Programs


FIRST RobOTICS COMPETITION (FRC)
Winning the Rookie Inspiration Award at the 2022 FIRST Robotics Competition Ontario Championship

Ages: 14 – 18 years old
Registration: OPEN

Our flagship program is our FIRST Robotics Competitive team – the Ed Bears.

This program teaches 14-18 year olds to not only code and build robots, but graphic design, website development, team building and much more. The team participates in competitions and if they qualify, they will take part in the provincial championship in March.

Our rookie team walked away with the “Rookie Inspiration Award” in the 2022 Provincial competition!!

This is the highest level of robotics competition offered by FIRST. High-school students team up with the world’s best technology companies to build the most impressive robots you’ve ever seen. Built from scratch, these 5 foot tall, 100 pound robots compete in high intensity robo-sports. With bragging rights at stake for schools and the companies that support them, robotics takes on a pro-sports experience. Watch the best of the best in robotics come out to play.

“The varsity sport for the mind,” FRC combines the excitement of sport with the rigors of science and technology. Under strict rules, limited resources, and time limits, teams of 25 students or more are challenged to raise funds, design a team “brand,” hone teamwork skills, and build and program robots to perform prescribed tasks against a field of competitors. It’s as close to “real-world engineering” as a student can get. Volunteer professional mentors lend their time and talents to guide each team.

Would you like to join our robotics team and compete in a tournament? We build, troubleshoot, and practice every Saturday afternoon at The Education Bank Tech Centre. Fill in the form below (please include your grade and phone number in the comment/message.


FIRST TECH CHALLENGE

Ages: 9 – 18 years old
Registration: Closed

This exciting program offers kids from 9-18 years old the chance to not only learn and build, but participate in competition. This is the chance for them to demonstrate their skills and celebrate with teams from across the province by taking part in competition.

Teams of students engage in research, problem-solving, coding, and engineering – building and programming a robot that navigates the missions of a robot game. As part of Challenge, teams also participate in a research project to identify and solve a relevant real-world problem.


FIRST LEGO LEAGUE: DISCOVER

Ages: 4 – 6 years old
Registration: Closed

This is the entry program for our robotics program, engaging 4-6 year olds in their first coding and robotics experience. This playful introductory STEM program ignites their natural curiosity and builds their habits of learning with hands-on activities in the classroom and at home using LEGO® Duplo® bricks.

Since the world our kids will live in will be dependent on technology, we must start them on a path that supports learning and offers them to learn in a style that inspires them to want to continue in the world of coding and technology.


FIRST LEGO LEAGUE: EXPLORE

Ages: 6 – 10 years old
Registration: Closed

The Explore team is the next step for our 6-10 year olds to continue their journey in coding and robotics, refining their skills and knowledge about the world technology will offer them in the future.

In EXPLORE, teams of students ages 6-10 focus on the fundamentals of engineering as they explore real-world problems, learn to design and code, and create unique solutions made with LEGO bricks and powered by LEGO® Education WeDo 2.0


BACK-TO-SCHOOL BACKPACKS

Ages: 3+
Registration: June 2023

At the end of August, every child receives a backpack filled with school supplies to start the new school year.

This one-day event involves the extended Education Bank community: families, volunteers, program delivery partners, and more.


School Supplies

Ages: 3+
Registration: OPEN

Pens, pencils, erasers, paper, binders, notepads, books … these are everyday essentials that every child needs for school. We keep our shelves stocked, so that’s one less excuse for not getting homework done.

Families come to the Education Bank once every two months to choose the supplies their children need.


Book Club

Ages: 3 – 18 years old
Registration: OPEN

Over 300 kids participate in our book clubs and registration soars as soon as it is released. Each book club is based on a theme.

In the summer, we focused on diversity, encouraging all our readers to explore and understand a culture of their own or one that they are not familiar with.

This winter our book club will focus on science. Great stories of scientists, books with activities and experiments and little projects for our youngest readers.


Tutoring: MATH

Ages: 10 – 18 years old
Registration: OPEN

Part of equity is providing our kids with the support they need to bring their grades up to level. This is so important, especially following the instability in education that the pandemic caused, and this program is focused on building their learning and their confidence.

Facilitated by university students, we have had great feedback from our families on the value this program has brought their children.


ART CLASSES

Ages: 6 – 16 years old
Registration: soon …

Let your creativity flow!! Sketching, painting, card making, beading and more!!


Stay tuned for new registration opportunities coming soon.


MUSIC CLASSES

Ages: 6 – 16 years old
Registration: early 2023

In 2022, we launched our music program, thanks to our partnership with Long & McQuade. Over 3 months, students learned the ukelele and had a great time releasing their talent.


SPORTS TEAMS

Ages: 6 – 16 years old
Registration: May 2023

Thanks to the support of Jumpstart, we launched our Soccer and Basketball teams!!

Besides the health benefits of exercise, the opportunity to learn from varsity students from the University of Toronto meant they built skills and had a great experience playing together.

This is a summer program made possible through our partner Jumpstart – an organization founded in 2005 that has helped 2.7 million kids overcome barriers to sport and recreation in an effort to provide inclusive play for kids of all abilities.


LEGO BUILDING

Ages: 5 – 12 years old
Registration: June 2023

Creativity and STEM come together in our lego building program. The youngest explore building small projects while the older kids build moving structures or helicopters, boats, cars, trucks and other fun mobile structures.


CAD & 3D Printing

Ages: 12 – 18 years old
Registration: Closed

This program provides kids with the skills to design in CAD (Computer Aided Design) software and print their designs free of charge at the Education Bank Tech Centre.

Registration is currently closed, but keep checking back for notice when registrations open up.


3D PEN DESIGN

Ages: 5 – 12 years old
Registration: June 2023

This is one of our most popular and fun program offered during the summer break. Kids design their projects with the use of 3D pens.

Registration opens June 2023.