads Lead the Way

Former YCL coder, Ellianna Britt, who has numerous postseason wins to her name from her time as a YCL coder, provides coding instruction delivered via video (filmed by local motion designer and videographer Justin Dambach⁵) enabling YCL coders to learn from someone who successfully traversed the path they’re on now. Britt’s experience as one of the first coders to fully complete the YCL program, from fifth through eighth grade, will help make the concepts she’ll explain to coders this fall relatable—coders are learning from a peer with a love for coding and experience in the YCL.

The curriculum also incorporates feedback from beta testers, all YCL grads, who candidly shared what worked and what didn’t. We mean very candidly—and we appreciate how much they trusted us to get it right. Every piece of the feedback they shared was worked into the new curriculum.

Empowering Rural Communities

Educators want to provide computer science opportunities to their students, but it’s a tough thing to do well. YCL staff have spent years working with rural educators at under-resourced schools, and we ask them how we can do better every single season. All of the challenges and successes they’ve shared with us have helped us understand the landscape they’re facing and develop this solution that meets their needs.

The curriculum is accessible, appropriate for coders with no programming experience or computer science exposure, and includes additional challenges that provide a stretch in difficulty levels for more experienced coders.

Three Tracks at Play with More to Come:

Bring the YCL to Your Community

The Fall ’24 season is just kicking off, but there’s room on the Spring ’25 roster! [email protected] can help you bring the YCL to your community.