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Mrs. Block from Ventura CA is requesting other through DonorsChoose, the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.

Student-led project

Ready! Set! Go! Let Our Babies Play at First Steps!

We need a sand box, wagon & trailer, castle, hide and seek climber, & swing to improve our school's childcare outdoor area.

  • $1,673 goal

Hooray! This project is fully funded

Hooray! This project is fully funded

Celebrating Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month

Celebrate Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month

This project is a part of the Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month celebration because it supports a Latino teacher or a school where the majority of students are Latino.

About My Students

Hello. I am excited to work with 2 of our teen Moms. Betsy & Maritza both have baby boys approaching their first birthday. We have an on-site childcare center called First Steps. First Steps tends to have preschool type toys. The girls are looking for age appropriate play equipment.

We are a Project Based Learning (PBL) school. The girls are in the Spark project. Students were asked, "What sparks your interest?" "What are you passionate about?" "What project can you create that matches your passion with an educational outcome?" Betsy & Maritza are passionate about having the best baby environment for their infants/young toddlers. All that the young toddlers have now is a long table on the grass. The rest of the playground is for older preschool children. The girls got together and created a wish list for their babies. They created a budget and pared down their wish list to match the budget. They took their idea to the teenage parent liaison and the director of First Steps. They met with them in a professional manner. They presented the proposal for a new infant play area to our principal. He gave the proposal 2 thumbs up. Then the students approached me to guide them in grant writing.

Maritza and Betsy created a proposal for our non-profit childcare program called First Steps. They researched safe playground equipment that is also durable. They learned that they needed non-toxic sand versus the sand you can find in the big box stores. They revised their proposal. They presented their proposals to staff. They practiced their public speaking skills. They revised what they would say. They created a PowerPoint presentation. They did not read it verbatim. They did an excellent job. All of the above skills are necessary in the workplace. They created a bid/proposal. They sought out information. They revised their project & co-wrote this grant! What teenager writes a grant??? Betsy & Maritza that's who. Both of the teen Moms are solving real-life problems. They are making the world a better place than they found it. This proposal, if funded, will help young toddlers with their gross motor skills. The teen parents will all be grateful for the new play area. Please help.

In Their Own Words

Our project idea came from our in school project called SPARK. In Spark, we pick our own passion and our passion was First Steps. As teen mothers we want to create an infant play area for the infants who attend. We are really excited to watch the babies play in the sand, slide down the slide, and swing on the swing. The sandbox we want to get has a canopy over it so our babies will not get sun burned. We have an awesome castle they can run in and out of. We are excited about our new play area.

Once this grant is posted, we will actively promote the proposal on each of our social media pages. These pages include Instagram, Facebook, & Twitter. After that, we will also tell and talk to our friends & families and our school staff to see if they are interested in donating. Once we receive the awesome playground, we will work with First Steps on where to place this awesome fun zone for the bundles of joy at First Steps. We will be very proud of our hard work for all infants & young toddlers.

This project is important to us and our school community because it will make a difference in our on school daycare and put a smile not only on our faces but the babies as well. We are excited to improve our childcare experience at First Steps. Not only is it going to make a difference, it will help them with brain development grow their motor skills and hand eye coordination. Also it will keep the babies physically active and prevent obesity.

Mrs. Block
Grades 9-12

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Where Your Donation Goes

Materials Cost Quantity Total
classic castle Bundle • Little Tikes $524.97 1 $524.97
Kidcraft Cabana Sandbox • Walmart $178.40 1 $178.40
http://www.step2.com/p/Complete-Choo-Choo-Train-Combo • Step2 $134.97 1 $134.97
Hide & Seek™ Climber & Swing • Little Tikes $129.99 1 $129.99
Sandtastik White Sandbox Sand-25 lbs. • Amazon Business $31.99 4 $127.96
Baby Diego Cub'Zone Playpen and Activity Center, Yellow/Blue/Red • Amazon Business $124.35 1 $124.35

Materials cost

$1,220.64

Vendor shipping charges

$40.00

Sales tax

$113.06

3rd party payment processing fee

$18.31

Fulfillment labor & materials

$30.00

Total project cost

$1,422.01

Suggested donation to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

$250.94

Total project goal

$1,672.95

How we calculate what's needed

Total project goal

$1,672.95

11 Donors

-$818.82

Donations toward project cost

-$711.00

Donations to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

-$107.82

match offer

-$836.48

Match offer toward project cost

-$711.01

Match offer to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

-$125.47

Excluded support for DonorsChoose

-$17.65

Still needed View calculationHide calculation

$0.00

Our team works hard to negotiate the best pricing and selections available.

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Project Activity

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