FIRST California

FIRST California offers FIRST LEGO League for grades Pre K-8, where children do hands-on STEM activities and take part in a guided, global robotics program with real-world problem-solving experiences. It also offers FIRST Tech Challenge for grades 7-12, where students design, build, and program robots to compete in an alliance format. FIRST Robotics Competition is for grades 9-12, where teams design, program, and build a robot from a standard kit of parts and common rules for a themed head-to-head challenge.

Programs

• FIRST LEGO League — Grades Pre K - 8 · Introduces STEM to children through fun, exciting hands-on learning; participants gain real-world problem-solving experiences through a guided, global robotics program.
• FIRST Tech Challenge — Grades 7 - 12 · Students learn to think like engineers; teams design, build, and program robots to compete in an alliance format against other teams.
• FIRST Robotics Competition — Grades 9 - 12 · Teams design, program, and build a robot starting with a standard kit of parts and common set of rules to play in a themed head-to-head challenge.

At a glance

• Ages: 4–18 years old

About the provider

FIRST says it inspires young people to be science and technology leaders and innovators, as well as well rounded contributors to society, through mentor-based, research, and robotics programs. Its mission statement is: “The World’s Leading Youth Serving Non-Profit Advancing STEM Education.”

What families say

“The robots are a vehicle for students to learn important life skills. Kids often come in not knowing what to expect – of the program nor of themselves. They leave with a vision, with confidence and with a sense that they can create their own future.” — Founder, Dean Kamen

“We cannot always build the future for our youth, but we can build our youth for the future.” — Franklin D. Roosevelt

Last updated October 5, 2026.