West Side Early Childhood Special Education in Saint Paul, Minnesota on DonorsChoose

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These children may have sensory loss (hearing and/or vision impairments), a diagnosis that affects motor control and development, and other medical complexities such as feeding tubes, tracheotomies, seizures, shunts, etc. There is an even smaller population that has a combination of several of these conditions. These are the children that this project impacted! \r\n\r\nThe sensory mats are currently in multiple houses. Children are able to use any movement they have available to explore different textures in their environment. There were places on stander trays, activity seat trays, in little rooms (a small room made for DeafBlind children to learn how to explore their environments), and on the floor under arms/legs/cheeks. These mats came in a variety of textures. The children using the mats were able to communicate which textures they liked and which textures they did not like. These simple choices and preferences, when observed and understood by the therapists or caregivers, begin to build a solid foundation for communication and learning. The switch activated bubble machine and fan have been used by two children and the bubble machine is on its way to a third. Using a simple button switch, children can experience the joy of blowing bubbles or having a fan (with tinsel tied onto it) blow on your face on their own. These switch activated sensory experiences involve concepts of cause and effect, sounds, visual stimuli, and the feeling of the wetness or wind. One child learned how to activate the button using their foot and another using their cheek. Instead of others playing with toys in front of them, they were able to control the toy on their own. \r\n\r\nThe items that were purchased as part of this project will remain in a lending library within our program for children to use for years to come. I hope to build up this library in the future to insure these children have access to a variety of play experiences just like their typically developing peers. Play is so important for every child and they have a right to access it! Thank you so much for helping me work towards this goal.","fullyFundedDate":1735417683794,"projectUrl":"project/children-with-multiple-disabilities-need/8993878/","projectTitle":"Children With Multiple Disabilities Need Access to Play Too!","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Kourtney","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-7_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/8836532"},{"teacherId":9405268,"projectId":8095850,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for your generosity! Your support has made a meaningful impact on my students, particularly those with fine motor and sensory challenges. When they first saw the new materials, their excitement was evident. One of my students with cerebral palsy was eager to try the adapted scissors, which provided the stability and support needed to practice cutting with increased confidence. The adapted writing tools have been a great resource, allowing all students to participate in writing activities without struggling with pencils too large for their hands. \r\n\r\nSensory items such as the weighted blanket, chewies, and fidgets have helped students at Head Start learning centers stay regulated and participate in classroom routines such as circle time, meal times, and nap time. \r\n\r\nMoving forward, we will continue using these resources to support independence and skill development in our daily routines. Your generosity has provided my students with tools that empower them to succeed, and I cannot thank you enough for making this possible!","fullyFundedDate":1712286469450,"projectUrl":"project/sensory-/8095850/","projectTitle":"Sensory !","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Son","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9405268_orig.jpg?width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1701966344535","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9405268"}],"pageName":"schoolpage_121767","usesDonorsChoose":true,"infoPageType":"school","demographicsInfo":{"numStudents":null,"numTeachers":null,"percentFrplEligible":70,"percentAsian":23,"percentBlack":19,"percentWhite":18,"percentIndigenous":0,"percentLatinx":12,"showFreeAndReducedPriceLunchInfo":true,"showDemographicsInfo":true,"sourceTooltipString":"the National Center for Education Statistics","gradesServed":"Not specified","studentTeacherRatio":null,"demographicsDataSource":"MDR District Record","equityFocus":true,"titleOne":false,"metroType":"UNCLASSIFIED","ncesMetroType":null},"inStateSupporters":53.8,"schoolId":121767,"financialInfo":null,"twitterShareText":"Learn more about West Side Early Childhood Special Education on @DonorsChoose:","schoolName":"West Side Early Childhood Special Education","canonicalPageUrl":"schools/minnesota/saint-paul-public-schools/west-side-early-childhood-special-education/121767"}

About this school

West Side Early Childhood Special Education is a public school in Saint Paul, Minnesota that is part of Saint Paul Public Schools. Its teachers have had 6 projects funded on DonorsChoose.

Equity Focus School

Support towards this school will directly impact historically underfunded classrooms.

Public School

Grades Not specified

# of students unavailable

# of teachers unavailable

271 Belvidere St E

Saint Paul, MN 55107 View local requests

Evidence-based impact

Inspire teachers to stay in the classroom and boost student achievement.¹

Give to this school

Ms. Vero, a DonorsChoose teacher for 9 years.

Kindergarten teacher at PS81 - Robert J. Christen School in Bronx, NY

West Side Early Childhood Special Education Teachers on DonorsChoose

Mrs. Kourtney

Ms. Son

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West Side Early Childhood Special Education Demographics

70%

of students receive free or reduced price lunch

Source: the National Center for Education Statistics

54%

of students are Black, Latino, Native American, or Asian

Schools in districts that mainly serve students of color receive substantially less state and local support than similar districts that serve primarily White students. Learn more about this gap, why it exists, and how you can help close it.

West Side Early Childhood Special Education Support on DonorsChoose Last updated Dec 8, 2025

DonorsChoose makes it easy for anyone to help a teacher in need, moving us closer to a nation where students in every community have the tools and experiences they need for a great education.