Hillsborough Township welcomed a new business to the area this summer.
The new business, Code Ninjas, held its grand opening on June 29 where a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held at its new location in Hillsborough.
The new location is at 649 Route 206 N., Suite 1C in Hillsborough Centre.
The Hillsborough location is the first Code Ninjas center in Somerset County. Youths, ages 7-14, have the opportunity to visit the new center to learn how to code in a fun, safe and social learning environment, according to the business.
The business owners said the location is “built around fun, which keeps kids coming back. The center also provides the results that parents are looking for, as their children gain coding and problem-solving skills they’ll need for the jobs of the future.”
Code Ninjas aims to accomplish its goals with game-based curriculum made up of nine belts similar to martial arts. The curriculum is self-paced, but not self-taught; youths receive help and support from Code Senseis and fellow students as they advance from white to black belt.
The owners said the program is also aimed to keep youngsters motivated with little wins along the way, and “belt-up” celebrations where they receive color-coded wristbands to mark their graduation to the next level. By the time a child finishes the program, they will have created and published their own video game in the app store.
“Code Ninjas’ program is really wonderful because we can teach kids as early as second grade how to code whereas they would have otherwise had to wait until middle or high school to participate in robotics or computer science clubs,” Code Ninjas Owner Marisa Narula said in a statement. “Hillsborough and Montgomery have some of the best robotics teams in the country and we’re excited to help get kids interested and prepared for them even earlier. We really want to create an experience that is both impactful and unique to the area.”
Hillsborough Code Ninjas offers a variety of opportunities for youths to get involved, including a flexible drop-in membership program, weeknights and weekends, summer camps, scout workshops, parent’s night outs and other special events throughout the year.
Hillsborough Township Mayor Frank Delcore was joined by Deputy Mayor Doug Tomson, Committeewoman Olivia Holmes, David Kois, business advocates, EBDC members, Toni Natale and Owners Marisa Narula, her husband Kanwar and their two sons, Jai and Joshua.
Also in attendance was Montgomery Township Mayor Sadaf Jaffer, Montgomery Township Deputy Mayor Catherine Gural, Harlingen Reformed Church Pastor Chris Heitcamp, Congressman Tom Malinowski and Mike Kerwin, president and CEO of the Somerset County Business Partnership. There were games, prizes, special guests and a robotics demonstration from Hillsborough FIRST Team 75 RoboRaiders.