STAGE 3. THE CATCH-UP · HELPING KIDS LEARN TO CODE

Shio had never been in a building with more than 4 floors.

Then we took 150+ kids to the 59th floor of US Bank Tower for AccessCon 2025. Christopher Sean (Ultraman, Like a Dragon) opened. Allen V Dam (Fast & Furious, Rambo) followed. Kids of STEAM is more than coding lessons: free STEAM education, AccessCon industry access, Kids Helping Kids fundraising, and the JAM Pack platform. Coding in 90 days. Free for life.

Enroll a Kid (Free) →
See How It Works

⭐ #1 Rated Gaming Charity on Charity Navigator|🏆 Platinum GuideStar|✅ 501(c)(3) Verified|💻 Free For Life

MORE THAN CODING

One program. Three ways in.

AccessCon is our flagship conference that puts underserved students in the same room as the industry.

Kids Helping Kids is our youth fundraising initiative where kids run campaigns for the kids coming up behind them.

JAM Pack is our gaming and STEAM educational platform for kids in and after the hospital.

PROGRAM ECOSYSTEM. YOU ARE HERE

Stage 3. After the hospital. Kids who heal need to catch up. We hand them code, robotics, AccessCon, and their own way to give back.

Kids don’t age out. The loop closes when survivors become sponsors.

THE KIDS OF STEAM INITIATIVES

Three doors. One mission.

AccessCon puts kids in the room with the industry. Kids Helping Kids puts kids in charge of the giving. JAM Pack turns play into learning, in and after the hospital.

Flagship Event · LA 2025 → NYC 2026

AccessCon

A free 3-day experience of education, innovation, and celebration. AccessCon 2025 put 150+ underserved high school students on the 59th floor of U.S. Bank Tower with keynotes from Christopher Sean and Allen V Dam. New York is next in 2026.

Explore AccessCon →

Youth Fundraising · Open Now

Kids Helping Kids

Kids fundraising for the kids coming up behind them. Birthdays, game marathons, school challenges, tournaments. A campaign takes about 5 minutes to launch, and every $1.50 raised touches one life.

Start a Campaign →

The Platform · jampack.org

JAM Pack

Our gaming and STEAM educational platform for kids in and after the hospital. 100+ games with no ads and no microtransactions, built with 250+ indie developers. Every pass helps kids in hospitals.

Explore JAM Pack →

THE PROBLEM

Kids who beat illness still lose. The next battle is academic.

A kid in the hospital for 6+ months falls 1-2 grade levels behind. Then they walk back into school. With cancer scars. With a bald head. With a math gap they did not earn.

1-2

Grade levels behind after illness

Long hospital stays mean missed school, missed friends, missed milestones.

Days to start coding real games

Our curriculum gets a kid building real Minecraft mods or Roblox games in 3 months.

Free

Forever. For every student.

Tuition free. Software free. Mentorship free. Pre-funded by donors so families never pay.

HOW KIDS OF STEAM WORKS

Three steps. Real code. Real robots. Real outcomes.

From “what is a variable?” to building a Roblox game with their name on it.

Enroll. Free. Two minutes.

Pick a world: Roblox, Minecraft mods, Python, Unity, or MeeBot robotics. We match every kid to a track and a cohort by age and interest. Illness, hardship, or just no access: they are in. AccessCon attendees get fast-tracked.

Enroll a kid free →

Learn. Real code. Real mentors.

JavaScript, Python, Java, Lua. Taught through the platforms kids already love: Minecraft mods, Roblox games, Unity, MeeBot robots. Project-based, mentor-backed, hundreds of hours of curriculum. Most students are coding real projects inside 90 days.

See the tracks →

Build. Ship something real.

A published game with their name on it. A portfolio that opens doors. Face time with working pros at AccessCon. Then the pipeline takes over: Scholarships, Interns International, League of Pros.

See AccessCon →

REAL KIDS. REAL CODE.

Shio at the 59th floor. A patient holding a robot he programmed.

These are moments captured on tape. From AccessCon LA to Lurie Children’s Chicago.

AccessCon 2025. Los Angeles. 150+ students

Shio pressed his hands against the 59th floor glass.

150+ disadvantaged high school students at U.S. Bank Tower for AccessCon 2025. Christopher Sean opened. Allen V Dam followed. Shio, 17, from East LA, had never been in a building with more than four floors. He watched a helicopter pass beneath him.

AccessCon expands to New York in 2026. This is what STEAM access looks like when industry mentors actually show up.

Read AccessCon 2025 →

Lurie Children’s Chicago. MeeBot Robot

A patient. Holding a robot he just told to move.

A young patient at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago coding with the MeeBot programmable robot through the Kids of STEAM program. From hospital patient to programmer in his bed.

Real photo and video assets in the GFL Drive. Captured the moment.

See the moment →

YOUR DOLLAR. THEIR FUTURE.

Pick what you can give. See what it builds.

Real per-student program economics. Software access, instructor time, mentor stipends.

$25

A month of software access

Roblox Studio, Unity, hosting. Tools they need to ship real things.

$100

One full course track

Beginning Python, Roblox dev, Minecraft modding, or MeeBot robotics. Pick a track.

Most Impact

$500

Sponsor a kid for the year

Every course. Every mentor session. AccessCon ticket included. Beginner to portfolio-ready.

Champion

$1,000+

Champion. Sponsor a cohort

Pay for a full pod of 5-10 students. Get cohort updates. See the games they ship.

Costs reflect typical per-student program economics. AccessCon tickets, travel, and accommodations for sponsored students vary by event.

WE’RE GIVING. KIDS OF STEAM CAMPAIGNS

Three ways to put a kid on the path.

Student, parent, donor, or mentor. Pick the door that is yours.

Student. Free Enrollment
OPEN

Enroll a kid in Kids of STEAM

Free for all kids. Especially those who have been through serious illness or hardship. Roblox, Minecraft, Python, Unity, MeeBot robotics tracks.

Apply now →

AccessCon 2026 NY
COMING

Sponsor an AccessCon attendee

AccessCon expands to NYC in 2026. Sponsor a student to attend ($500 covers ticket and access). Get the post-event impact report.

Sponsor an attendee →

Mentor. Volunteer
ROLLING

Mentor a young coder

You are a developer or industry pro? 1-2 hours/month with a student. Help them debug, ship, and dream bigger. Remote-friendly.

Become a mentor →

New cohorts launch quarterly. AccessCon NYC 2026 is the next major activation. Give to the general STEAM fund for fastest allocation.

WHY YOU CAN TRUST US

Top 0.1% of charities. Every dollar tracked. Every kid named.

A 2022 meta-analysis showed gaming therapy delivers 43% pain reduction and 61% anxiety reduction for hospitalized kids. We use what works.

Rated charity in gaming

On Charity Navigator + Platinum GuideStar

86%

Direct to Programs

14% covers admin + fundraising

$1.50

= 1 life touched

Updated from $1 in 2018

100M

Kids in 10 Years

Our north-star vision

A kid out there cannot afford coding lessons. You can fix that today.

For the cost of dinner out, you give one kid the skills to build their own future. Or send them to AccessCon NYC.

Sponsor a Coder →
Enroll a Kid (Free)
Mentor a Student
Kids: Start a Campaign →

🎉 THE 1 DAY MOVEMENT

Birthday. Anniversary. Survival day. Working day. Claim ONE day. Turn it into a hospital room.

Claim Your Day →

Helping Kids For Life.

QUESTIONS PEOPLE ASK

FAQ. Kids of STEAM

What is Kids of STEAM?

Kids of STEAM is the free STEAM education program of Games For Love, delivered through AccessCon and hospital partnerships like Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. We teach real languages (JavaScript, Python, Java, Lua), robotics (MeeBot), and full STEAM. Free for life.

What is AccessCon?

AccessCon is the flagship Kids of STEAM industry connection conference. AccessCon 2025 hosted 150+ disadvantaged high school students at U.S. Bank Tower in Los Angeles, with keynotes from Christopher Sean (actor, Ultraman/Like a Dragon) and Allen V Dam (Hollywood producer, Fast & Furious/Rambo). AccessCon expands to New York in 2026. Explore it at gamesforlove.org/accesscon.

What is Kids Helping Kids?

Kids Helping Kids is the youth fundraising initiative of Kids of STEAM. Kids run their own fundraising campaigns (birthdays, game marathons, school challenges, tournaments) for children in hospitals. A campaign takes about 5 minutes to launch at gamesforlove.org/kids-helping-kids.

What is JAM Pack?

JAM Pack is the gaming and STEAM educational platform of Games For Love for kids in and after the hospital: 100+ games with no ads or microtransactions, built with 250+ indie developers. Passes start at $1.99/month and every pass helps kids in hospitals. Learn more at gamesforlove.org/jampack.

How much does Kids of STEAM cost?

Zero. Free for life. Software access, curriculum, and mentor time are all pre-funded by donors. We never charge families.

How can I enroll my kid in free coding lessons?

Apply at gamesforlove.org/skillroles. We match each student to a curriculum based on age, interest, and starting skill level.

What programming languages and tools does Kids of STEAM teach?

JavaScript, Python, Java, Lua. Through real platforms kids care about: Minecraft mods, Roblox games, Unity, MeeBot programmable robots. Project-based learning. Every student ships a real game or project.

How do I become a mentor?

Apply at gamesforlove.org/mentor-app. Most mentors give 1-2 hours/month. Remote-friendly.

How does Kids of STEAM connect to GFL’s other programs?

Kids of STEAM is Stage 3 of our Program Ecosystem: +1Up Rescue, GFLX (Hospital), Kids of STEAM (here), Scholarships, Interns International, League of Pros. AccessCon is where stories happen.