Color Coded Kids Foundation

Color Coded Kids was founded in 2016 because the founder, Shay Gillespie, was looking for a coding and robotics program for her then 9 year old son in North St. Louis County, St. Louis. After weeks of searching with no success, she hired an application developer friend to teach kids how to code a video game in 12 weeks in her basement. The program immediately gained the attention of neighbors and grew from 16 kids in her basement to a national partnership with Microsoft Stores, where Color Coded Kids signature course, Video Game Design, was hosted in 7 Microsoft Stores across the country including New York, Houston, Dallas, Arlington VA, Charlotte, Atlanta, and St. Louis.

Color Coded Kids Foundation is one of few programs focused on elementary and middle schools. Less than 10% of the non profits in St. Louis focus on tech upskilling targeting ages 8-14. We provide early AI training built and designed by AI experts from leading organizations across the US. Our programs include AI, coding, generative AI, cyber security, robotics all mastered in a fun and responsible way! 

A great advantage of Color Coded Kids is our low cost model. This is especially noted when parents compared the cost to other programs. According to a survey done in 2017, 92% of parents said the cost to value was the biggest determining factor. Shay was intentional about providing quality tech education without breaking the bank. Costs remain low because there is minimal overhead, due to the partnership with Microsoft, and minimal ongoing operating expenses as Shay has kept her full time job while running Color Coded Kids as a passion program.

Even with the low cost, Shay was inundated with some parents, particularly from low-income areas in St. Louis, wanting to put their kids in the program but just couldn't afford to. That is when Shay launched Color Coded Kids Foundation, a 501(c) (3), to fund any student with financial hardships so they could participate through a scholarship process. In the beginning, Shay funded the program herself to ensure that any student who could not afford the courses would still be able to join. Since then, she has raised funds through private and corporate supporters. To date, not one student has been turned away due to financial challenges!

The program has now evolved to working with local schools and  organizations to teach AI to students primarily in under-resourced neighborhoods, as well as hosting an annual 6 week free summer camp in North St. Louis County. 

Goal: $1000

$74- provides one full scholarship in our certification program

$250 - provides one student a partial scholarship in our camp

$500 provides one student a full scholarship in our camp