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Playing At Learning

Playing At Learning inspires Northern California youth through hands-on STEM and robotics programs.

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Middle School FIRST robotics program participant coding with a LEGO robot and display boards
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Youth
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Entrepreneurship
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Women & Girls
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Leadership Development
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Education
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Science & Technology

Playing At Learning is a Northern California 501(c)(3) non-profit dedicated to inspiring K–12 students through hands-on robotics and STEM programs. As the regional partner for youth robotics programs like FIRST®, we serve over 10,000 students annually across the Bay Area, Central Valley, and across Northern California.

Through our team-based robotics programs and our dedicated STEM facility, The Play Space in San Jose, we turn natural curiosity into technical skill, confidence, and real-world leadership.

We provide a continuous STEM learning pathway for kids aged 4 to 18:

  • Early STEM Exploration (Grades K–4): Hands-on building and teamwork exercises that introduce fundamental engineering concepts before gender and social stereotypes take hold.
  • Robotics & Research Challenges (Grades 3–8): Students build and code autonomous robots to solve challenges while researching real-world problems and presenting solutions to industry judges.
  • Advanced Engineering (Grades 7–12): High school teams design, program, and manage industrial-grade metal robots using metal hardware, Java coding, and CAD software, running their teams like small tech startups.
  • The Play Space: Our San Jose facility serves as a shared makerspace, tournament venue, and equipment loan hub—ensuring events and teams are provided with the tools that they need

We focus heavily on breaking down financial and systemic barriers in STEM education:

  • 10,000+ Students inspired every year across 1,000+ teams.
  • 35% Female Participation—significantly higher than typical tech workforce averages.
  • 2,000+ Volunteers Mobilized as judges, referees, and mentors, contributing over 100,000 volunteer hours annually.
  • Targeted Financial Support: We provide grants, starter kits, and equipment loans to teams with high need, low income youth.

Students leave our programs not just with technical skills like coding and CAD design, but with essential leadership abilities: project management, public speaking, conflict resolution, and teamwork.

Playing At Learning is a Platinum recognized nonprofit at Candid (formerly GuideStar). This means that our organization has achieved the highest possible level of recognition for transparency, accountability, and public disclosure. This status places our nonprofit among the top 1% of nonprofits nationwide that actively share measurable outcomes and strategic goals with the public. Learn more at candid.org

San Jose, CA
Small organization
A 501(c)(3) nonprofit, EIN 20-1241878

Fundraisers

Feed fundraiser card link to Save The Play Space to Keep Robotics Within Each Kid’s Reach
Playing At Learning logo which is a circle with a paper airplane inside
Fundraiser by Steven Zhang

Save The Play Space to Keep Robotics Within Each Kid’s Reach

On the competition field, we’re opponents. Off the field, we’re one robotics community. We are four FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) teams joining together to support Playing At Learning: FTC 12635 — Kuriosity Robotics FTC 32646 — Spark Motors FTC 38188 — Spark Apex FTC 38190 — Spark Servos Together, we’re raising funds to help preserve the programs, resources, and community that give young people the opportunity to discover their potential through robotics. We build more than robots Through robotics, students learn to turn ideas into working designs, solve problems together, and keep going when something doesn’t work. Along the way, we build confidence, friendships, and skills that extend far beyond the competition field. We want more kids to have those opportunities—not just students on our own teams, but the younger students who will become tomorrow’s builders, programmers, and leaders. That’s why we’re coming together for Playing At Learning. Help protect our shared robotics home Playing At Learning is facing a major funding gap as FIRST LEGO League transitions after this season. According to its fundraising appeal, FLL provides more than 70% of the revenue supporting the nonprofit’s operations. At the heart of those operations is The Play Space —a home for event equipment, support for local teams, and a gathering place for the robotics community. Keeping this facility open will give Playing At Learning time to transition to new programs and continue serving future generations. For our four teams, this fundraiser is about looking beyond our own robots and investing in the community that makes these experiences possible. Small gifts. Shared commitment. Lasting opportunity. Playing At Learning’s “Power of Many ” campaign seeks 2,000 supporters who will contribute $10 a month for three years, or make a one-time gift of $360, to help sustain its facility and operations. Here’s how you can help: Give $10 a month for three years to provide reliable, ongoing support. Make a one-time gift of $360 to contribute the same total amount. Donate any amount that fits your budget. Share our fundraiser with family, friends, coworkers, and robotics alumni. Donations through this fundraiser support Playing At Learning—not the individual participating teams. We’re working together because protecting opportunities for the next generation matters more than any single team’s success. Help us keep the doors open, the community connected, and the possibilities growing. Together, we can give more kids the chance to build  a future through robotics!
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Donors

  • Luby Gao

    Both of my kids benefited tremendously from the FIRST programs that Play At Learning has hosted over the past several years. Those experiences sparked a passion for robotics that has stayed with them well beyond the program. My older one is...

  • giuliano carlini

    Jill, Mark, all,

    Glad to help create a space for kids who need a place to be with others like themselves. Engineering and STEM are great and all that, it's what brought me joy in my life....

  • giuliano carlini

    Jill, Mark, all,

    Glad to help create a space for kids who need a place to be with others like themselves. Engineering and STEM are great and all that, it's what brought me joy in my life. ...

  • Shannon Xue

    Our kids started with FLL when they were 10 and finished with FTC in 12th grade. They wouldn't have been who they are today without their experience with FIRST. It's not just the technical knowledge, more importantly it's the teamwork, the ...

  • Jim Poston

    Jill & Mark, you've made a huge positive difference for youth in northern California and the world, not to mention the adult volunteers you've inspired through your work with FIRST international.

    We're happy to help you continue your missi...

  • Sohini Stone

    Both of our kids and many of our neighbors kids benefited greatly from P@L and FLL -- beyond igniting passion for STEM, it gave them a place to explore research, presentation, and competition. Hope this helps!