The cost of art supplies, including packs of white paper, crayons, and glue, is $374, including shipping and <a target="new" href="http://www.donorschoose.org/html/fulfillment.htm" onclick="g_openWindow('http://www.donorschoose.org/html/fulfillment.htm', 300, 800, 'fulfillwindow');return false;">fulfillment</a>.
FULLY FUNDED! Ms. A.'s classroom raised $374
This project is fully funded
I am the art teacher at a year round elementary school in Wake County, North Carolina. I teach art to 39 Pre-K through 5th grade classes at my school. I have over 850 students and see each class about once a week. The population at my school that is eligible for free or reduced lunch has been rising each year, and right now stands at about 25%. Many of the students whose families have less money are unable to provide their children with art materials to make art with at home. This is unfortunate, because many of my students show great potential and will draw and create with whatever they can find.
Since my classes are only 40 or 45 minutes, there are always a few students who are not able to finish their work within the allotted time. If I suggest they try to finish it at home, I always hear, "But I don't have (markers, crayons, scissors, colored pencils, glue, etc.) at home." Lending out my supplies doesn't work, because I need them every class period in my classroom and do not have enough to send supplies home. I have occasionally let students take a supply home at the end of the day, but without a system for keeping track, I am afraid to make a practice of it.
I propose creating a system of clear plastic backpacks full of art supplies. I can keep them in my storage closet for the sole purpose of being checked out to take home. The child can take the backpack full of supplies including a few sheets of paper, markers, crayons, glue, colored pencils, scissors, and a clipboard. They would have to sign it out like they sign out books in the library. That way I would always know who had the art supplies at home. Students would be able to check out a backpack for a few days in order to complete an art project they started in class, work on a project for their regular class, or even just to develop an idea that they have for an artwork to make on their own. This would allow students who didn't have supplies at home to have the same opportunities to create as their more fortunate peers!
I think I could manage to replenish any consumable supplies that get used up with donations from families at my school or with some of the supplies from our yearly school supply drive. I hope you decide to fund this project to give my young artists an opportunity to create more than the one time a week that they come to art. Thank you for reading.
More than half of students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Ms. A. and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.