STARR offers a range of no-cost STEAM programs strategically designed to close the education gap and provide early exposure curricula for youth beginning as early as Pre-K through 8th grade. By targeting children at this formative stage, we ensure they develop strong STEAM foundations early, positioning them for success in advanced coursework, and ultimately in careers tied to science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics. All programs are delivered by background-checked staff in safe, supportive environments.
Students build and program robots through FIRST LEGO League and other hands-on platforms, developing problem-solving, teamwork, and engineering skills as they design, test, and compete as a real robotics team. In 2022, STARR launched one of the only community-based FIRST LEGO League robotics teams in an underserved Chicago neighborhood, giving youth a genuine competitive robotics experience alongside their peers. Our robotics program has since expanded internationally, sustaining programs at four schools in Lagos, Nigeria, and continues to build the automation, coding, and critical-thinking skills students need for STEAM careers.
Our Performing Arts program integrates music, dance, and theater into the STEAM framework, ensuring students develop creativity, communication skills, confidence, and cultural pride. Known as our STARR Agents, youth performers rehearse and refine their craft throughout the year, then showcase their work at community events including our annual STEAM-A-GANZA and A Night Out With STARR, celebrating growth and accomplishment before family, friends, and peers.
Through our groundbreaking partnership with the University of Chicago Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, STARR launched the first and only community-based astronomy program serving an underserved Chicago neighborhood. Students and families gain access to telescopes, solar observation activities, and university-level expertise that would otherwise be inaccessible to low-income and minority communities. From backyard stargazing nights to hands-on sessions with real astrophysicists, our Astronomy program helps youth see themselves reaching for the STARRs, literally and figuratively.
Students grow food, study renewable growing methods, and explore the science behind sustainable agriculture through hands-on gardening and food systems projects. The program connects environmental stewardship to real community need, teaching youth how food access, nutrition, and sustainability shape the neighborhoods they live in.
Every program is no cost, hands-on, and led by trained staff.
FIRST LEGO League, autonomous robots, and computational thinking for the next generation of engineers
Visual arts, design thinking, and creative expression woven into every STEAM experience
Hands-on exploration of solar, wind, and other renewable energy systems that power a more sustainable future
Real-world exposure to STEAM careers, mentorship, and pathways that connect classroom learning to future jobs
Telescopes, solar observation, and university-level astronomy in partnership with the University of Chicago
Music, dance, and theater that build confidence, communication skills, and cultural pride
Sustainable growing, food systems, and environmental stewardship for young community leaders
Interactive lessons in artificial intelligence, programming, and digital literacy that prepare students for the growing demand in tech fields
Hands-on fun & curiosity building
Creative problem solving & teamwork
Leadership, innovation & real-world impact
Support, resources & family engagement
Getting started is simple, and always no cost.
Explore programs by age group and interest.
Pick the program(s) that fit your child best.
Submit a simple enrollment form. No cost, ever.
Your child joins hands-on sessions with trained staff.
STARR programming runs in three seasonal sessions, each building on the last.
Youth kick off the year with orientation and foundational STEAM sessions, building the skills and confidence they carry through the rest of the year
Students dive deeper into hands-on projects, from robotics builds to indoor STEAM labs, developing the technical skills behind each program
The year builds toward showcases and community celebrations, including STEAM-A-GANZA, where youth present their growth to family and community
STARR recognizes that education reform and poverty reduction cannot rest on the shoulders of youth alone. To truly dismantle systemic inequities, we must empower parents and caregivers as leaders.
Through our Parent Leadership Program, in partnership with Kids First Chicago, we provide a platform where parents unite, learn, and create strategic plans that position underserved communities to be prepared for the future. Parents gain training in advocacy, leadership, and decision-making, equipping them to influence policies, demand resources, and help design solutions tailored to their communities' needs.
Yes; all STARR programs are no cost, 100% free for enrolled families, thanks to community donations and partnerships.
We serve youth ages 5–14, with a teen peer mentoring track for ages 15–17.
Enrollment is per program, but most families select multiple tracks during sign-up.
Yes; all staff and volunteers undergo background checks as part of our safety promise.
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