Ahhh summer! What a great time to kick back and relax. Although, often summer is more difficult for parents. They need to figure out what their kids should do with all their free time.
Parents with younger kids are looking for activities and camps to keep their children busy and intellectually stimulated. Parents of high school students are thinking about ways to supplement their education and advance beyond their peers.
The hard part is fitting everything around the family vacations and numerous other commitments. You need something flexible and Breakout Mentors has the perfect solution.
We offer 1-on-1 personalized coding Deep Dives, all online from the comfort of your home or even on your summer trip. Plus, we offer small group classes and workshops that are more friendly on the wallet than our 1-on-1 mentoring.
Mentors, Format, and Scheduling
Breakout Mentors is one of the longest-running kids coding organizations, starting working with kids 1-on-1 all the way back in 2011.
Here’s how it works. We hire top collegiate Computer Science students for part-time roles throughout the school year, then bring on a few of the top mentors full-time for the summer. So your son or daughter will have an impressive instructor with years of expertise behind our personalized curriculum options below.
The Deep Dives are a flexible format that works for your family. The minimum is ten 90 minute sessions (at least two per week), which are all scheduled in before the start of the summer. There is a lot of flexibility to work around weeks you are unavailable, particularly if you book early.
Here are some typical schedules:
- Meet twice a week throughout the summer, skipping weeks while on vacation
- Meet three times a week over the course of 4 weeks. This could be before leaving for a trip or at the end of the summer.
- Meet Monday through Friday for back-to-back weeks, an intensive educational experience similar to a coding camp
At the end of the initial ten sessions, you will have the option to keep going with the same mentor. We can push into more advanced curriculum or work on additional projects. There is no upfront commitment for these sessions, they can be scheduled later in the summer.
The most convenient part: you get to decide your schedule and lock in the days and times. The earlier you sign up, the more options you have.
Personalized Coding Tracks For Kids
We offer several tracks for late elementary and middle school coders. Whether your son or daughter has zero exposure to coding or has years of experience, we’ll be able to challenge them at the perfect pace.
Here are our main tracks:
- Scratch Drag-and-Drop Coding — 8-11 year-olds just starting their coding journey by creating fun games
- Python Mastering the Fundamentals — Any age with the goal of learning to code effectively and independently through making games and projects
- Python Starting Computer Science — Any age with the goal of bringing more abstract and powerful concepts into the projects
You can also contact us about other languages and platforms of interest.
Challenging Computer Science for Teenagers
It is incredibly difficult to find the perfect class for teenagers learning to code, especially if they have plenty of beginner experience already. That’s why 1-on-1 and small group is an excellent choice, it truly allows us to challenge each student at the right pace for them.
Here is what we recommend for experienced high school coders:
- Java AP Computer Science A Prep — For high schoolers entering AP CS A class in the fall or self-studying for the exam
- Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence — For high schoolers to learn about data and make exciting real world projects (advanced middle schoolers may apply)
- USACO Competitive Programming — For high schoolers interested in competing in USACO at Bronze, Silver, or Gold levels (advanced middle schoolers may apply)
The teenager tracks can be done individually or in the small group format (see the pricing below).
Alternative Focus Areas
We pride ourselves in offering the most personalized kids coding anywhere. This means not forcing students into preset tracks that aren’t a match for their experience or interests.
So we are happy to create a custom alternative focus just for your son or daughter!
There are several other languages and areas of Computer Science in which we have a lot of experience mentoring students. HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Data Science. Unity 3D game development. Then there are others that we sometimes have mentors with the right expertise. Cybersecurity. iOS or Android mobile app development.
Just contact us to discuss if our mentors are the right fit for your goals or interests.
Pricing
The 1-on-1 Deep Dives consist of the 15 hour minimum commitment plus optional 90 minute additional sessions. These are:
- $2000 for the first 15 hours ($133/hr)
- $150 for each additional 90 minute session ($100/hr)
There are also several discounts available:
- $250 off the first 15 hours for year-round Breakout Mentors students, including anyone starting 1-on-1 in March ($117/hr)
- $500 off when committing to a total of 30+ hours ($100/hr)
- $100 off the first 15 hours for each sibling ($127/hr)
What about small groups, what is the pricing and scheduling?
The small group format is an option for the teenager options (AP CS A, AI/ML, USACO). The maximum number of students is four. These are also a 15 hour initial commitment. Pricing:
- $800 for the first 15 hours ($53/hr)
- Additional 90 minute 1-on-1 sessions with the same mentor for $150 each ($100/hr) pending availability
- Priority mentor pairing into our year-round coding packages at the end of the summer
There are also several discounts available:
- $50 off the first 15 hours for year-round Breakout Mentors students, including anyone starting in March ($50/hr)
- Form your own group of friends at a split $2000 fixed rate. With 3 students this is $667 each ($44/hr) and 4 students $500 each ($33/hr). Students are expected to have roughly the same experience level and no makeups will be offered if a student can’t make a session.
- $50 off the first 15 hours for each sibling ($50/hr)
The schedule for the small groups is set in May. So if you know your son or daughter is interested in a group, please let us know before May so we can make sure it works well for your schedule.
Keep Going Long-Term
The biggest problem with trying to learn coding at a summer camp? It ends and students quickly forget everything they learned. With Breakout Mentors you have the option to transition to a year-round mentor at a greatly reduced rate.
Continue to build upon the success of the summer, retain the knowledge, and keep learning!
Sign Ups Available Soon
We typically open sign ups in late February or early March. Please join our email list to be notified.
The scheduling is based on a first come first serve basis. So the earlier you sign up, the more weeks and times available. There is a $500 deposit to reserve the time, then the balance is due the week before starting.
Breakout Mentors is highly personalized, so please contact us with any questions. We like to jump on the phone with all potential students or parents to really understand your specific situation.