As artificial intelligence becomes a bigger part of everyday life, an after-school program in Bakersfield is teaching children as young as 5 how to code and build digital projects while also learning how to think critically about technology.

Code Ninjas, located near Calloway Drive and Brimhall Road, teaches children ages 5 to 14 how to code by creating interactive digital experiences, including video games. Owner Mina Rama said early exposure to technology skills is increasingly important.

“I think it’s incredibly important for kids nowadays, especially, to become more literate when it comes to technology, just the way reading and math is one of our foundational subjects for life,” Rama said.

Rama said the program focuses heavily on logic, reasoning and breaking down complex problems into small steps. For younger children, the approach starts with fundamentals.

“For kiddos that are much younger, five to seven, we actually start them off with block based coding, where they get to do some stuff on the iPad and learn about block based while they also do unplugged activities, because they’re much younger,” Rama said. “A lot of times at that age range, it’s much more beneficial for them to learn from 2d 3d visuals.”

For kids eight and older, students are taught the actual create curriculum, they start with block based coding, an then move towards text based JavaScript. The program uses a belt-based system, and students who reach that level are placed as a “blackbelt.”

One of the teachers, also known as a “Sensei,” is Alana Jackson, a current student at Ridgeview High School. Jackson said she has been learning how to code since she was 10 years old and enjoys watching students work through challenges.

“I like when they like achieve something, and seeing them they get to achieve something, and when they like, struggle and they finally, like, get, get it,” Jackson said.

Rama said the rise of AI tools has also changed the kinds of questions students bring into the classroom, including relying on chatbots for schoolwork.

“And especially tools like AI, we get a lot of kids that will say, well, chat, GPT will do my homework,” Rama said. “The most important thing they can learn is criticizing those prompts that they receive. And this is what we want to teach them. Is, how do you use it safely? How do you really differentiate what’s true and untrue, and how do you understand when you need to go deeper into something.”

Rama said the goal is not simply teaching coding syntax, but building broader problem-solving skills.

“With AI, it’s really important to know it’s a tool, and if anything, it’s made us become much more essential,” Rama said. “It helps you. You know, we’re not here developing the next, you know, pipeline of coders. We’re here to develop a skill set. So it’s not just a syntax, it’s critical thinking.”

Parents are welcome to stop by after 8 a.m. Monday-Friday to enroll their children in the program.