Two St. Albert women have teamed up to give single mothers and their kids a chance to be better parents and tech ninjas.
The Kaleo Collective and Code Ninjas in St. Albert are offering free classes to single mothers and their children this year as part of a three-year partnership funded by the federal government. The team-up sees single mothers take Kaleo’s single mom resource course (which covers time management, budgeting, and other skills) while their children build robots and learn to code in the next room through Code Ninjas (an education company that teaches computer programming to youths).
Kaleo Collective founder and St. Albert resident Layna Haley said she got the idea for this partnership a few years ago when she saw how much her son was learning at Code Ninjas in St. Albert. She approached St. Albert Code Ninjas owner Shannon Stevenson and proposed a team-up.
“It turns out the woman who runs Code Ninjas [in St. Albert] was raised by a single mom,” Haley said, and was enthusiastic about a partnership.
Haley said she got a $394,050 grant from Women and Gender Equality Canada last year to offer the Kaleo course and a Code Ninjas camp for free in St. Albert, Calgary, and Edmonton. The grant also funds a similar partnership with other community groups in Campbell River and Courtenay in B.C. The partnership gives parents free child-care and kids a chance to do something they might not ordinarily be able to afford.
“While mom is learning, the kids are also learning,” Haley said.
About 156 parents have taken part in the partnership as of this month, Kaleo spokesperson Sherri Drewe said in an email. The courses offered through the partnerships would normally cost a parent and child about $900.
Stevenson said parents she’s spoken with love this partnership, with some saying they could not have afforded to have their kids in Code Ninjas without it. A few kids have become repeat customers.
“The parents are happy the kids are learning something new, and the kids are really excited to come.”
Haley said the partnership was now in its second year of operation, and had one year to go. She and Stevenson said they hoped to continue this partnership if they could find the funding.
The next Kaleo/Code Ninjas workshop happens Aug. 17 & 25 in St. Albert. Visit kaleocollective.ca/program/single-mom-resource-course/in-person-programs for details.
