Robotics

From LEGO bricks to championship robots.

FIRST Robotics teams in 20 cities across the East Bay, from LEGO bricks in 1st grade to 120-pound competition robots in high school. Kids learn engineering by doing, and the older ones teach the younger ones.

We operate the largest community-based youth robotics league in the United States: ~1,000 kids on 125+ teams. 46% come from outside Piedmont, 40% of LEGO League participants are girls, and 87 attend Title 1 schools. STEAM shouldn't depend on your zip code or your family's income.

An FIRST LEGO League Challenge team in yellow Piedmont Makers shirts at the UNEARTHED-season tournament — kids around a large LEGO competition table with the game map laid out, big crowd of spectators behind.

Pick the right team for your kid.

Sign-ups for the fall run March through May. Financial aid is available; cost should not be a barrier.

Four young boys in purple Piedmont Makers shirts sitting on the floor of a gym building LEGO Technic structures together. — LEGO League Explore team building during a session

LEGO League Explore

Grades K–3

Your kid's first robot. Kindergartners through 3rd graders build with LEGO Spike Essentials and code with drag-and-drop blocks. Motors, sensors, no fear.

Teams of 5–6 kids meet at a coach's home for 12 weekly hour-long sessions, then present their build and poster at the LEGO League Explore Festival at Piedmont Middle School the weekend after Thanksgiving. Two parent volunteers coach each team. Piedmont Makers supplies the LEGO kit, week-by-week lesson plans, August coach training, and an active Slack channel for coaches who haven't done this before.

Season: Aug–Dec
Cadence: 1× weekly · 1 hour
Team size: 5–6 kids
Cost: $200 / participant

Five girls in maroon Piedmont Makers shirts working at a FLL Challenge competition table with a LEGO ocean-themed game board. — LEGO League Challenge team at the SUBMERGED season tournament

LEGO League Challenge

Grades 4–8

4th–8th graders build autonomous LEGO robots, code in block programming or Python, and research a real-world problem for their Innovation Project.

Teams of 5–8 meet 1–2 times a week from August through December. The season ends at the Piedmont Makers Community Tournament at Piedmont Middle School: 12 game tables, two arenas, real referees, awards including Best Costume. Teams who want more can opt into the Competitive Track for regional qualifiers in January and February. Piedmont Makers delivers a 4'×8' game table to the coach's house and supplies the LEGO Spike Prime kits, week-by-week guides, August coach training, and a Slack community of 110+ coaches.

Season: Aug–Dec
Cadence: 1–2× weekly · 2–3 hours total
Team size: 5–8 kids
Cost: $400 / participant

FTC playoff match in progress at John Morrison Gymnasium — referees, team members at the alliance stations, and robots on the competition field. — FTC League playoff match at John Morrison Gymnasium

FTC — FIRST Tech Challenge

Grades 7–12

From LEGO to metal. 7th–12th graders build 18-inch-cube robots from REV, TETRIX, and goBILDA components, code them in Java, and compete in two-robot alliances on a 12'×12' field.

Teams of 6–12 kids practice at coach/parent homes or our robotics practice facility in Oakland, learning Java programming, CAD, and digital fabrication along the way. They compete in the East Bay Hills FTC League qualifying tournaments. Many teams bring on a Highlander Robotics high schooler as a student mentor so a non-STEAM parent can still run a strong team.

Season: Sept–Feb
Cadence: 2× weekly · 2–6 hrs
Team size: 6–12 kids
Cost: $500 / participant

Members of Highlander Robotics Team 8033 in purple shirts and sweatshirts gathered around their robot at a championship pit, with sponsor banners visible behind. — Highlander Robotics 8033 with the robot at championship

FRC — Highlander Robotics Team 8033

Grades 9–12

The big leagues: 120-pound competition robots, full build season, serious engineering. Team 8033 has reached the FIRST World Championship in Houston four times, most recently in 2025.

Team 8033 has 50+ kids organized into specialty subgroups (mechanical, electrical, software, scouting, fundraising, business) so members can focus on what they love instead of doing everything. Practice happens at our robotics practice facility in Oakland, the only community-accessible regulation FRC field in the Bay Area. Beyond build season, Team 8033 develops Lovat (a scouting app used by 800+ FRC teams worldwide), runs the annual a-CAD-emy summer camp teaching middle schoolers Onshape CAD, mentors local LEGO League teams, and shares training programs with 40+ other FRC teams worldwide.

Season: Aug–June · build season Jan–March
Cadence: Multiple weekly meetings
Team size: 50+ kids
Cost: $800 / participant

Registration opening soon Open House slides → Team site: frc8033.com

FAQ

Parent questions, answered.

Still have something specific? Email robotics@piedmontmakers.org.

Do you accept kids who don't live in Piedmont? +

Yes. Our programs are open to East Bay students: Oakland, Berkeley, Lamorinda, and beyond.

Does my kid need engineering experience to join? +

No. We provide guided lesson plans, tutorials, annual coach training, a coach Slack channel, practice table access, and uniforms. Every level is designed to be the on-ramp for someone, not a graduate seminar.

Do coaches need engineering experience? +

Also no. Coaches are parent volunteers. We run annual coach training and supply lesson plans, tutorials, and a Slack channel. For FTC, non-STEAM coaches often hire a high school student mentor to handle the engineering side.

We don't have a team yet. Can my kid still register? +

Yes. The strongest path is for pre-formed teams with named coaches to register together, but if you sign up individually we'll place your kid on a team during the summer.

My kid is in 7th or 8th grade. Should they do LEGO League Challenge or FTC? +

Either works. LEGO League Challenge with the Python option is a great middle ground; FTC is the right call if your kid is ready for Java and a longer season. We're happy to talk it through. Email robotics@piedmontmakers.org.

My kid is in high school. FTC or FRC? +

FTC is smaller-scale (7–12 kids per team, Rev/TETRIX/goBILDA components, Java) and has a shorter season. FRC is the full-scale program: 120-pound robots, all-out build season, big team. Many kids do FTC first and graduate to FRC.

What does it cost? +

LEGO League Explore $200, LEGO League Challenge $400, FTC $500, FRC $800. Cost covers FIRST registration, kits/parts, uniform, competition fees, and coach training. Financial aid is available; cost should not be a barrier. Email robotics@piedmontmakers.org in confidence.

When do registrations open? +

Sign-ups for all four levels run March through May for the fall season. Watch the newsletter for the exact dates each spring.

I heard FIRST and LEGO are ending their partnership. What happens to LEGO League? +

Our Fall 2026 LEGO League season runs as planned. After the 2026–2027 season, FIRST and LEGO will each develop independent programs. We'll evaluate options for 2027 and beyond as both organizations share more details. Our commitment doesn't change. We'll continue to offer the same level of student-centered, community-based STEAM programs.

For coaches

Coach training and open-house materials.

Coaching is the most volunteer-intensive thing we do. We supply lesson plans, training, and a community of coaches to learn from. These materials are open to anyone considering coaching.

Interested but unsure? Email robotics@piedmontmakers.org.

A note for parents

Two ways to register your kid.

Both are valid. The first one usually leads to a stronger season.

preferred

Register a pre-formed team

Round up your kid's friend group, assemble the team, and identify one parent as head coach and one as assistant. FIRST requires two coaches per team. Pre-formed teams give you more control over team composition and the support network of parents around the team, and they usually lead to better outcomes for the kids.

no team yet?

Register as an individual

Tell us your kid's age, school, gender mix, and competitiveness preferences. We place kids on teams over the summer. Registration stays open the whole window with no cap, so there's still time to recruit friends and form a team yourself.

You'll be asked whether you can serve as a parent coach. Motivated parent coaches are the difference between a team that forms and one that doesn't.

Sign-up windows run March through May each year. Questions? robotics@piedmontmakers.org