Help me give my students a quick snack of applesauce, assorted fruit bowls, or an apple juice box, for those times they didn't get any (or enough) breakfast or lunch.
My class of urban transitional kindergarten students are learning how to get along and express their needs in a social group setting, which is especially important since many of my students did not attend preschool. In addition, they are expected to develop foundational skills in reading, writing, and math!
About 50% of my kindergarteners are English language learners, and 30% are classified as Newcomers because they entered my classroom speaking very little or no English.
Our small, Title I school is located in an urban, high-poverty neighborhood in Northern California. My transitional and traditional-aged kindergarteners are eager to learn and full of energy. Many of my families are unable to take their children to the library or to provide access to lots of books at home.
My Project
I've been trying to teach my urban transitional kindergarteners to express their needs or wants with words, not hands or feet. We talk about "Being Responsible," which means acknowledging our actions, and coming to school, on time, ready to learn.
So it breaks my heart when I hear a little cry from one of my young students, such as, "My stomach hurts," or "I'm hungry," while I'm in the middle of a read-aloud or other academic activity.
I try to check in with kids in the morning, to see whether they ate any breakfast, but when kids come tardy, that usually means there wasn't time for breakfast and I am in the midst of teaching.
Sometimes the lunchbox simply doesn't have food in it. Sometimes the lunch supervisor will tell me my little ones simply spent too much time talking during our lunch break and don't eat more than a few bites, before tossing the remainder. I would like to be able to offer my students some fruit or a small apple juice box (to go with the Goldfish crackers and pretzels we received in a previously funded DonorsChoose.org project). The fruit offered through our free breakfast/lunch program is often not ripe or sliced, so my young kindergarteners can barely gnaw on them, especially when missing a tooth or two! I've seen sullen, withdrawn children transform into smiling, interactive kids, just by making the time and having the resources to meet this most basic need: hunger. The truly hungry children will learn it's okay to ask for what they need. Last year I was able to get some canned fruit and juice boxes for my class, which the hungriest kids appreciated.
Juicy Juice 100% Apple Juice, 4.23-Ounce Packages 8 boxes, (Pack of 5)
• Amazon Business
$24.49
4
$97.96
Dole Fruit Bowls, Diced Peaches in 100% Fruit Juice, 4 Ounce (36 Cups), All Natural Diced Peaches Packed in Fruit Juice, Naturally Gluten Free, Non-GMO, No Artificial Sweeteners
• Amazon Business
$31.03
2
$62.06
Dole Fruit Bowls, Cherry Mixed Fruit in 100% Fruit Juice, 4 Ounce (12 Cups), Pineapple Pear Peach & Cherry Packed in Fruit Juice, Non-GMO, No Artificial Sweeteners
• Amazon Business
$6.58
8
$52.64
Dole Mixed Tropical Fruit in Light Syrup and Passion Fruit Juice, 15.25 Ounce Can (Pack of 12), All Natural Pineapple Red Papaya & Yellow Papaya in Light Syrup & Passion Fruit Juice, Pop & Peel Lid
• Amazon Business
$26.88
1
$26.88
Zee Zees Applesauce Cups, Unsweetened Mango Peach, 4 oz Cups, 24 pack
• Amazon Business
$25.00
1
$25.00
Mott's Unsweetened Applesauce, 3.9 oz cups, 36 count
• Amazon Business
$24.97
1
$24.97
Materials cost
$289.51
Vendor shipping charges
FREE
Sales tax
$26.49
3rd party payment processing fee
$4.34
Fulfillment labor & materials
$30.00
Total project cost
$350.34
Suggested donation to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms
$61.82
Total project goal
$412.16
How we calculate what's needed
Total project goal
$412.16
1 Donor
-$82.43
Donations toward project cost
-$70.07
Donations to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms
-$12.36
match offer
-$329.73
Match offer toward project cost
-$280.27
Match offer to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms
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. K. and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.