A computer engineer himself, Matthew shares his 12-year journey to inspire the next generation of innovators.

Tell us about yourself:

Hello! I am Matthew Chan, owner of Kidzwhiz. I graduated from the University of Waterloo as a computer engineer, and I worked as a software engineer for the past 10 or so years. I’m very passionate about technology and education, especially kids’ technology education. 

How did Kidzwhiz start?

Good question. I have to take you all the way back to my high school days, where we had computer science and computer engineering courses throughout high school, and I had so much fun taking these courses that I wanted to pursue a career in technology. So I decided to apply as a computer engineer to different universities, and got into the University of Waterloo. Once I got there, I talked to my classmates to see what courses they took in high school, and very quickly realized that not all high schools have computer engineering or computer science. Since I had so much fun and it sparked my interest in the technology field, I really wanted to bring this experience to more students and level the playing field for everyone. So I started the company in 2006, and in the fall of 2006 that’s when we started teaching our first students.

Fast forward to today, we teach kids from 4-16, and we have different categories like coding, robotics, game development, and animation and film. So all kinds of different technologies for kids to play around and see what they like and hopefully it can spark their interest to pursue a career in technology.

What is the mission of Kidzwhiz?

The vision of Kidzwhiz is to inspire the next generation of technology graduates. Imagine yourself in a convocation hall of a university or college, and these graduates are asking each other, “How did you discover that you wanted to become a technologist?” And unanimously the answer being, “I took a camp or course at Kidzwhiz, and they inspired me.” We are successful if that happens. But in order to achieve that, we must create an encouraging environment for students to learn and have fun with technology.

I want to emphasize fun because for kids, if they’re having fun while learning something, it’s half of the work already. And so we designed and tailored our courses, programs and curriculums to be just challenging enough that they will be able to solve their problems based on their skill sets and age, but not so challenging that it will become discouraging for them. Our instructors are trained extensively, and we always upgrade and update our curriculums and equipments, so students are always learning and using the latest and greatest. Because after all, technology moves at the speed of light. 

What programs does Kidzwhiz offer?

At Kidzwhiz, we offer programs for students from 4-16. These programs are all tailored to the age groups and there is continuation throughout most of the programs. We have after school programs, weekend programs, winter camps, March Break camps and summer camps. The program categories include robotics, coding or computer programming, game design and development, animation and film, Minecraft and mobile app development. For more information, go to kidzwhiz.com. 

What 3 words do you want parents to associate with Kidzwhiz? 

The 3 words I want parents to associate with Kidzwhiz are 3 C’s. Cutting edge, competent and caring.

Cutting edge, because we want to be at the forefront of technology. I want our students to always have the latest and greatest technologies and gadgets at their disposal. Competent because our instructors are very good at technology and they are well-trained to handle the classroom environment to give our students the best learning environment possible. And caring because we want to teach from the heart.

What’s your favourite memory from Kidzwhiz?

My favourite memory from Kidzwhiz was when we received a handwritten letter from a former student of ours, attending computer science at UCLA, thanking us for sparking his interest in coding. This is a testament that our mission and vision are becoming a reality, and we hope that many more will follow.