Code Wiz opens in St. Pete

A new educational franchise that teaches coding and robotics to children is now open in St. Petersburg.

Code Wiz, located at 956 62nd Ave. N., is a learning center for kids aged 7 to 17, offering hands-on programming designed to spark interest in technology and foster creativity. St. Pete residents Jen and Scott Callison are the local owners behind the new Code Wiz location, one of 24 franchises across the country and the third in Florida.

Jen has a background in education and Scott in marketing and finance. At a ribbon cutting event Tuesday, the couple said they will run the new location together, with free trial classes starting the same day. Jen noted that Code Wiz’s franchise model has helped them bring their dream of entrepreneurship to life.

“Scott has always wanted to start from something from scratch, and that has always been really intimidating to me,” Jen said. “When we started talking about doing something new like this, we really felt like a franchise was going to be kind of a compromise. Code Wiz has been so supportive with curriculum, tech and training all of our coaches.”

Code Wiz is now open at 956 62nd Ave. N.

Code Wiz was started in 2017 in Westford, Massachusetts by now-CEO Ruth Agbaji, who taught herself to code and came up with the idea for the company “with a vision to inspire children of all abilities.” Code Wiz is primarily an after-school program but also hosts robotics, coding and game programming camps, competitions and special events.

Scott described the program as “Montessori-style,” noting that programs maintain a four-to-one ratio of children to coach. The self-paced programs introduce young learners to coding languages like Python, HTML, Java and more through popular video games.

“Let’s not forget how fun this is. Minecraft, Roblox, Lego; these are brands that kids love and they want to play with anyway. Then the parents find out that they can use those fun games to create tools for learning, so it really is a pretty cool concept,” Scott said. “It makes it fun, but they’re also learning skills that can take them all sorts of directions in their lives.”

The Callisons see Code Wiz as more than just a business opportunity and a way to teach kids tech skills. They view it as a way to contribute to St. Petersburg’s growing reputation as a tech and innovation hub, and to develop the future workforce by giving young learners the education they will need to compete for tomorrow’s jobs.

“I think that a lot of parents will be thankful for anything more they can do to enrich their children’s lives educationally,” Jen said. “We just feel like this is a very budding community in terms of education and tech, and it’s growing with lots of families, too.”

“These kids are going to get excited about these careers, so we can hire local talent for these high-paying, in-demand jobs,” Scott added.

More than 50 area leaders and local residents attended a ribbon cutting for Code Wiz Tuesday, Sept. 10.

The couple intend to develop partnerships with area public and private schools, community centers, businesses and organizations to bring Code Wiz programming into the community. Plans are already in the works to open a second location in South St. Pete within the next 18 months, and Jen and Scott said there’s potential for even more future expansion in the Tampa Bay area.

Dr. Sheron Brown, Director of Education and Youth Opportunities for the City of St. Petersburg, spoke at Tuesday’s ribbon cutting event, noting that Code Wiz’s offerings and mission are “right in alignment with the Mayor’s vision.”

“We’re very focused on workforce opportunities, and STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) is a big area that we’re concerned about because of the future of what work looks like for all youth,” Brown said. “We’re excited to have you all at Code Wiz right here in St. Pete as we grow our future workforce.”

Code Wiz will host a grand opening celebration for the public Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at its location at 956 62nd Ave. N. Those interested in learning more about Code Wiz’s programs can visit its website at thecodewiz.com/northstpete-fl or call (727) 677-5233.

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