North Kansas City, MO · Near Lakewood Elementary

After-School Coding Near Lakewood Elementary

Families near Lakewood Elementary choose Love to Code Academy for one reason that goes beyond coding: their kids leave stronger — in confidence, teamwork, and the persistence to keep going when things get hard.

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Lakewood Elementary families in North Kansas City come to Love to Code Academy looking for an activity that challenges their child without overwhelming them. At our Northland campus on Barry Road (248 NE Barry Rd, Kansas City, MO 64155), Lakewood Elementary students learn alongside classmates from across the North Kansas City School District in Coding, Robotics, and Esports tracks, each one reinforcing the same character framework session after session.

LTCA's program runs kindergarten through eighth grade, so a Lakewood Elementary student can start young and stay with us straight through middle school. What many Lakewood Elementary families appreciate most is the structure behind the fun. Every session has assigned roles, real challenges, and coaches trained to notice specific behaviors, like a student staying with a hard problem instead of asking for help too soon, and naming that persistence out loud. The belt system then puts that growth in writing. If your Lakewood Elementary student is ready to turn screen time into something they can be proud of, schedule a free trial class and see a session for yourself.

Why Families Choose LTCA

Why families nearby choose Love to Code Academy

Technology is the environment. Character is the outcome.

Every session at Love to Code Academy is structured around one controlling idea: we grow kids, not just coders. The projects students build are real. The growth that happens while building them is the point.

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One program, three tracks

Students choose Coding, Robotics, or Esports — or move between all three. Every track runs on the same character framework and the same belt progression from White to Black.

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The belt system makes growth visible

Nine belts track both technical skill and character development simultaneously. Parents always know exactly where their child stands and what specific behaviors they are working toward next.

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Coaches, not just instructors

Every LTCA coach is trained to name character traits in real time — not at end-of-semester reviews. Persistence is recognized when it happens. Teamwork is named the moment it is shown.

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Fits a busy family's schedule

After-school sessions, weekend options, and summer camps — designed for students who already have full schedules. Families in the Northland can build LTCA into any routine without conflict.

Three Tracks. One Character Framework.

Choose the track that fits your child

Every track at Love to Code Academy is built on the same foundation — the LTCA Character Framework — with ten observable traits reinforced in every session, regardless of which program your child is in.

💻 Coding

Block-based and text-based coding using Scratch, Kodable, and Microsoft MakeCode. Students build real projects and develop the persistence to debug and rebuild when something doesn't work.

Students from Lakewood Elementary bring the curiosity and energy that LTCA coaches build on from the very first session — progressing from block-based to text-based coding as they advance.

K–8 Scratch Kodable MakeCode

Learn about Coding

🤖 Robotics

Hands-on building with LEGO Education and VEX Robotics. Students design, build, and compete — developing teamwork and engineering mindset through real physical challenges that can't be simulated.

Elementary students from Lakewood Elementary discover in Robotics that building something physical — and rebuilding it when it doesn't work — is one of the most satisfying forms of problem-solving they've ever experienced.

Grades 3–8 LEGO Ed VEX

Learn about Robotics

🎮 Esports

Structured competitive gaming built around self-control, sportsmanship, and team communication. The game is the environment. Character is what we are developing in every session.

Students from Lakewood Elementary find in Esports a competitive environment that takes their gaming seriously — and uses it as the training ground for self-control, teamwork, and strategic thinking.

Grades 4–8 Strategy Team Play

Learn about Esports

The LTCA Character Framework

Character traits parents can see at home

Ten traits. Reinforced every session. Visible to parents at home.

Every coach at Love to Code Academy names character traits in real time, when students show persistence, when they demonstrate teamwork, when they handle a setback with self-control. Parents in the North Kansas City area report seeing these changes at home first. Below are five of the ten traits developed across every LTCA session.

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Persistence

Persistence looks different in every session. It is the student who runs the same level five times until the code finally works, or the robot that falls over and gets rebuilt without a fuss. Coaches name it out loud, so students learn to recognize their own persistence as it happens, not just after the fact.

Learn about Persistence

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Integrity

Integrity at LTCA means owning what you built, including the parts that do not work yet. Students learn to report their own bugs, credit a teammate whose idea worked better than theirs, and accept a fair loss in Esports without excuses. Coaches watch for these small, unprompted moments of honesty and reinforce them every time.

Learn about Integrity

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Teamwork

In every LTCA session, teamwork is defined, observed, and named, not just encouraged. Students with assigned roles, shared outcomes, and coaches who recognize real collaboration versus performed participation develop a fundamentally different understanding of what it means to contribute to a group.

Learn about Teamwork

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Passion

Passion shows up as the student who keeps building after the session ends, who asks to try one more level, or who wants to show a parent the project before it is even finished. LTCA coaches protect that spark by giving students real ownership over what they create, not just a checklist to complete.

Learn about Passion

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Mentorship

Mentorship begins the moment an older or more advanced student helps a teammate work through a problem instead of solving it for them. At LTCA, students on the Lab Tech Leader pathway practice this directly, guiding younger students through builds and modeling the patience that real leadership requires.

Learn about Mentorship

View All Ten Character Traits

🥋 The Belt System Makes Growth Measurable

Nine belts — White through Black — mark each student's development across both technical skill and character. Every belt has a defined identity and observable behaviors that must be demonstrated before advancement. Learn about the belt system

Also Serving Families Near

Other Schools in the North Kansas City Area

Love to Code Academy serves K–8 students from across North Kansas City and the surrounding Northland. Click any school below for location-specific program information tailored to that school's families.

🏫 Bell Prairie Elementary