We Grow Kids, Not Just Coders.
Spots are filling fast. Your child will build real projects, earn real advancements, and develop the confidence and character that lasts long after the final session.
This Is Not a Coding School.
Most technology programs teach kids how to code. Love to Code Academy uses coding, robotics, and esports to develop who your child is becoming.
Every session, coaches observe how students treat each other, how they respond to challenge, and how they take ownership of their work. When a student shows persistence, shares a role with a teammate, or steps in to help without being asked, a coach names it out loud and connects it to a character trait. Not once in a while. Every session. Consistently. That repetition is how character is built.
Your child will learn to code. They will build robots. They will compete in esports. But what you will notice at home is that they are more confident, more patient, and more willing to try hard things. That is the real product.
Find answers, insights, and real stories in our blog for parents.
Three Tracks. One Mission.
Every program develops the same character framework through a different technology environment.
Build Something Real
Students create apps, games, and projects using real code. Every build develops persistence, creative thinking, and the deep satisfaction of completing something they made from scratch.
Design. Build. Solve.
Students design and program real robots. Hands-on engineering challenges build teamwork, problem-solving, and the resilience that comes from rebuilding something until it finally works.
Compete. Lead. Grow.
Students compete as a team in structured gaming environments. Coaches develop communication, sportsmanship, and leadership in every match. Esports turns screen time into a leadership training ground.
Four Pillars. Every Student. Every Session.
These are not values on a wall. They are what coaches develop in every class through real expectations, real feedback, and real reflection.
How We Treat Others
Students practice teamwork, inclusion, and sportsmanship in every session. Your child learns that how they treat others matters as much as how well they perform.
How We Manage Ourselves
Students develop persistence, integrity, and self-control through real challenges. When things get hard, they learn to keep going. When they make mistakes, they own them.
What Drives Us
Students find passion by creating things that matter to them. Commitment and curiosity grow as students take real ownership of what they build and how they improve over time.
How We Serve Others
Advanced students become mentors who develop peers and shape the culture around them. Leadership at LTCA is earned through consistent character, not assigned by age or grade level.
How Character Gets Built in Every Session
Observe
Coaches watch for real behavior in real moments. Not test scores or project grades. Sharing, persisting, taking ownership, and supporting a teammate are all visible when you know what to look for.
Name
Coaches name the trait immediately and out loud. “That is persistence. You kept going when it was hard.” The student knows exactly what they did and what it means about who they are becoming.
Reinforce
Good character is acknowledged and reinforced. Behavior that misses the standard is corrected immediately, clearly, and without lectures. Real standards, applied to every student, in every session.
Repeat
The same traits are named four to six times per session, across every student, across 36 weeks and nine development sprints. Consistent repetition builds real character. Not once in a while. Every session.
Three Ways to Experience LTCA
Find the format that fits your child’s schedule and learning goals.
Consistent Weekly Growth
Ongoing weekly sessions through the school year. Students build community, develop skills, and earn belt advancements in a structured environment they can count on week after week.
An Intensive Week of Building
Focused week-long summer experiences where students build, compete, and develop character in an immersive, high-energy environment. Great for new students and returning members ready for a challenge.
Character Under Pressure
Year-round competitive training for students ready to lead. Competition teaches what weekly sessions cannot: how to perform with character when the results are on the line and teammates are counting on you.
Advancement Earned, Not Given
At most programs, showing up earns progression. At LTCA, it does not. Our nine-belt system tracks both skill development and character growth. Students advance when they demonstrate who they are becoming, not just what they built last week.
White belt students are learning to belong. Red belt students are actively leading others. Each belt between them represents a real identity milestone that a student earns through consistent, observable character. Parents watch the growth. Students wear the belt with pride because they know what it took.
Explore the Belt SystemWhat Parents Ask Before They Enroll
What makes Love to Code Academy different from other kids coding classes?
Most coding programs teach technology skills. LTCA uses technology to develop character. Coding, robotics, and esports are the environment, not the end goal. Every session is built around ten character traits across four pillars: Relationships, Responsibility, Purpose, and Leadership. The belt system formalizes that growth so students and parents can see it.
What ages and grades do you serve?
LTCA serves students in grades K through 8, roughly ages 5 through 14. Our coaching model and session structure are adapted for each developmental stage, so a kindergartener and a seventh grader are both served well within the same Character Framework, with age-appropriate coaching and expectations.
Does my child need any coding experience to start?
No prior experience is needed, and none is expected. LTCA is built for students at every starting point, from children who have never touched a coding environment to those who have been tinkering for years. The belt system ensures every student starts at the right level and progresses at a pace that matches where they are. White Belt is a real and intentional starting point, not a placeholder.
Are classes in person or online?
Classes are in person at our Kansas City location, serving families across the Kansas City metro area. Students work at a real workstation, alongside real peers, with a coach in the room. Being physically present with a coach and a team is what makes the character coaching possible, so the in person environment is the program, not a limitation of it.
How often do classes meet, and how many students are in a class?
Most classes meet once per week for 60 minutes. More advanced programs may meet more frequently as the work and the commitment level increase. Most classes run at a 10:1 student to coach ratio, and advanced programs run at 8:1. In larger classes a Lab Tech provides additional support, so every student is known by name and coached individually. After-school programs follow a 36-week development cycle built around nine four-week sprints.
Can my child try a class before we enroll?
Yes. We offer a free 60-minute trial class where your child joins a real working session with a coach and peers, builds something, and takes it home. It is not a tour and it is not a sales demo. Afterward you can sit down with a coach and ask anything about how your child would fit in. No commitment required.
How does the belt system work, and how do you actually build character?
The belt system has nine levels, from White to Black, across four developmental stages: Participant, Contributor, Creator, and Leader. Advancement requires two things: demonstrated skill growth and consistent, observable character development across a four-week sprint. Both must be present. Coaches observe a behavior, name the trait it demonstrates, and reinforce it in the moment, so growth is specific and visible rather than vague praise.
Are your coaches background checked?
Yes. All LTCA staff and coaches go through background checks as part of our hiring process. Coaches are also trained specifically in the Love to Code coaching model, not just the technology they teach. Students are supervised by coaches throughout the session, from arrival through pickup, and are never left unsupervised during program hours. Read how we screen, supervise, and handle behavior in full.
Find Us on Barry Road
Our academy is at 248 NE Barry Road in Kansas City, Missouri, and it is where every after-school class, camp, and competition team meets. It sits about fifteen minutes from most Northland communities.
We serve families in Kansas City itself, along with Liberty, North Kansas City, Gladstone, Parkville, Riverside, Smithville, Kearney, and Platte City. Each of those communities has its own page listing the schools we work with and the session times for that area.
Your Child Deserves More Than Screen Time.
They deserve an environment where technology builds confidence, collaboration, and real character. That is exactly what we have built here.