People Just Like Me! Enhancing Cultural, Gender, and Ability Diversity
Help me give my students a sense of inclusion and diversity! Our current classroom materials are worn and outdated. These new dollhouse families represent people just like those in their families and the world around them!
Pre-kindergarten students are some of the busiest little people you will ever meet!
My students are 3, 4, and 5-year-olds in an at-risk setting.
They're smart, silly, frank, and funny! They make my day and they break my heart. They're loyal and raw, and they're already working through some of the biggest challenges a person could ever face.
They are my life's work.
Many students in my classes have endured adverse childhood experiences, some of which include physical abuse, foster home placement, parent incarceration, parent death, chronic and ongoing illness, homelessness, home infestation, developmental delays, and limited English proficiency.
Our school as a whole serves 700 students, of which 70% are from low income families and 40% have an Individualized Education Plan (IEP).
My Project
The toys I have chosen for this grant are durable, vibrant, and engaging. These sets of diverse family and community members represent a wide array of cultures, careers, and abilities, which will not only give my students a chance to see themselves in their play, but to become more accustomed to people who have some differences from them.
Giving children toys that look like the people they see at home helps to foster the sense of belonging and security that students need to thrive at school.
These new tools will help to infuse that sense of diversity and inclusion throughout the learning centers and the classroom as a whole.
DonorsChoose is the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.
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 Mrs. Hart-Henson and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.