I have heard the following question many times in the last month – will Breakout Mentors have a summer camp? Unfortunately the answer is no, we will not be offering any summer camps this year. Considering so many parents are looking for this format, why isn’t Breakout Mentors going to have one?
The focus of Breakout Mentors is to provide a depth in kids computer programming education that isn’t available anywhere else. We strive to provide curious students the opportunity to pursue the subject as far as they are interested. The ideal format for this is a year-round 1-on-1 programming mentor to personalize the material and promote each student’s creativity.
Summer camps can be a great way for kids to try out new things, but are less than ideal for making significant progress (and can even promote a shortsighted approach). Their main benefit is to generate interest in a subject. Of course Breakout Mentors would love to help hundreds of kids first become interested in programming, but with our limited resources, our first priority is to help all students already interested but unsure how to keep advancing.
Our preferred format for stimulating interest in programming is hour and a half small group classes. Camps can attract kids that aren’t necessarily curious about computers – there are working parents that need something for their kids to do all day during the summer and enroll them in many camps. Hour and a half classes ensure a better student fit and promote approaching programming as a subject that can be continued throughout the year. With three to five students we are also able to make sure everyone receives the attention they need.
We set up and run private small classes for groups of friends that are interested in learning together. We also occasionally have spots open for other kids to join (like this beginning Java class in San Mateo). If you are interested in this format, please contact us for more information and stay tuned for more class openings announced in the future.
If you are interested in the all day camp format, I’d suggest looking into BASE Camp. They have a more rigorous approach than iDTech so you would likely be surrounded by students with a greater interest in programming and learn much more.