Learn the fundamentals
Students explore mechanical design, sensors, coding, and the logic behind how a robot responds.
Free summer robotics for Essex County
Build it.
Code it.
Believe it.
Essex IQ gives middle school students a hands-on introduction to engineering—guided by high school mentors who make STEM feel approachable, collaborative, and possible.
Real robots. Real teamwork.
One unforgettable summer.
400+students served since 2021
6consecutive summers
~70students each summer
~30high school mentors annually
2Essex County locations
Why middle school?
The moment when STEM becomes something students can see themselves doing.
Middle school is often when students begin deciding whether technical subjects feel interesting, achievable, and meant for them. Essex IQ makes that decision tangible.
Students do not only hear about engineering. They build mechanisms, write code, troubleshoot failures, and improve a machine they can see move. A technical subject becomes a skill they know how to approach.
How the summer works
From first build to final competition.
Each team moves through the same practical learning cycle: understand the system, test an idea, learn from what happens, and try again.
Build, code, and iterate
Small teams turn ideas into working robots, testing and improving them with support from near-peer mentors.
Compete together
The summer culminates in a robotics competition where students put their design and teamwork to the test.
The near-peer difference
Students learn from mentors who were recently in their shoes.
High school mentors lead small teams through the challenge of building a competition-ready robot. They bring technical knowledge, patience, and something equally important: a visible example of what a student can become next.
NewarkDonald M. Payne, Sr. School of Technology
West CaldwellWest Caldwell School of Technology
One Newark student arrived with only a narrow picture of the careers available to him. After building and coding a robot with his team, engineering no longer felt abstract or reserved for someone else. It felt like a path he could pursue.
A student story from Essex IQ
Built for Essex County
A volunteer-led program with strong public-school roots.
Essex IQ is a volunteer-led 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded by alumni of the Millburn High School robotics program. Families participate free of charge, with particular attention to students who have limited access to high-quality extracurricular STEM programs.
Essex County Schools of Technology provides the institutional foundation—including facilities, certified educators, insurance, administrative and recruitment support, and equipment—so private support can stay focused on the student experience.
The next build
Help restore a full day of discovery.
Essex IQ is building toward a $20,000 annual fundraising goal to keep the program free, restore full-day programming with meals, and maintain the equipment and materials students need.
Make a one-time gift or choose monthly support through our secure Give Lively page. Gifts of every size support the program as a whole.
Donate to Essex IQWhat support unlocks
Meals
Make six-hour program days accessible to every student.
Equipment
Keep robots, parts, batteries, and competition fields ready.
Student materials
Provide the practical supplies that make the summer feel complete.