Quick answer: BC's Applied Design, Skills & Technologies (ADST) curriculum supports computational thinking and coding across K-12, though it doesn't prescribe specific grade-by-grade content for K-5 the way Ontario's math strand does — schools have flexibility in how they deliver it.
What Is ADST?
According to the official BC curriculum, Applied Design, Skills, and Technologies is an experiential, hands-on area of learning that draws on design thinking, computational thinking, coding, and engineering challenges, alongside more traditional skill areas.
How Coding Fits Into ADST for Younger Grades
For Kindergarten through Grade 5, ADST doesn't specify fixed content — instead, it provides Big Ideas and Curricular Competencies that schools weave into other subject areas, giving teachers flexibility in exactly when and how coding and computational thinking are introduced. Many BC schools use tools like Scratch, ScratchJr, and Code.org as part of this cross-curricular approach.
What This Means for Parents
Because ADST implementation varies more by school than Ontario's fixed C3 strand does, the exact coding exposure your child gets in class can differ. A structured, project-based coding program can be a reliable way to ensure your child builds computational thinking skills consistently — supporting and aligning with ADST's goals regardless of how much coding their specific school emphasizes in a given year.
Compliance Note
A coding program's curriculum can be designed to align with and support ADST's goals for computational thinking and design skills. It is not endorsed, approved, or certified by the BC Ministry of Education or any school district.