How to actually make this happen.

Most robotics programs start with one curious kid making an ask. The easiest way in? Pitch it as an after-school club first — no new class, no schedule change, just a room and an hour a week. Here's the playbook that actually works.

1. Find 2–3 friends who'd join too.

   A principal is way more likely to say yes to "six kids want this" than "one kid wants this." Ask around first.

2. Find a teacher willing to sponsor.

   Doesn't have to be a tech teacher. Any teacher who likes you and has time after school works — science, math, shop, even English.

3. Ask for a 15-minute meeting with your principal.

   Email them or stop by the office. Bring your friends. It helps.

4. Make the ask.

   Use the email template below to book it, or just say it in person. Be specific: "We want to start an after-school robotics club, we have a teacher, we can help fundraise."

5. If they say yes, email us.

   We'll walk you and your teacher through the rest — picking a program, budget, registration, kit.

Subject: Quick question — starting a FIRST robotics team at [School name]

Hi [Principal's name],

A few friends and I are interested in starting a FIRST robotics team at [School] — we'd love to kick it off as an after-school club. We've been talking to Loudoun Robotics, a local nonprofit that helps schools start teams, and they said the first step is getting your okay.

Could I have 15 minutes next week to share the idea? I'd bring 2–3 classmates who are also interested.

Thanks,
[Your name], Grade [X]

You don't need to know robotics. You need to know how schools say yes. The playbook below works whether you're starting from scratch or helping an existing team.

1. Pair up with one other parent first.

   Two parents asking is way stronger than one. Don't go solo.

2. Scope the ask before the meeting.

   What does the school need to provide? (A teacher sponsor, a room once a week, ~1–2 hours/week of adult supervision.) What are you offering? (Parent volunteers, fundraising, Loudoun Robotics support.)

3. Start with the principal.

   If they're warm, you're mostly done. If they wave you off, move to the PTA. If the PTA's a no, go to the school board's public-comment agenda.

4. Offer to run the first-year fundraising yourself.

   This is the single biggest thing that flips a principal from "maybe" to "yes." It tells them you're serious.

5. Email us once you have a principal's yes.

   We'll cover most of what the team needs — kit, registration, coach support — through a team grant.

Members of the board, my name is [Your name]. My child attends [School name].

I'm here to ask that [School] support starting a FIRST robotics team.

Three things you should know:

1. FIRST robotics isn't a hobby — it's the primary pipeline into engineering, computer science, and skilled trades. In Loudoun, it's the single most effective STEM program I know of.

2. The ask is small. A team needs a teacher willing to sponsor, a space to meet, and seed funding — which I and Loudoun Robotics are willing to help raise.

3. This is about equity. The kids at [well-resourced nearby school] have FIRST teams. The kids at our school don't. That's a gap we can close.

I'm happy to follow up with any board member or school administrator. Thank you.

Talking points · when someone asks "what is FIRST?"

• It's the biggest youth robotics nonprofit in the world — 50+ countries, 700,000+ students every year.
• Two main K–12 programs: FIRST LEGO League (K–8, LEGO-based) and FIRST Tech Challenge (7–12, metal and Java).
• It's competition-based. Teams compete locally, regionally, and the top teams go to a world championship.
• It teaches engineering, coding, project management, and communication — with real deadlines.
• FIRST alumni are eligible for more than $80 million in college scholarships every year.

You don't need to be an engineer. You need to be the adult in the room who unlocks the door and keeps the group focused. We'll handle the rest — and a parent volunteer handles the tech side.

1. Year 1 is low-lift.

   You're the adult who opens the room, enforces the schedule, and keeps kids safe. A parent volunteer or Loudoun Robotics mentor handles anything technical.

2. Plan ~2 hours a week for 8–12 weeks.

   That's the realistic commitment. One after-school meeting per week plus one Saturday tournament. That's it.

3. Get admin buy-in with a simple one-pager.

   Use the budget-request template below. Keep it short. Principals say yes to short, specific, low-risk asks.

4. Pair with a parent volunteer.

   They handle fundraising, kit assembly, and technical mentoring. You handle the classroom.

5. Loudoun Robotics covers the gaps.

   Kit funding, FIRST registration, coach training materials, a season curriculum. Ask us — a team grant typically covers most of a new team's first-year costs.

Proposal: Start a FIRST LEGO League Challenge team at [School]
Season: 2026–27
Requesting teacher: [Your name], [Subject]

Overview
  • Student capacity: 6–10 students, grades 4–8
  • Meeting time: once a week after school, September–December
  • Teacher time: ~2 hours/week + one Saturday tournament
  • Space needed: one classroom, once a week

Budget
  • FIRST registration: ~$285 (covered by Loudoun Robotics for new teams)
      Includes:     team number, digital season materials, judging rubrics,
                    FIRST Storefront access, eligibility to compete
      Not included: SPIKE Prime kit, Challenge Set, tournament entry fees
                    (each is its own paid line, listed below)
  • LEGO Education SPIKE Prime + Expansion Set: ~$540 (covered by Loudoun Robotics for new teams)
  • Annual Challenge Set (mat + season mission LEGO): ~$105 (covered by Loudoun Robotics)
  • Tournament entry fees (2025-26 VA-DC FLL — may change for 2026-27):
      Regional qualifier event:  ~$175 (every team — 1 per season)
      VA-DC Championship @ JMU:  ~$175 (by invitation, advancing teams only)
      (both covered by Loudoun Robotics for new teams)
  • Snacks & misc supplies: ~$100 (parent fundraising)

Total cost to the school: ~$0

Outcome
  6–10 students get a full season of robotics and represent [School]
  at a local FIRST qualifying tournament in December.

Support
  Loudoun Robotics (loudounrobotics.org) covers kit, registration,
  coach training, and mentor matching.

Proposal: Start a FIRST Tech Challenge team at [School]
Season: 2026–27
Requesting teacher: [Your name], [Subject]

Overview
  • Student capacity: 6–15 students, grades 7–12
  • Meeting time: once or twice a week after school, September–March
  • Teacher time: ~3–4 hours/week + a few Saturday tournaments
  • Space needed: classroom or lab with floor space for a 24" × 18" robot

Budget (approximate; verify current FIRST pricing before submitting)
  • FIRST registration: ~$350
      Includes:     team number, judging materials, FIRST Storefront access
                    & discounts, eligibility to compete
      Not included: robot kit, control system, per-event tournament entry
                    fees (each is its own paid line, listed below)
  • goBILDA FTC starter kit (official FIRST structure kit): ~$675
  • REV Control Hub + Driver Hub (control system, sold separately): ~$650
  • Tournament entry fees (2025-26 FIRST Chesapeake — may change for 2026-27):
      Qualifying tournaments: ~$250 each (most teams attend 2 = $500;
                              optional 3rd qualifier = +$250)
      State Championship:     ~$600 (if team advances)
      World Championship:     ~$2,500 (if team advances)
  • Travel, snacks & misc: ~$200
  Base first-year cost (kit + reg + travel, no tournaments): ~$1,875
  Typical team total (2 qualifiers):     ~$2,375
  If advancing to State Championship:    ~$2,975
  Confirm 2026-27 rates with FIRST Chesapeake: ftc-teams@firstchesapeake.org

Funding mix (typical Loudoun FTC team)
  • Family contribution: ~$200/student × 10 students = ~$2,000
  • LCPS CTE budget (for school-affiliated teams): varies, often $500–1,000
  • Loudoun Robotics team grant: $150–500 for new teams

Total cost to the school's general fund: ~$0

Talk to us if any piece doesn't pencil out. Our team-grant fund can
sometimes top off small gaps; for bigger asks we'll help connect you to
sponsors or apply for grants. Reach out early — we'd rather solve it
together than have your team go without.

Outcome
  6–15 students get a full season of competition robotics with Java/Blocks
  programming, mechanical design, and engineering documentation. Team
  represents [School] at regional FIRST Tech Challenge tournaments
  December–March, with a chance to advance to states or beyond.

Support
  Loudoun Robotics (loudounrobotics.org) covers coach training, mentor
  matching, and the LR team-grant portion of the budget above.

Both VEX and FIRST run their own competitive robotics programs. Equally valid paths for kids — different communities, different kits, different competitions. Loudoun Robotics is FIRST-focused today, and we're tracking VEX demand in Loudoun — if enough families are asking, VEX goes on our roadmap. In the meantime, here's the lay of the land if VEX is a better fit for your kid or school.

VEX programs by age

• VEX 123 (ages 4–8) — preschool / early elementary. Snap-together pieces, intro coding via tablet. Often the simplest entry point for the youngest builders.
• VEX GO (ages 8–11) — elementary. STEM kits with light coding. Classroom-friendly.
• VEX IQ (ages 8–14) — elementary & middle school competition platform. Snap-together robots, easier to assemble than LEGO Technic.
• VEX V5 (ages 12–18) — middle & high school competition. More sophisticated robots; rough analog to FTC.

Interested in VEX in Loudoun?

We're tracking demand. Tell us your kid's grade and what kind of program you're hoping for (camp, after-school team, etc.) — if enough families are asking, we'll add VEX to our programs. In the meantime, we're happy to connect you with local VEX coaches or talk through what you need.