FAQ

Our classes are generally divided by age and previous experience.  Each programming language has multiple levels (e.g. Python has over 16 levels from Beginner to Advanced) and is further divided by age.  For each specific age group recommendation please see the following:

Kindergarten

Grades 1-3

Grades 4-5

Grades 6-8

Grades 9-12

We believe the best way to assess a students' readiness for a class is to take one of our many free trial classes.  

If you have very specific questions about a class, don't hesitate to contact us 

We have four semesters during the academic year, and one summer semester. 

Fall: September - November

Winter 1: November - January

Winter 2: February - April

Spring: April - June

Summer: July & August

For more specific dates, contact us at info@penguincodingschool.com.

Most in-person and online classes meet once weekly. Our semesters run for 8 weeks, so most classes have 8 sessions.

During the summer, we offer one weekday in-person day camps that meet Monday-Friday.

Summer online classes may meet bi-weekly. Bi-weekly classes run for 4 weeks instead of 8.

As a general rule, we don’t pro-rate classes because it doesn’t make sense to join a class mid-semester. The classes are designed as one continuous flow through the 8 weeks, and it cannot be taken piece-meal. The 8 week semester is designed to offer enough continuity but with the flexibility of dropping it at any point it no longer makes sense to continue (so you’re not locked into a year-long program).

Semester Classes: We offer a full refund minus a 5% admin fee, up to 1 week before class begins.

Summer Camp: We offer a full refund minus $50 reservation fee until April 15th. 50% refund from April 16th to June 15th. No refunds after June 15th.

For our Scratch classes we encourage students to experiment with various patterns they learn in class during the week. In Minecraft and Roblox classes, homework is about adding personal customizations to the project that they are working on. For these classes we believe the enthusiasm for the “project” is the most important aspect, and we get incredible effort from students who really become passionate about their project.

Our Python and Java classes do have weekly homework exercises and it complements the skills and concepts learned in the class. There are no grades, however, and we would only let parents know if there were consistent problems with attendance or completion.

For in-person classes, we provide all devices and discourage students from bringing their own computer for software compatibility reasons.

For online classes, you need a laptop or desktop computer, NOT a tablet. Chromebooks, Windows, and Macs work for all classes besides Roblox, which can only run on Windows or Macs. We encourage you to have two devices; one for the zoom class and the other for coding on.

We offer after school pickup from certain local schools surrounding our Brooklyn locations.

Park Slope: PS 321, 10, 39, and 107

Cobble Hill: PS 261, 29, 58, 38, and 32

Pickup is available for 3:30 classes, and the cost is $85 for the whole semester.

We send out a student evaluation and recommendation email at the end of the semester.  If there are any questions during the semester about how your student is doing, please email us at info@penguincodingschool.com can we will communicate to the teacher about your desire for feedback. We do not give out teachers' email or contact information as a rule. 

Massachusetts and Online Classes: 81-4116703

Brooklyn, NY classes: 86-2486169