One pathway, from first robot to world stage
Every student who has represented us internationally started somewhere on this ladder.
Unit 001, 1315 Macom Drive, White Eagle Center, Naperville. All robots, laptops and materials provided.
Robotics Foundations
Grades 2 to 5 · No experience needed
Your child builds a robot, makes it move exactly where they want it to, teaches it to sense the world, and programs it to finish a mission with nobody touching it. By the end of the term they can do all of that in front of you.
Weekly 90 minute class. Two students per robot.
EnrollPython for Robotics
Grades 6 to 12 · No Python required
Most coding classes teach Python on a screen. This one runs it on a robot, where a bug does not throw an error message, it drives the robot into a wall. Students move from drag and drop blocks to writing, structuring and debugging real programs, in the same environment our competition teams use.
Weekly 90 minute hands-on session. Two students per robot.
Enroll
Which one is right for my child?
We place every student ourselves. Age and previous experience tell us part of the story, and the rest is a conversation, so this is not something you need to work out from a web page.
If your child wants to compete, the two competition tracks run in opposite halves of the year. FIRST LEGO League runs in the fall and finishes with a December tournament, with January and February dates for teams that advance. World Robot Olympiad runs through the spring and summer and leads toward national and international competition, and starts at grade 4.
The Arduino camp is a short break program about the electronics underneath the robot, and it fits alongside any of the above.
Book a free 30 minute assessment. We spend the time with your child, then talk it through with you and recommend where to start. There is no charge and no obligation.
Sibling discounts and referral credits are available. Email coaching@launchpadrobolab.com.
Every program above is built and led by the coaches whose teams reached a national championship in RoboSports and international competition in 2026. See the record.
FIRST LEGO League coaching
Grades 4 to 8 · Fall season · Places limited
A coached competition season. Your child joins a team, builds and programs an autonomous robot, researches a real problem and designs a solution, then takes all of it to a tournament in December where judges who have never met them decide how they did. Coaching, the challenge set and all robot kits and practice time are included. Team registration, the tournament entry fee and the team shirt are billed separately at cost.
Our 2026 to 2027 team is registered and already meeting. Ask us what is still open.
Ask about availabilityWorld Robot Olympiad coaching
Grades 4 to 12 · By assessment
Small team coaching, two to three students per team, through a full World Robot Olympiad season. This is the track that produced a national championship team and sent students to international competition in 2026. Teams work in block coding or in Python depending on category and readiness.
A competition season asks a lot of a young student, and in our experience it gets difficult below grade 4. Younger children start in Robotics Foundations and move across when they are ready. Places are offered after a free assessment, and we confirm fees with you then.
Ask about a place