This page tells you what we're doing, when, how much it costs, and how families help. Please read it before our first meeting — surprises in week 4 are the #1 reason kids drop out, and most of them are avoidable.

1 What we're doing together

Your kid is on a [FLL / FTC] robotics team. We build a robot, write code to drive it, and compete against other teams in Loudoun and northern Virginia. We also work on the [Innovation Project / Engineering Notebook] — that part matters as much as the robot when judges decide awards.

2 Time commitment — honest version

• Weekly meeting: [day] from [start] to [end], at [venue]. [90 / 120 / 150] minutes including pickup.
• Season length: [August] through [February]. If we qualify for state, add through [March].
• Tournament weekend reality: tournament Saturdays are the whole Saturday. Arrival around [7:30 AM], awards usually wrap by [5–6 PM]. Plan lunch in your bag, sneakers, and patience.
• Home commitment for your kid: roughly 1–2 hours a week outside of meetings during the busy stretch (Nov–Jan). Less during build-up. More if they decide to lead programming or judging prep.

3 Costs — what you pay, what's covered

• What the team pays: registration, kit, replacement parts, tournament entry. Covered by [LR team grant / sponsors / school PTA].
• What we ask families for: $[XX] for team shirt + season swag. Tournament-day snacks/lunch on the parent. That's it.
• What we will never ask you for: a check for the kit. If money is a barrier, tell [Coach name] privately — we have a fund for this and nobody else will know.

4 How families actually help

• Second adult in the room. FIRST requires two adults at every meeting. We rotate a "second adult" roster — one meeting per family per month, just present, no skills required. Sign up here: [link or "see kickoff email"].
• Designated robot driver. One parent owns getting the robot (and game elements) to each tournament. We pick this person in week one. If your minivan can fit a 24"×24" robot in a tub, you're a candidate.
• Snack rotation. One snack-bringer per meeting. We share a sign-up sheet at kickoff.
• Mentor a specific skill (optional). If you're a programmer, engineer, designer, or know how to write a sponsor pitch — we'd love 30 minutes of your time on a specific topic. You don't have to come every week.

5 How we'll communicate

A 4-line text by Sunday evening: what we did, what's next, what we need this week, one photo. Group text (not email) — we use [Remind / Band / GroupMe / SMS]. Two-way: reply with conflicts, kid sickness, anything we should know.

Bigger announcements (tournament logistics, fundraising, end-of-season) go in email so you can find them later.

6 If you need to step back

Robotics is a 6-month commitment and life happens. If you need to pause — sport schedule, family schedule, anything — tell [Coach name] early. We can move your kid to half-meetings, or just tournament-day participation, or skip a few weeks. No guilt. The only thing that hurts the team is silence — ghosting in week 4 leaves a build group of 3 instead of 4 and that's harder on everyone than an honest "we need a break."