FLL Startup Guide

The guide applies to all levels of FLL (Discover, Explore, Challenge).

Introduction to this Guide

Lightning Robotics FRC team 862 is a high school robotics team made up of students from Canton, Plymouth, and Salem High Schools in Canton, Michigan. We started with just a handful of members but have grown to include over 160 students, 30 mentors, and many great sponsors. We support our community through our many outreach events, including robot demonstrations throughout Plymouth and Canton, raising funds for cancer research at the annual Relay for Life, and hosting our annual Robots in the Park event that encourages attendees to discover different areas of STEM!

We created this guide as a reference for new teams or new leaders of existing teams about FIRST LEGO League (FLL) overall, as well as specific information on what it takes to start and manage a team.

If you have any questions about – or would like to recommend – a topic that isn’t  covered in this guide, please contact us at https://www.lightningrobotics.com/contact-us! We would like to hear from you as we  continue updating and adding onto this document!

What is FIRST?

FIRST is an international organization that creates and supports robotics programs for K-12 students around the world. They promote hands-on experience with STEAM and leadership. There are many levels of FIRST, separated by grade level. The grade level requirements for students to participate in a certain level of FIRST differ depending on state/country, so be sure to find the information for your region. For example, teams in Michigan should refer to the FIRST in Michigan website for specific information about regional/state competitions, grade levels for each  program, and more; whereas broader information can be found on the FIRST (general) website.

What is FLL?

FLL (FIRST LEGO League) is a level of competitive robotics, guided by adult coaches and mentors, where students build robots out of LEGOs and participate in a different challenge every year based on real-world STEM concepts such as energy, hydrodynamics, recycling, etc.

FLL (FIRST LEGO League) is split into 3 levels based on the grade level of the student:

FLL Discover: PreK - 1st grade (preschool in Michigan)

FLL Explore: 2nd - 4th grade (Kindergarten - 3rd grade in Michigan)

FLL Challenge: 4th - 8th grade (4th - 5th grade in Michigan)

There are 2 other robotics programs called FTC and FRC, also dependent on the student’s grade:

FTC (FIRST Tech Challenge): 7th - 12th grade (only middle school in Michigan)

FRC (FIRST Robotics Challenge): 9th - 12th grade

Team Structure

Teams must have at least 2 kids and as many as 10 kids, but we recommend 5-8. Additionally, kids from different schools or districts can be part of the same FLL team, although it may be more difficult to meet in-person.

All FIRST programs and levels require two adult coaches to guide the team. The two coaches must register through FIRST (detailed instructions under the How to Start a New Team section), and complete the Youth Protection Program and background checks. Additional coaches who go through this process are considered coaches affiliated with the team, but aren’t considered official leaders when it comes to official communications/actions between FIRST and the team. A team administrator is not required.

How to Join an Existing Team

If you don’t know whether there is an FLL team near you, you can check the Team and Event Search page on the FIRST website. However, it should be noted that, sometimes, this page doesn’t show every team in your area. In this case, you can contact your principal, secretary, or other administrators to ask about FLL teams near you. Groups in your community such as libraries, youth organizations, and parent-teacher associations may also be able to provide information. If you are in the Plymouth / Canton area in Michigan, you can contact us at https://www.lightningrobotics.com/contact-us, and we may be able to connect you with a team. 

To join an FLL team that already exists, you can contact the current lead coach(es) of the team and ask if they are open to more people joining. If so, you will need to create or sign into an existing FIRST account. Once the coaches invite you to join the team, you will be able to do so through your FIRST account. After completing the necessary forms and steps, you will be considered part of that team. Be sure to communicate with your lead coaches about meetings, events, and any other happenings within the team!

How to Start a New Team

Note: For a video walkthrough of the following process, click here. 

1. Decide on a school or organization to affiliate with.

   1. Grants and robot parts will be given to this school before being distributed to your team.

   2. It is recommended that you choose the school that most of the students on your team belong to (students across schools can be part of the same team). The school does not currently need to have a robotics team. If you are interested in affiliating with Canton High School (the location of the FRC/high school robotics team), please contact us before registering with FIRST to be sure we have space for you.

2. Each team needs two adult coaches (a team administrator is not required).

1. These coaches are typically parents of students on your team/in your community who are interested in mentoring.

2. They don’t need any prior experience to become a coach.

3. In order to start a team as Coach 1, sign into the FIRST website.

   1. If you don’t have a FIRST account, create one here. Follow the instructions to activate your account.

   2. If you have a FIRST account, sign in using the button located in the upper right corner of the page from the previous link. Follow the instructions if you forgot your password.

   3. Agree to the FIRST policies that show up on your screen, then create your profile (new users) or update it (returning users).

4. You will be guided to the FIRST dashboard. Click the “Create New Team(s)” tab.

   1. An exact registration deadline does not exist, but it’s recommended that you have registered and ordered all of your supplies so you can start meeting once school starts. Competitions in Michigan last from the beginning of November to mid-December.

   2. Register as Lead Coach/Mentor 1 (NOT Team Administrator).

   3. Select the red “FIRST LEGO League” button on the next page. This includes FLL Discover, Explore, and Challenge.

   4. Beneath the “MASTERPIECE” logo, under the “Select and continue” dropdown, select which level of FLL you are registering for. 

   5. Fill out your team profile.

   6. On the next page, as mentioned in step 1, enter the school/organization you have decided to affiliate with. You will receive a temporary team number until you pay the season’s registration fee.

   7. Invite Coach 2, who will receive the invitation in their email. This coach will also need to create/sign into a FIRST account (steps 3a-3c).

5. Now that you’ve created a team, click the “For next steps, return to dashboard” button to complete the mentor screening process. You will not be able to add students to your team until you do this.

   1. You will be taken to a new screen. Fill out additional fields in your profile and click “Next.”

   2. You will be taken back to the dashboard. Click on your account dropdown in the upper-right corner, and select the “Acknowledgment forms” tab with a notification by it. Complete this form.

   3. Find the “Youth Protection Screening” form the same way and complete this form as well. Coach 1 and Coach 2 need to complete both forms.

6. To pay the registration fee and order robot parts, go back to your dashboard. Please see the “Expenditures” section for a breakdown of all purchases.

   1. Select “My teams,” and under “Team options,” click on the “Payment and Product” dropdown. Then, in the dropdown menu, select “Order product.”

   2. If the school/organization you’re affiliated with is sales-tax-exempt, return to your dashboard’s main page. Under “Team finances,” click “Finance options.”

      1. Select the “Sales tax exemption information” link.

      2. You will be taken to the Financial Forms. Click on the Sales tax exempt form and follow the instructions. You can purchase materials before your exemption form is reviewed and marked as complete by FIRST, but you will need to pay sales tax. When ready, continue to step 6b on this document.

   3. If the school/organization you’re affiliated with is not sales-tax-exempt, disregard 6a. On the Create Order screen you’ve been directed to, confirm your purchases and shipping information. Complete your order.

7. Go back to your dashboard and view your Team Options. Under “Team Contacts/Roster,” click “Primary contacts,” and invite contacts. You can invite multiple contacts in this step, and they will receive emails. Once they join and fill out the necessary documents, your team will be ready to go! The next step is to apply for grants/reimbursements.

Expenses

This table provides a breakdown of purchases for starting an FLL team, some of which are optional, while others are required. An asterisk (*) indicates our estimates based on average costs for local Michigan teams before reimbursement; all other figures are taken from the FIRST website. 

Grants and Reimbursement

Many grants are available to FLL teams. Some grants can be used to reimburse you for certain initial out-of-pocket costs while others are paid directly to FIRST and applied to purchases made through your dashboard. Be sure to check the details of each grant. Some grants are only available to rookie teams (teams that have just formed). For example, the FIRST in Michigan (FiM) Rookie Grant covers a rookie team’s out-of-pocket costs for the initial purchase of the FIRST FLL Challenge registration fee, challenge set, and SPIKE PRIME Kit. It offers reimbursement up to $926, and the deadline to apply is November 1, 2023. 

Additional grants can be viewed here. Be sure to use the filters at the top to select the correct location (state/country/continent), type of team (rookie/veteran), FIRST program (the specific level of FLL your team belongs to), and be aware of the application deadlines. After applying for a grant, the reimbursement will be funneled through the school/organization you’re affiliated with, and you should receive a check.

Meeting/Storage Spaces

FLL teams may meet at the location of the school/organization that they’re affiliated with. Be sure to reach out to principals, secretaries, and/or administrators for approval before doing so, as a staff member or approved parent/mentor should be present to supervise the meeting, as well as unlock and lock the building as needed.

You can also meet in other public places, such as libraries and municipal buildings, or ask other teams in the area (even FTC or FRC teams) if you can meet in their facility. For example, our FRC (high school) team, Lightning Robotics, meets in Canton High School and allows several FTC (middle school) teams in the area to meet there as well. 

Finally, you can meet in a coach’s or team member’s house/residence. Regardless of where you choose to meet, contact officials to make sure you’ll be able to meet there (if applicable), and communicate with your team members, mentors, and parents/guardians where you will be meeting.

Supplies (robot parts, game field, supplies, engineering notebooks, etc.), can be stored at a coach’s house or a school/organization building (as long as the organization approves of such).

The number of times your team will need to meet per week and the duration of each meeting will depend on what you need to get done, as well as the availability of mentors, meeting locations, and more. 

Mentorship

All FIRST programs and levels require two adult coaches to guide the team, although individuals filling the Coach 1 and Coach 2 positions can change as the team sees fit. Both coaches must register through FIRST (instructions can be found in the How to Start a New Team section) and complete the Youth Protection Program and background checks. Additional coaches who go through this process are affiliated with the team, but they aren’t considered official leaders when it comes to official communications/actions between FIRST and the team. Head coaches may reach out to parents and other adults to request their mentorship, or parents/other adults may reach out to head coaches to volunteer to mentor. A team administrator is not required. 

Mentors are expected to manage communications within the team, handle team finances and registration, come to the majority of meetings to guide students, and complete other administrative tasks that must be done. 

Season Timelines

• One to two months prior to early August (the game reveal): For existing teams, we recommend reaching out to members from previous years to see if they’re interested in returning, as well as recruiting new members (such as through the school newsletter, flyers, social media, and more). For new teams, we also recommend determining which students are interested in joining the team. 

  • If you’re having trouble recruiting students, reaching out to school or district administrators can help teams spread the message. If your school has news announcements in the form of a daily video, for example, you can record a video describing what your team does and send it to be featured in the announcements, prompting students to contact you or fill out a form. You may also be able to write a description of your team and submit it to the school to feature in regular newsletters or weekly communications. 

  • Social media is also a great way to reach out to members in your community, particularly by posting flyers or messages advertising your team on boards (ie, Facebook boards) local to your PTO or other school organizations.

• As soon as they’re available: Purchase the parts and supplies listed in the Expenses section so your team can start brainstorming ideas and building the robot as soon as possible.

• Early August: The seasonal game is revealed.

• Early August - Mid-November: There is a detailed meeting-by-meeting timeline written by FIRST that you can access here.  We recommend making sure to follow this as closely as possible, as it will put you in good shape for competitions. 

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