Program Leader Starter Kit | Afterschool Robotics & STEM

Build the plan, prepare your people, and give your program a stronger foundation for the next season.**

Leading a robotics or STEM program means organizing much more than the next build. You need a realistic calendar, clear mentor expectations, meaningful student roles, a workable budget, and a way to carry knowledge forward when people change.

The **Spark Shape Sustain™ Program Leader Starter Kit** brings those pieces together in eight editable Word tools. Use it to plan a new afterschool program, organize an existing team, or strengthen the routines that help students and adults share the work.

## What’s included

- **Program Startup Checklist:** Work through purpose, capacity, recruitment, launch routines, the first cycle, and continuity. Assign owners, track readiness, and identify the next action.

- **Mentor Expectations and Onboarding Guide:** Establish shared expectations, use an onboarding checklist, plan the first 30 days, and practice **Ask • Model • Release** so students keep ownership of their learning.

- **Team Roles and Strengths Chart:** Explore student interests, clarify technical and nontechnical roles, assign responsibilities, and revisit roles as students grow.

- **Sample Season Calendar:** Adapt a 16-week example, season overview, weekly meeting rhythm, milestone tracker, and event countdown to your actual schedule.

- **Student Leadership Progression:** Use five leadership levels, readiness reviews, a competency matrix, and a supported handoff plan to prepare students for greater responsibility.

- **Sponsor and Partner Contact Tracker:** Organize prospects, outreach, meeting notes, contributions, thank-yous, and renewal conversations.

- **Simplified Program Budget:** Plan startup, operating, and event costs; track funding and purchases; and review the season’s finances. Calculations are completed manually.

- **End-of-Season Reflection:** Gather evidence, hear from students, review team systems, and turn what you learned into priorities for the next cycle.

A **Start Here guide** explains how to open, edit, and use the files.

## Made for program leaders

Designed for robotics coaches, STEM club sponsors, afterschool coordinators, mentor leads, and educators building or strengthening a student-centered program. Start with the Program Startup Checklist, then choose the tools that address your team’s next need.

## Editable to fit your setting

Your digital download is a **ZIP folder with eight Microsoft Word (.docx) documents and one Start Here text file**. Use the **Microsoft Word desktop app** for the intended editing experience. Response fields, checkboxes, and dropdowns are included where appropriate; wording and tables can also be edited. Other apps may display fonts and interactive fields differently.

The calendar is a planning example, so replace its timing with your own confirmed dates. The budget is a Word worksheet and **does not calculate totals automatically**. Adapt all tools to your school or organization’s approved requirements and procedures.

After editing, print from Word or export your own PDF. The downloadable product contains Word tools; the separate PDF preview shows selected samples.

**Explore the preview to see a page from every tool, then start with the decision your program needs to make next.**