{"monthlySchoolDonationEnabled":true,"callToActionDisplayName":"Donald Stewart ECC 51","outOfStateSupporters":39.8,"allowSchoolLevelGiving":true,"hasFundedProjects":true,"projectGratitudeData":[{"teacherId":1718535,"projectId":10323698,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for your incredibly generous donation of STEM toys, including LEGO bricks and Magna-Tiles, for our students. The students were over the moon in excitement when we received and opened the boxes.\r\n\r\nLearning from home presents unique challenges, but your kindness ensures our students don't miss out on hands-on, critical thinking opportunities. With these materials, they will not just be playing; they will be building structural engineering marvels, testing math concepts, and developing essential problem-solving skills right from their living rooms. Your support provided more than just toys; it delivered inspiration, engagement, and a true sense of community. \r\n\r\nBecause of your generosity, our students now have incredible, hands-on resources to keep their minds active and learning at home. We are so grateful for your investment in our students' education and future. You are helping us shape the next generation of engineers, architects, and scientists—one block at a time! \r\nThank you for recognizing the value of creative STEM play and for supporting our young learners when they need it most.","fullyFundedDate":1790687037117,"projectUrl":"project/bringing-learning-home/10323698/","projectTitle":"Bringing Learning Home","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Villar","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-8_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/mrs-villar"},{"teacherId":4052740,"projectId":10715707,"letterContent":"Our classroom is filled with bright, curious four-year-olds who come to school each day eager to learn, play, and grow. As educators in an urban school district, we know that before children can fully focus on learning, they need to feel safe, comfortable, and cared for. Many of our students come from families facing financial hardships, and during the colder months, it is not uncommon for children to arrive at school without adequate winter accessories such as mittens, gloves, or warm socks.\r\n\r\nThanks to the generosity of our donors, this project has helped provide essential winter items that make a meaningful difference in the lives of our students. The mittens, gloves, and cozy socks we received are more than just clothing items. They are tools that help keep little hands warm during outdoor play, protect children from harsh winter weather, and ensure that students can participate comfortably in daily activities. For many of our families, these supplies ease a financial burden and provide peace of mind knowing their children have what they need to stay warm and healthy.\r\n\r\nYoung children learn best through hands-on experiences, movement, and exploration. Outdoor play is an important part of our school day, but cold temperatures can make it difficult for children who do not have proper winter gear. With these new supplies, our students can enjoy recess, nature walks, and outdoor learning opportunities without discomfort. Warm hands and feet allow children to focus on building friendships, developing social skills, and engaging in meaningful learning experiences.\r\n\r\nThe impact of your generosity extends far beyond the winter season. Receiving these items shows our students that there are caring individuals who believe in them and want them to succeed. It also reinforces a sense of dignity and belonging for young children who may otherwise feel different from their peers because they lack basic necessities. Every pair of mittens, gloves, and socks represents warmth, kindness, and support for our classroom community.\r\n\r\nOn behalf of our students, families, and school staff, thank you for making this project possible. Your support helps ensure that every child has the opportunity to learn, play, and thrive regardless of their circumstances. We are incredibly grateful for your kindness and commitment to helping our youngest learners stay warm, comfortable, and ready to succeed. Your generosity has made a lasting difference in the lives of our children, and we truly appreciate the care and compassion you have shown our classroom.","fullyFundedDate":1791120651517,"projectUrl":"project/keeping-warm/10715707/","projectTitle":"Keeping Warm","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. K.","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/272x272/tp4052740_272x272.jpg?width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1478545188233","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/4052740"},{"teacherId":4052740,"projectId":10316880,"letterContent":"On behalf of my Pre-K students, I would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude for supporting our fine motor skills project. Your generosity in funding our project and providing Play-Doh and other fine motor materials has made a meaningful difference in our classroom. We are so thankful for your kindness and commitment to helping young learners grow, explore, and succeed.\r\n\r\nIn Pre-K, fine motor development is one of the most important foundations for future learning. The muscles in a child's hands and fingers must become stronger before they can successfully hold pencils, write letters, cut with scissors, button clothing, and complete many everyday tasks independently. Through your donation, our students now have engaging, hands-on materials that make developing these skills both fun and meaningful.\r\n\r\nThe Play-Doh you provided has quickly become a classroom favorite. Every day, students eagerly gather around the table to roll, squeeze, pinch, flatten, and mold the dough into creative shapes and creations. While they think they are simply playing, they are actually strengthening the small muscles in their hands and fingers. These activities help build the dexterity and coordination needed for future academic tasks such as writing and drawing.\r\n\r\nBeyond the physical benefits, the materials have also enhanced our students' creativity, communication, and social-emotional development. As children work together at the Play-Doh table, they share ideas, take turns with tools, describe their creations, and learn how to collaborate with peers. We have seen students create animals, foods, letters, numbers, and imaginative designs while proudly explaining their work to classmates and teachers. These experiences encourage confidence and self-expression while supporting important developmental milestones.\r\n\r\nMany of our students enter Pre-K needing additional opportunities to strengthen their fine motor skills. Because of your generosity, we can now provide engaging hands-on learning experiences that support each child's individual growth. The excitement on their faces as they explore new materials is truly priceless. They are developing skills that will benefit them not only this year but throughout their educational journey.\r\n\r\nYour support also sends a powerful message to our students and families. It shows them that there are caring individuals who believe in their potential and value their education. Knowing that people they may never meet are willing to invest in their learning helps build a sense of community and encouragement. Your kindness reminds us that education is strengthened when communities come together to support children.\r\n\r\nAs a teacher, I am incredibly grateful for the opportunities these materials provide. Resources like Play-Doh help transform lessons into engaging learning experiences where students can actively explore, create, and discover. Watching their excitement and growth each day is a wonderful reminder of the impact your generosity has made.\r\n\r\nThank you for believing in our students and for making our fine motor project possible. Your donation has already brought smiles, excitement, and meaningful learning opportunities into our classroom. We appreciate your support more than words can express and are deeply thankful for your investment in our young learners. Because of your generosity, our students are building stronger hands, stronger skills, and a stronger foundation for future success.\r\n\r\nWith sincere gratitude,\r\n\r\nCarla Kokoszka","fullyFundedDate":1790687015286,"projectUrl":"project/developing-fine-motor-skills/10316880/","projectTitle":"Developing Fine Motor Skills","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. K.","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/272x272/tp4052740_272x272.jpg?width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1478545188233","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/4052740"},{"teacherId":4971884,"projectId":10269983,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for your incredibly generous donation of Playdoh, fidget toys, bubbles, water bottles and ice packs to our preschool classroom. We were thrilled to open the packages and children's faces lit up with excitement at all the new items. Your thoughtfulness provides our classroom with essential tools that make our learning environment comforting, engaging and lots of fun.\r\nThese materials are perfect for supporting our daily sensory development and emotional regulation activities. The Playdoh and fidget toys will be wonderful for our quiet-time bins and calming corners, helping the children strengthen their fine motor skills and self-soothe when they become overwhelmed. Meanwhile, the bubbles will bring immense joy to our outdoor gross motor time. The new water bottles and ice packs will ensure we can keep everyone hydrated and ready to bounce back from any minor bumps in the day. \r\nThank you for supporting our learners' emotional and physical well-being.","fullyFundedDate":1788993527298,"projectUrl":"project/sensory-toys-to-diversify-learning/10269983/","projectTitle":"Sensory Toys to Diversify Learning","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Smith","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-3_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/4971884"},{"teacherId":4971884,"projectId":9983563,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for your incredibly generous donation of iPads, keyboards, Apple pencil pros and Airpods to our classroom. We are absolutely thrilled to receive this advanced technology, and the students are excited to begin using these tools. Your thoughtfulness and support provide resources that open up a world of interactive learning opportunities for our daily curriculum. \r\nThis technology will transform our center time learning areas and individual skill building. With the iPads, keyboards, and Pencil Pros, students can draw and practice writing skills as well as engage with interactive educational applications. The addition of the Airpods will allow individuals to focus deeply on lessons without any classroom distractions. \r\nWe are deeply grateful for your incredible investment in our students.\r\nThanks again.","fullyFundedDate":1774963896676,"projectUrl":"project/an-apple-a-day-brings-technology-our-way/9983563/","projectTitle":"An Apple a Day Brings Technology Our Way","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Smith","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-3_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/4971884"},{"teacherId":4971884,"projectId":9983533,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for your incredibly generous donation of the Canon telephoto zoom lens to our classroom. We were absolutely thrilled to open the package and the students are already fascinated by it. Resources like this make a world of a difference in creating an engaging educational environment and your thoughtfulness is deeply appreciated by both myself and the children. \r\nThis camera lens will be a wonderful tool for our daily activities and special projects. We plan to use it to document the children's creative work, capture important learning milestones and help them explore the world through visual storytelling. It will also allow us to share these meaningful, everyday moments more vividly with our classroom families, bridging the gap between school and home. \r\nYour support means so much to us. Thanks again.","fullyFundedDate":1774963891157,"projectUrl":"project/zooming-in-on-stem/9983533/","projectTitle":"Zooming in on STEM","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Smith","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-3_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/4971884"},{"teacherId":4971884,"projectId":9977080,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for your incredibly generous donation of the Canon digital camera for our classroom. \r\nThis camera will make a huge difference for my students by letting them document their science projects, art pieces, and daily classroom activities. Having real photography tools helps the children build confidence, express their creativity, and see their hard work captured in high quality. \r\nWe are already planning our first photo project to put your gift to good use. Thank you again for investing in our classroom and for supporting our students' learning journey.","fullyFundedDate":1774963886911,"projectUrl":"project/learning-at-first-click/9977080/","projectTitle":"Learning at First Click","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Smith","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-3_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/4971884"},{"teacherId":9247671,"projectId":10167368,"letterContent":"The seeds and garden tools from our project allowed us to bring learning outside of the classroom and into our garden. Students had the opportunity to plant seeds, dig in the soil, water their plants, and observe the changes that happened as the garden began to grow.\r\n\r\nThese hands-on experiences helped us introduce important early science concepts such as what plants need to grow, the life cycle of a plant, changes in nature, and the importance of caring for living things. Students also practiced math skills by counting seeds, comparing sizes, measuring growth, and noticing patterns in the garden.\r\n\r\nThe garden became an extension of our classroom. Instead of only learning about plants through pictures and books, students were able to touch the soil, use real gardening tools, make observations, ask questions, and participate directly in the growing process. This made the lessons much more meaningful and memorable for them.\r\n\r\nThe project also supported social-emotional and motor development. Students practiced taking turns with the tools, working together, following routines, and taking responsibility for caring for the garden. Digging, planting, scooping, and watering also helped strengthen their fine- and gross-motor skills.\r\n\r\nMost importantly, the garden gave our students a sense of excitement and ownership in their learning. They looked forward to going outside to check on their plants and were proud to see the results of their care and hard work. The materials helped us turn our outdoor space into a hands-on learning environment where science, math, language, creativity, and teamwork could all come together.","fullyFundedDate":1775680737086,"projectUrl":"project/growing-minds-building-skills-through-p/10167368/","projectTitle":"Growing Minds: Building Skills Through Play, Nature, and Creativity","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Regalo","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9247671_orig.jpg?crop=2277,2277,x0,y174&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1693531080136","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9247671"},{"teacherId":9247671,"projectId":10017635,"letterContent":"The donation of bilingual books has made a wonderful impact on our little learners. These books have helped us strengthen early literacy skills in both Spanish and English while also making reading more meaningful and accessible for our students.\r\n\r\nThrough these new texts, students are learning important skills such as identifying characters and settings, making predictions, retelling stories, building vocabulary, recognizing print, and connecting illustrations to the words they hear. The bilingual format also allows students to make connections between Spanish and English, helping them develop confidence and understanding in both languages.\r\n\r\nReading in our classroom is interactive and engaging. We read together during whole-group time, revisit favorite books in smaller groups, and give students opportunities to explore books independently in our classroom library. We encourage students to talk about what they notice, answer questions, make connections to their own experiences, and use pictures to help tell the story.\r\n\r\nOur students have been especially excited to see books that include words they recognize in both languages. Some children enjoy pointing out familiar Spanish words, while others are beginning to connect those words with their English equivalents. The books have sparked more conversations, participation, and excitement during story time.\r\n\r\nThank you for helping us create a classroom where our little learners can see their language, culture, and experiences represented in the books they read. Your generosity is helping us build a love of reading while supporting their language development, confidence, and early literacy skills.","fullyFundedDate":1774963720343,"projectUrl":"project/bilingual-books-for-our-little-learners/10017635/","projectTitle":"Bilingual Books for Our Little Learners","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Regalo","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9247671_orig.jpg?crop=2277,2277,x0,y174&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1693531080136","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9247671"},{"teacherId":2221051,"projectId":10331438,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for funding our Little Spots of Emotions project! Your generosity is making it possible for my young learners to have meaningful, hands-on opportunities to explore and understand their emotions in a fun and engaging way. At this young age, children are learning how to identify their feelings, express themselves, and understand the emotions of others. The materials from this project will help make these important social-emotional lessons more concrete, enjoyable, and accessible to every child in our classroom.\r\n\r\nYour support will have a lasting positive impact on my students by helping them develop self-awareness, communication skills, empathy, and positive ways to manage their feelings. Through stories, activities, play, and hands-on learning, my students will have opportunities to build confidence and learn that all feelings are important. Thank you for investing in our little learners and helping create a classroom where children feel safe, understood, and empowered to express their emotions!","fullyFundedDate":1790687054356,"projectUrl":"project/little-spots-of-emotions/10331438/","projectTitle":"Little Spots of Emotions","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Sader","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/272x272/tp2221051_272x272.jpg?width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1458046495705","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/2221051"},{"teacherId":2221051,"projectId":10331404,"letterContent":"The LEGO project will have a meaningful impact on our students' learning by providing engaging, hands-on opportunities to explore, create, and learn through play. Building with LEGO bricks encourages children to use their imagination, think creatively, solve problems, and develop early math and spatial awareness skills. As students connect, stack, and manipulate the pieces, they will strengthen their fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and finger dexterity, which are essential for developing early writing skills. This project will also encourage teamwork, communication, and perseverance as children share ideas, collaborate, and bring their creations to life. These materials will make learning fun, meaningful, and developmentally appropriate for our young learners.","fullyFundedDate":1790687055237,"projectUrl":"project/building-with-blocks-at-home/10331404/","projectTitle":"Building with Blocks at Home","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Sader","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/272x272/tp2221051_272x272.jpg?width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1458046495705","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/2221051"},{"teacherId":4971884,"projectId":9985974,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for your incredibly generous donation of two Samsung Galaxy watches, charging pad and extra bands. for our preschool classroom. We were super thrilled to unbox this equipment and excited to use them. Your thoughtfulness provides our classroom with unique, interactive resources that will make health and movement a dynamic part of our early childhood curriculum.\r\nThese smartwatches will be fantastic tools for enhancing our daily physical education and indoor movement games. We plan to use them to track the children's active minutes, count steps during fun movement challenges and play interactive games that get everyone up and dancing. The durable bands and charging pads ensure that the watches stay safe, comfortable, and always ready for our eager little learners to track their healthy habits. \r\nThanks again for supporting us in teaching health, wellness and coordination in a fun way.","fullyFundedDate":1774963884836,"projectUrl":"project/fitness-fun-keeps-us-healthy/9985974/","projectTitle":"Fitness Fun Keeps Us Healthy","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Smith","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-3_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/4971884"}],"pageName":"schoolpage_75674","usesDonorsChoose":true,"infoPageType":"school","demographicsInfo":{"numStudents":310,"numTeachers":23,"percentFrplEligible":84,"percentAsian":1,"percentBlack":17,"percentWhite":6,"percentIndigenous":0,"percentLatinx":74,"showFreeAndReducedPriceLunchInfo":true,"showDemographicsInfo":true,"sourceTooltipString":"the National Center for Education Statistics","percentHawaiianImputed":0,"percentMultiracialImputed":0,"gradesServed":"Pre-K - Pre-K","studentTeacherRatio":"13.5:1","demographicsDataSource":"MDR School","equityFocus":true,"titleOne":false,"metroType":"SUBURBAN","ncesMetroType":"SUBURB_LARGE"},"inStateSupporters":60.2,"schoolId":75674,"financialInfo":null,"twitterShareText":"Learn more about Donald Stewart ECC 51 on @DonorsChoose:","schoolName":"Donald Stewart ECC 51","canonicalPageUrl":"schools/new-jersey/elizabeth-public-schools/donald-stewart-ecc-51/75674"}