Who does these workshops target?

ALL youth. However, we give priority to neurodivergent students and students from Black, Indigenous, or Persons of Colour (BIPOC) communities. Lessons are tailored to each student’s interests, strengths, and need to ensure they are learning to their full potential.

How do I know which workshops to sign up for?

We offer a 15-minute free advising session to help place students in appropriate programs. Moreover, under our workshops, you will find a breakdown of skills covered, age recommendations, and prerequisites.

What age group do you target?

Currently, we work with students in Kindergarten to grade 12. We welcome all learners and will personalize the lessons to them based on their age, grade level, interests, and needs.

My child is neurotypical (a term referring to individuals with typical neurological development or functioning), can we still sign up?

Yes, you definitely can!

My child is not officially diagnosed, can they still sign up?

Yes, they definitely can! We encourage you to mention this in registration, so we can contact you and learn more about their needs/strengths. 

Does my Autism Funding (AFU) cover the cost of this workshop?

We are a service provider under the AFU, however, obtaining funding from AFU depends mainly on your specific situation and your student as AFU handles each application on a case-by-case basis. Please contact the AFU and make sure your student can get funding for these workshops. 

How do I use Autism Funding (AFU) to pay for the workshop?

Please download AFU’s Request to Pay (RTP) form and fill out your personal information.

Under the services box, make sure you fill out the correct information. The service provider's name should be “The C.O.D.E. Initiative Foundation”, our address is Po Box 18155 Port Moody V3H 0A2, and our phone number (778) 875-0548. The payment should be provided to the service provider and an agency name is not applicable.

After, take the cost of the workshop you are interested in (WITHOUT the ND discount) and divide that by 5 to get the hourly rate.

You will then need to send the completed form to the Autism Funding Unit either via post or email.

AFU will process this and give confirmation of its status. We have to wait until your student finishes ALL their classes before we can bill the AFU. As soon as we receive the funding from AFU, we will automatically reimburse you.

If you have any questions about this, please feel free to email us at info@thecodeinitiative.ca

What do you teach in the online tutoring workshops?

We teach STEAM workshops which include coding and other interdisciplinary STEAM programs that integrate sciences, math and engineering with arts and music.

Currently, the following courses are being offered.

Do you use Individualized Education Plans (IEPs)?

Yes, we do. We do not require you to share the IEP, but if you wish, you can give us a summary of it so we can learn more about your child’s needs/strengths and personalize the lessons to their individualized goals.

Do you have a free trial?

We offer a free first class with any of our tutors. This session is 30 min long and will allow your child to get a feel of the coding class as well as their tutor.

Who are your tutors and what are their credentials? 

Our tutors are students from local universities such as the University of British Columbia (UBC) and Simon Fraser University (SFU). We have a very strong internship program with students from UBC, and are very fortunate to have such a dedicated group of tutors. We mostly take on undergraduate students as tutors but also have masters students as well. 

In an effort to give high school seniors leadership opportunities, we have recently opened up tutoring positions for this group. 

Both groups of tutors will go through the same interview process and receive the same training and support.

Do you offer in-person workshops?

We do offer in-person workshops from time to time. Please visit our directory of in-person classes to learn more about the current in-person workshops we are offering.

 Do you offer scholarships or aids?

Yes we do - we are fully committed to having accessible and affordable workshops. Please email us at info@thecodeinitiative.ca and we will get back to you with funding options.