FCSS Is committed to the growth of hands on learning opportunities for Fresno County students.  One of the focuses is expand access to robotics which will allow the region to grow.  For the past two years FCSS has partnered with Chevron and Cal-MSCS to start the Central Valley FTC (FIRST Tech Challenge) League in order to bridge the gap between FIRST Lego League(FLL) and FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC).  This expansion included support in 2024-25 of 10 schools to start their robotics programs which resulted in the creation of 12 FTC teams.  In 2025-26 FCSS supported the development of robotics teams at 19 schools (11 FLL teams and 9 FTC teams).  All told, the Central Valley now has 89+ FLL teams and 25 FTC teams participating in robotics events.

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Empowering School with Robotics included benefits (9/12/2026)

Cohort 1 (2024-25 Teams): 

• FTC: Includes access to Central Valley FabLab and Mobile Learning Lab, training & practice field opportunities.  Team responsibility will include FIRST team registration, Central Valley FTC League team registration, robotics upgrades and other associated costs.

Cohort 2 (2025-26  Teams): 

• FLL:  Includes 2026-27 FIRST team registration fee, training & practice field opportunities. Team responsibility will include Central Valley Robotics competition fees, robotics upgrades and other associated costs.
• FTC: 2026-27 Central Valley FTC League fees, training & practice opportunities. Team responsibility will include FIRST team registration, NorCal Champions competition fees (if applicable), robotics upgrades and other associated costs.

Cohort 3 (2026-27 Teams): 

• FLL: 2026-27 FIRST team registration fees, robotics kit, competition table, summer training for 1 mentor, Central Valley Robotics competition fees, training & practice field opportunities.
• FTC: 2026-27 FIRST team registration fees, Central Valley FTC League fees, robotics kit, summer training for 2 mentors,  training & practice field opportunities.