38 | JUNE 16 • 2022 

BUSINESS

W

hen it came time 
to enroll her chil-
dren in afterschool 
activities, Sarah Jacobs realized 
a place just didn’t exist that met 
their interests. There were places 
to play sports and centers for art, 
but with kids who were interested 
in technology, nothing fit the bill.
“I married an engineer, and I 
like to joke that I gave birth to 
an engineer,
” says Sarah Jacobs, 
57, of Franklin, whose husband, 
Jonathan Jacobs, works as an 
engineer. Their three children 
also hold interest in technology, 
particularly Jane, who studied 
engineering. “There was no place 
in the world for kids to do what 
my kids like to do.
”
This gave the Jacobs family an 
idea: Why not open a technology 
program where kids could com-
bine engineering with design? 
It was a big dream, but it wasn’t 
impossible.
Spending the next few years 
traveling the U.S., the Jacobses 
consulted with engineering 
experts and gathered best prac-
tices. Eventually, a solid business 
plan was in place and, with the 

help of a $25,000 loan from 
Hebrew Free Loan — a pro-
gram Jacobs says she is eternally 
grateful for — the Robot Garage 
opened its doors in 2011 in 
Birmingham.
Since then, the Robot Garage 
has expanded to include a sec-
ond location in Rochester Hills. 
Yet the goals of both remain the 
same: to offer engineering pro-
gramming to kids that’s equally 
fun and educational, teaching 
them lifelong skills and building 
friendships.

USING LEGOS TO LEARN
Through programs offered at the 
Robot Garage, kids use LEGOs 
as the base of their creations. “My 
family’s always been into LEGO 
kits,
” Sarah Jacobs explains. “It 
was really a natural way to go. 
We have always been a LEGO-
focused business because there 
are so many riches that come 
from LEGOs and electronics and 
coding and robotics.
”
Offering their own LEGO-
centric projects and curriculum, 
the Robot Garage has classes for 
kids as young as 4 or 5, going all 

the way up to eighth grade. They 
also work with high school-aged 
students and high school teams 
on an individual basis.
“We don’t use curriculum from 
other people,
” Jacobs explains. 
“The benefit of that is the same 
people who design our projects 
are actually teaching and getting 
feedback, so we’re constantly 
refining our process.
”
Before the COVID-19 
pandemic, the Robot Garage was 
serving up to 7,500 kids a year. 
Yet, like many businesses across 
the country, they were impacted 
by the crisis and turned to an 
online model where they shipped 
project kits nationwide, also 
incorporating paid video content 
to learn on-demand. Now, they’re 
30% shy of pre-COVID numbers.
Since reopening their physical 
doors last July at both locations, 
the Robot Garage is steadily 
returning to its original state, 
a process Jacobs says she and 
her husband are approaching 
conservatively. The businesses 
just recently dropped a mask 
requirement for their students, 
though staff continue to mask up.

CAMPS FOR ROBOTICS, 
VIDEO GAME DESIGN
AND MORE
Now, the Robot Garage is gearing 
up to welcome its 11th summer 

of camp programs for kids in 
grades 1-6. Sessions run for one 
week and include three themes 
to choose from: Robot Discovery, 
Video Game Design and LEGO 
Masters/Superhero.
“It’s just a really cool thing for 
kids to come in and work on a 
project together as a group that 
they are so proud of at the end 
of the week,
” Jacobs says of the 
collaborative nature of the camp 
programs.
Local families whose children 
attend the Robot Garage feel the 
same. 
“Our son, Ben, loves to under-
stand how and why everything 
works and also happens to love 
building, especially with LEGOs,
” 
says Brandon Gorge, whose son 
began sessions at age 4. 
“Robot Garage has helped him 
understand engineering, which 
seems to be his passion right 
now, in a way I didn’t know was 
possible at such a young age.
”
Plus, kids go home with more 
than just cool projects — they 
learn skills that they can apply to 
their careers. “Teaching kids how 
to code, that’s a skill they’ll have 
for the rest of their lives,
” Jacobs 
says. “Our kids are growing up in 
a STEM world. No matter what 
they choose for a career, they are 
going to be living in a world with 
technology.
” 

BRETT MOUNTAIN

At the Robot Garage, kids learn lifelong 
skills through fun engineering projects.

A Place for Kids 
Who Love STEM

ASHLEY ZLATOPOLSKY CONTRIBUTING WRITER

ROBOT GARAGE

Jonathan and 
Sarah Jacobs

Jonathan and 
Sarah Jacobs 
with their oldest 
daughter Jane, 
who was an 
inspiration for 
the business

