Robot Academy

A Robot Academy Program

Teaching Kids to Code Since 2006

Ages 9-13

The only program teaching kids to code the way professionals actually work in 2025

In six weeks, your child will build and publish multiple games—using AI as a creative partner, with complete parent visibility and kid-safe guardrails built in.

Complete parent visibility - view every AI interaction
Smart guardrails that redirect, not block
Teaching healthy AI habits, not dependency
See Student Games

Student-Built Games

Real games created by kids ages 9-13 in just 6 weeks. Playable right now.

Galactic Triangle Invasion game screenshot

Galactic Triangle Invasion

Built by Henry & Smith, age 9

Blast through waves of triangle invaders and defeat five epic bosses to save the galaxy!

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Ice Grappler game screenshot

Ice Grappler

Built by Charles, age 13

Master slippery ice platforms and use your special grapple power to reach the top in this endless climbing adventure!

View on Desktop

In just 6 weeks, your child will build games like these! No experience necessary.

See How

How It Works

Learn AI-assisted coding the way professionals work in 2025. Build real games with LIVE instruction and a 1:6 student-teacher ratio. No drag-and-drop—actual professional tools.

LIVE interactive online cohorts start October 23rd (Thursday evenings) or October 25th (Saturday mornings). One hour per week for six weeks. With only 20 students per cohort and a 1:6 student-to-teacher ratio, your child gets direct mentorship from expert instructors—including one-on-one time every session. This isn't watching videos or following tutorials. It's LIVE, interactive learning with immediate feedback.

Meet Your Instructor

Meet Your Lead Instructor

Michael Vawter, Lead Instructor

Michael Vawter started coding at age 9, building robots to solve everyday problems—like one that turned off his bedroom lights automatically. By middle school, he'd won back-to-back world championships in robotics, placing 1st among 10,000 teams from 39 countries.

That was just the beginning. Michael went on to publish peer-reviewed research in vision science and co-founded Robot Academy in 2006. Over 19 years, Robot Academy has taught coding to thousands of students through school partnerships across Ohio—not just coding theory, but real skills that work.

Today, Michael builds AI-powered financial applications for global clients. He uses these exact AI tools professionally, every day. When he saw the gap between how coding is taught and how developers actually work in 2025, he created this program to bridge it.

Michael personally teaches every cohort, along with a team of expert coding instructors trained by Robot Academy. Your child gets direct, one-on-one guidance from someone who's been the curious kid, became a world champion, and codes at the cutting edge today.

AI Safety

But is AI safe for my child?

Real developers in 2025 are using AI as a coding & research partner. It's not cheating - it's the new literacy. By learning healthy habits with AI, your child can outperform developers twice their age.

But we understand the question: "How do you keep this safe?"

Let us show you exactly how we've built the ONLY kid-safe way to learn AI-assisted development.

Your Parent Dashboard: Complete Visibility

Log in whenever you want and view a complete history of your child's AI interactions. Every prompt. Every response. Every project. Click delete to erase their history from our system anytime. We don't use this data except to provide support during class, and we delete everything after the cohort ends unless you choose otherwise.

Smart Filters That Guide, Not Block

Our proprietary system redirects students toward age-appropriate game development topics automatically. Game idea with excessive violence? It guides them toward exciting action-adventure instead. Off-topic question? The system brings them gently back to their project. All interactions are monitored to keep everything appropriate and on-task.

The Critical Difference

While competitors either ignore safety, ban AI entirely, or offer unrestricted AI chat, we've built something different. We're not giving kids an AI friend. We're teaching them to use AI as a creative tool, safely. We're teaching them to know when to use AI and when not to - how to become empowered creators who can use the latest technology in a sophisticated and healthy way.

Safety Isn't an Afterthought

It's the foundation everything else is built on. With complete parent oversight, instructor supervision, and robust protections that meet and exceed industry standards for children, your child will learn how to do what today's most cutting-edge developers are doing—while you maintain complete visibility and control.

Why Now Matters

The Calculator Moment

In the 1980s, forward-thinking families embraced calculators while others outlawed them in the classroom. Those parents weren't wrong to be concerned; they were trying to protect their kids from becoming overly reliant on tech. But the calculator-using students were empowered to spend their time mastering calculus and statistics instead of long division, and this gave them a leg up against their peers. Today it's obvious that engineers, data scientists, and innovators don't avoid calculators—they use them as tools to solve bigger problems.

Today, we're at the same crossroads with AI. The innovators of tomorrow are learning healthy habits with AI today.

See Enrollment Details

Join Our Fall Cohort

Two cohorts launching this month. Limited to 20 students each.

$497$397per student

Siblings collaborate free on one account, or get separate accounts at $247 each for individual games and instructor time.

Everything Included

6 weeks of LIVE instruction from Michael Vawter—two-time world robotics champion who codes professionally with AI today

1:6 student-to-teacher ratio—direct, one-on-one attention every session

Build & publish multiple games—platformers, shooters, custom concepts—showcased for friends and family

Master AI-assisted development—the way professionals work in 2025, with healthy habits built in

KidSafe AI platform access during cohort plus 3 free months after to keep building independently

Parent visibility dashboard—view every AI interaction, delete anytime, complete transparency

Peace-of-Mind guarantee: 100% refund within 2 weeks of registration, free transfers anytime before cohort starts

Cohort 1: Thursday Evenings

6 Thursdays, 4:30-5:30pm EST

Oct 23, 30, Nov 6, 13, 20, Dec 4

Cohort 2: Saturday Mornings

6 Saturdays, 10:00-11:00am EST

Oct 25, Nov 1, 8, 15, 22, Dec 6

Flexible scheduling: Makeup sessions available, and students can attend either cohort time as needed (mix Thursday and Saturday sessions to fit your schedule).

Only 20 spots per cohort. Cohorts start Oct 23 & 25.

Ready to Start?

Questions? See FAQ or email info@robot-academy.com or call (614) 769-7626